❓ A parliamentary question seeks details about a Senior Policy Advisor's past involvement with Melville community groups and potential conflicts of interest related to an investigation into the City of Melville. The Minister's response denies any conflict of interest.
AnsweredQoN 3099Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Ministerial Resourcing Report tabled on 8 May 2018, which lists Julian Hilton as a Senior Policy Adviser in your office, and ask: (a) on what date did Mr Hilton commence in your office, is his employment current and on what basis is he employed (ie. term of government, contract, casual, or otherwise); (b) was or is Mr Hilton a member of the Melville Community Association, Melville Ratepayers Association or any other community group in Melville or surrounding areas: (i) if yes, please provide details of his membership/s including the name of the organisation, the dates on which his membership commended and ended, and details of any position held within the organisation (including the time period in which that position was held); (c) noting the current investigation into the City of Melville, did Mr Hilton lodge any complaints against the City, whether in his personal capacity or as part of his membership in a community group: (i) if yes, please provide details of the complaint including if it was lodged with the Department or Minister, the date it was lodged, the nature of the complaint and the issues raised; and (d) noting the current investigation into the City of Melville, can you provide assurance that there is no conflict of interest, perceived or otherwise, with Mr Hilton's employment in your office: (i) if there is a conflict of interest, please advise what steps are being taken to manage the conflict of interest?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
19 June 2018
Responded by
Minister for Local Government; Heritage; Culture and the Arts
Response time
7 days
(a) Commenced 5 February 2018 and currently employed on a full time basis. Other details provided in Ministerial Resourcing Report.
(b) Mr Hilton has not been an active member of the Melville Community Association since 2015 and has never been a member of the Melville Ratepayers Association.
(c) Mr Hilton has never lodged a formal complaint about the City of Melville with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (or its predecessor) or the Minister for Local Government.
(d) There is no conflict of interest.
As the member would be aware the Authorised Inquiry into the City of Melville was established in November 2017 and is being conducted by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Interests in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1995 .
Mr Hilton was not an employee of this office when the Inquiry was established and has no role in the conduct of the Inquiry.
(b) Mr Hilton has not been an active member of the Melville Community Association since 2015 and has never been a member of the Melville Ratepayers Association.
(c) Mr Hilton has never lodged a formal complaint about the City of Melville with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (or its predecessor) or the Minister for Local Government.
(d) There is no conflict of interest.
As the member would be aware the Authorised Inquiry into the City of Melville was established in November 2017 and is being conducted by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Interests in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1995 .
Mr Hilton was not an employee of this office when the Inquiry was established and has no role in the conduct of the Inquiry.
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