Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again addressed to Senator Evans, representing the Prime Minister. Minister, having had the opportunity to see the Observer ‘Property Week’ of Saturday, 23 February, and having taken the opportunity to discuss specifically in the chamber today the member for Lyne in the other place, will the minister now advise the Senate whether he thinks it is appropriate for a member of parliament to appear in advertisements advertising their own business—and for the sake of the discussion I will roll the supplementary question into that—and can you guarantee the Senate that Mr Trevor, the member for Flynn, has not used Australian government resources to continue conducting his Chris Trevor and Associates conveyancing business?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question, but I think it is a repeat of the earlier question. I indicate that I am happy for him to table the document at the end of question time, now that I have seen it, but I am not able to help him with any detail in terms of his allegations about Mr Trevor other than to say that the document that he seeks to table, which I will give permission to table at the end of question time, does not indicate any use of government resources at all. It looks like a private matter. But if there is anything else I can help the senator with I will have a look at that.

I think the important thing is that I mentioned Mr Vaile in order to indicate that the public do expect better than we have been getting out of some members of parliament and I think we do have to be very clear about the demarcation line between private interest and our role as parliamentarians. I think Mr Rudd made the point himself that there needs to be accountability for members’ time and activities and that ought to be separate from any private consultancies or other activities that they wish to conduct. As I say, I cannot comment on the particular allegations made by the senator; I have no knowledge of the matters. But certainly there is nothing in the document that he gave me that suggested that any government funds had been used. If there is anything further I wish to add to the answer, I will do so.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I rather hoped that I would not have to ask a supplementary question to get a response from this minister in relation to two very simple questions. Again I will ask the minister: can you give an ironclad guarantee that there were no Australian government resources used by this member of parliament advertising his own business? Can you give that guarantee, having seen quite clearly the advertisement in that paper?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, it does not matter how many times the senator asks the question. I can only give him the answer that I am capable of giving, which is that I have no knowledge of the issues he raises or the allegations he makes, and that I noted on reading the advertisement that he showed to me that there was no suggestion that any government funds had been used. Clearly, it is a question that, if he is that interested, he ought to take up with Mr Trevor.