Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says Michael Gunner is lying to Territorians when
he says he didn’t know that the $12 million Turf Club Grandstand ‘proposal had not been
rigorously tested and validated prior to cabinet’s decision’.
“Michael Gunner is taking Territorians for fools,” says Ms Finocchiaro.
The ICAC Report, information reported by the NT Independent and then Minister Eva Lawler
throwing him under the bus last week on Mix 104.9 – all points to Gunner himself desperately
begging the Turf Club at the 11th hour to send something to the Department of Business to
turn into a shonky ‘under the arm’ Cabinet Submission in time for Cabinet on 14 June 2019.
“Michael Gunner knew the submission hadn’t been ‘rigorously tested and validated’ because
he must have been the one who begged for the information, who took it ‘under the arm’ into
Cabinet avoiding the watchful eye of every government department especially Treasury, and
pushed his Cabinet colleagues to give away $12m.
The ICAC report clearly states: “There is no written record of the analysis of the submission
by NTG officers [before 2.00pm on that Thursday, 13 June 2019]. It cannot be said that the
grant was justified by any rigorous process within the government.
“That means that the $12 million Grandstand Cabinet Submission was not circulated to
departments for scrutiny in line with the proper cabinet process and it means it was not part
of the ‘Cabinet Book’ that was circulated to Ministers well in advance of the meeting
scheduled for 14 June 2019.
“Michael Gunner knew it hadn’t been ‘rigorously tested and validated’ because he knew it
wasn’t in the Cabinet Book.
“Every single Minister in that cabinet is complicit and grossly failed in their duty to stop the
giving-away of $12 million of taxpayer money when their own Departments had not had
adequate, if any, opportunity to scrutinise what was contained in the paperwork provided by
the Turf Club to Shaun Drabsch in the email of 1:06pm on 13 June 2019.
“Michael Gunner has repeatedly stated that he is the Chair of Cabinet and he takes
responsibility. These words are hollow garbage. He is not taking responsibility. He is hiding
behind cabinet confidentiality to avoid taking responsibility for this dodgy deal.
“It is not only implausible that he didn’t know that the proper cabinet process hadn’t applied
– it is downright impossible he didn’t know on the information I have before me.”
“If Michael Gunner disagrees with ICAC and claims that the proper cabinet process was
followed, no one will believe him. He needs to release the Treasury analysis including the time
and date that each department was given an opportunity to provide comment on the cabinet
submission and what their response was.
ENDS