Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Premier Must End Saga Of Secrecy On Costello Privatisations


Media Release.

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt says if the Premier has read the LNP’s secret Costello Audit report over Easter as promised he should now be able to answer questions about the impact of its recommendations on privatisations.

“It is time this saga of secrecy ended and Queenslanders were told what is in the Costello Audit report that the LNP is so keen to keep under lock and key,” Mr Pitt said.

“Even though the asset sales, privatisations, and outsourcing recommended in the LNP’s secret Costello Audit report will cost many Queenslanders their jobs, the Premier was not interested enough to read it when it was handed to his government a month ago.

“He has since made promises to read it, but as usual he broke them. However, he did commit on ABC Radio last Tuesday to reading the secret report over the Easter break, so he should now be able to answer some basic questions about it.”

Mr Pitt said the Premier should today be able to say:

•           What is the secret report recommending for sale?
•           What is the secret report recommending for privatisation?
•           What is the secret report recommending for outsourcing?
•           What services will be hit?
•           How many jobs will disappear with the disposal of assets or services?

“The Newman Government has a well-deserved reputation for secrecy. It holds secret fundraising dinners at secret locations with secret guest lists,” he said.

“The LNP has no hesitation in spending taxpayers’ money to the tune of $3,300 a day supporting Liberal Party activist Peter Costello to write a report designed purely to excuse the mass sackings and frontline service cuts needed to fund their election promises.

"This year Easter Monday may also be April Fool's Day, but Queenslanders are not fooled by the LNP's suggestion that the Costello Audit is in anyway 'independent'.

“If the Premier and Treasurer Tim Nicholls want to continue their arrogant approach of hiding the Costello Audit report it is only fair the Premier answer simple questions about it.

“If he can’t or won’t answer basic questions, the Premier should immediately release the full and final report of the LNP’s Costello Audit report so Queenslanders can read it themselves.

“We are still waiting for the release of the second secret report by Mr Costello presented to the government at the end of November 2012 — four months ago.

“That second hidden report should also be released as soon as possible,” Mr Pitt said.

Costello Audit Report – a saga of secrecy

2012:

29 Mar             Commission of Audit announced headed by Liberal Party activist Peter Costello
15 June           Interim Report
30 Nov            Secret Interim Report (still unreleased)

2013:

Thu 28 Feb      Final Report given to Government (still unreleased)
Fri 1 Mar         Government releases only the executive summary of Report
Mon 4 Mar      Cabinet briefed on contents of Report The Australian 4 Mar
Nicholls: Well I expect that the backbenchers will be receiving [the Audit Report] after Easter. Nine News 4 Mar
Nicholls: The Premier's Office have access to the full report, of course they do. Seven News 4 Mar
Tue 5 Mar       Newman: I have read the executive summary; I have not yet got my hands on the 1,000 pages that the Treasurer was alluding to earlier on.
                        Hansard 5 Mar
Newman: But I do not have to read the report at this stage because we have made no decisions. Hansard 5 Mar
                        Mr Newman said he would read the report in the next five days. Courier-Mail 6 Mar
Mon 11 Mar    Cabinet Ministers given copies of report The Australian 4 Mar
Tue 26 Mar     Newman on whether he had yet read the report: Course not, but I’m reading through it and you know what, Easter is my bit of quiet time where I’m really going to cut through the whole thing and finish it. 612ABC 26 Mar

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