There were further fiery exchanges between the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Rann Government at today’s hearing of the Legislative Council inquiry into the Atkinson/Ashbourne affair, according to Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas. “Rann Government Minister Paul Holloway tried to further antagonise Mr Stephen Pallaras QC through a series of questions and statements which…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas has written to the Auditor-General requesting an urgent investigation of Rann Government actions in concealing expenditure on consultants. “Over the last three years the Rann Government has taken action in a number of ways to avoid accountability and prevent details of actual expenditure on consultants from being publicly revealed,” Mr Lucas…
Stunning evidence from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to the Atkinson-Ashbourne inquiry helps explain why Mike Rann and his Ministers have tried to cover up the affair right from the start, according to Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas. “Mr Stephen Pallaras today revealed that he believes Mike Rann’s Senior Legal Adviser, Mr Nick Alexandrides, made…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas has welcomed the decision today of the Parliament’s Upper House to establish a Parliamentary inquiry into the collection of property taxes, and what are widely considered to be inequities in the current system. Mr Lucas moved in March for the Legislative Council to establish a Select Committee to inquire into all…
The State Government will reap an extra $20 million in poker machine revenue each year until 2006-07 despite the ‘window-dressing’ gaming machine buy-back which starts today, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said. Figures from the State Budget reveal poker machine intake will rise from $302m in 2004-05 to about $344m in 2006-07. Mr Lucas said the…
Media Mike Rann is ducking for cover at a time he needs to answer questions about the behaviour of one of his senior advisers in relation to the Premier’s appearance at the Ashbourne trial, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today. “We now know that the DPP Mr Pallaras has stated that this issue is of…
Liberal Upper House Leader Rob Lucas has called on Premier Mike Rann to explain why one of his senior advisers: ‘behaved in a verbally aggressive and intimidating manner with a DPP officer on the issue of Premier Rann’s appearance at the Ashbourne trial’. Hansard June 30 2005. Mr Lucas told Parliament today that staff from…
The Rann Government has conceded for the first time that total job losses from the Mitsubishi downsizing will be at least 3,600 jobs, according to Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas. “In Question Time today, senior Minister Paul Holloway revealed that the government believed the 2,000 direct jobs remaining at Mitsubishi sustained a total of 6,000 direct…
Labor Treasurer Kevin Foley could not rule out further blowouts in the costs of the Port River Bridges project in Budget Estimates hearings today, according to Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas. “Mr Foley could provide no satisfactory answer as to why the cost of the project – including the opening bridges – had actually blown out…
Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas today described as unbelievable Rann Government decisions to spend $566,000 on consultancies led by a man continually attacked by Kevin Foley as practicing ‘voodoo economics’. “Last year Kevin Foley launched a series of attacks on local consultant and researcher John Spoehr and on the quality of the work and analysis undertaken…