RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS - Queensland Parliament ...

472 Questions Without Notice 7 Mar 2013
NOTICES OF MOTION
Disallowance of Statutory Instrument
Ms PALASZCZUK (Inala—ALP) (Leader of the Opposition) (10.24 am): I give notice that I will
move—
That the Industrial Relations (Mandatory Code of Practice for Outworkers) Repeal Notice 2012, Subordinate Legislation 2012
No. 193, tabled in the House on 13 November 2012, be disallowed.
Disallowance of Statutory Instrument
Ms TRAD (South Brisbane—ALP) (10.24 am): I give notice that I will move—
That the Transport (Rail Safety) Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, Subordinate Legislation 2012 No. 205, tabled in the
House on 27 November 2012, be disallowed.
SPEAKER’S STATEMENT
School Group Tours
Madam SPEAKER: Today I wish to acknowledge school tours visiting: Northgate State School
from the electorate of Nudgee and MacGregor State High School from the electorate of Sunnybank.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Costello, Mr P
Ms PALASZCZUK (10.25 am): My question is to the Treasurer and Minister for Trade. I refer
to the Treasurer’s attendance as guest speaker at an LNP QForum fundraiser in Melbourne on
15 December 2011 and ask: as shadow Treasurer did he tell guests Mr Costello would play a major
role in an LNP government; did he urge guests to use the services of a Costello related lobbying firm
ECG Advisory Solutions; and does the Treasurer see any conflict of interest in this matter and his
appointment of Mr Costello to the Commission of Audit?
Mr NICHOLLS: Can I say how delighted I am to get a question from the opposition after all this
time sitting here. A year into the job I think this is the first question that the Leader of the Opposition
has asked me and, of course, it does not focus in any way, shape or form on the fiscal position of the
state. She does not seek to ask a question about growth. There was a big story in the paper today.
Obviously those opposite get their questions from various news organs. They trawl over them and try
to find the answers. Nor does she seek to find out how we are going to repay the massive debt, the
$62 billion heading towards $85 billion. What does she do? She trawls around and picks up a little bit
of bottom feeding that is going on out of the newspapers, out of the media and all those sorts of
things.
Let me make this abundantly clear: the premise of her question is utterly false. If she had
bothered to consult with her colleague, the shadow Treasurer, she would know that he has already
spoken about this, because I have already spoken about this. On 18 September last year in Cairns I
was asked did I speak to Mr Costello and I said that I had had a conversation with Mr Costello and he
said, ‘Come back once you have won the election, if you win it, and we will talk then.’ That was a
disclosure that was made. It was reported in the Cairns Post on 18 September. The shadow
Treasurer, showing all the nimbleness for which he is renowned, leapt on that statement and
proceeded to give me a hard time about it. Let me say very clearly that the government had made no
decision on the appointment of any of the commissioners in December 2011. We made no decision
until after the results of the election on 24 March were known to us. We made that decision after 24
March, after the results of the election.
I see that there is a report of some comments that allegedly are attributed to me. I categorically
and emphatically deny those comments. They were not made. They are a flight of fancy by someone
who was obviously up to some form of mischief. They were categorically not made, as anyone who
was at that business breakfast will attest. I was invited to attend to explain what the problems were
facing Queensland prior to the election and what the LNP was proposing to do, as I did at many