Politics
The questions unanswered
Sue Neales, The Mercury
And, despite the Government’s determination to end the TCC controversy with Mr Green’s apology on Tuesday, new issues of concern continued to emerge yesterday. The latest question surrounds exactly what advice Mr Green sought and was given by the Office of the Solicitor-General and Crown Law before he signed his secret deal with the TCC. During the past three weeks it has been revealed that, two days before the state election was called in February, Mr Green signed a legal contract that guaranteed three years of profits, uninterrupted monopoly business or a compensation payout of $2.5 million to the TCC.
What the Greens say
Peg Putt MHA
Greens Opposition Leader
Wednesday, 5 JULY 2006
MORE CONTRADICTIONS ON TCC MATTERS
Ensures Issue Will Not Go Away
The Tasmanian Greens today say that a fresh issue of conflicting government statements over the controversial Tasmanian Compliance Corporation agreement has arisen hot on the heels of an all day debate on a motion of no-confidence in the Deputy Premier, which no doubt the government had hoped would clear the air.
Greens Opposition Leader Peg Putt MHA said the Greens had received reliable information that Crown Law or Solicitor General’s advice had been sought but ignored by Minister Green when he was preparing to sign the agreement, but that his response to this being put to him twice in Question Time was not to answer, whilst the Premier had acknowledged, in response to a question by Ms Putt, that Crown Law advice was sought and received by the Department but never given to the Minister.
Ms Putt also pointed out that an interview with the Premier reported in the Mercury today (page 2) claimed, apparently as a result of assertions made by the Premier in that interview, that the Premier was ‘stunned that Mr Green never thought to show the proposed compensation and three-year guarantee-of-business deal he made with the TCC, to the Crown Law office – either before it was formally drafted or before he signed it, two days before the election was called.’
“The statements of the Premier reported in this morning’s papers appear contradictory to those he made in the afternoon on the issue of Crown Law advice on the TCC agreement.”
“How is it that Crown Law advice was never passed on to the Minister, especially as it apparently warned against some or all of the provisions being contemplated by the Minister?”
“Why didn’t the Minister ask for Crown Law advice, why wouldn’t he tell the House what advice he sought and received, and why was it up to the Premier to claim that key legal advice was withheld from his Minister by the Department?”
“The smell over this deal and how it was consummated still has not gone away.”
“We await with interest the Premier making available the content of the Crown Law advice,” Ms Putt said.