A massive scandal was brewing over the $1.7 billion hospital project given confirmation today that confidential costing information was lost on a missing USB memory stick, Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today. “Whilst the Rann Government has been coy for weeks about what information was on the missing USB memory stick, information from…
The Rann Government had not spent at least $100 million of its 2007-08 Transport budget and was also likely to underspend significantly its 2008-09 capital works budget. Evidence to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee from Jim Hallion, CEO Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (DTEI), confirmed that in 2007-08 actual capital works spending…
Evidence to a Parliamentary Committee had confirmed public service job cuts would be greater than the announced 1600 and that there were concerns that savings targets would not be met if the number of separation packages was restricted to 1600, Liberal MLC Rob Lucas said today. Ray Garrand, CEO Department of Further Education, Employment and…
Recent decisions announced by the Federal Labor Government promising greater accountability on frequent flyer points now meant there was greater pressure on Premier Mike Rann to make similar changes. Liberal MLC Rob Lucas said that federal Labor Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner had admitted federal politicians were redeeming frequent flyer points for personal use. “In addition,…
Answers provided last week by Minister Tom Koutsantonis and the Courts Administration Authority (CAA) on the Minister’s driving record had only raised further questions for the Minister to answer. A summary of the position, as outlined by Liberal MLC Rob Lucas, is as follows: • On 21 May 2007 Mr Koutsantonis was fined for speeding…
Minister Tom Koutsantonis had further questions to answer about his driving record after evidence given to a Parliamentary Committee by the Chief Executive of the Courts Administration Authority (CAA), Liberal MLC Rob Lucas said today. Mr Gary Thompson, CEO of the CAA, this week told the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee that about six…
Based on evidence given by Police Commissioner Mal Hyde, the Rann Government was highly unlikely to meet its election promise of 400 extra police officers by June 2010, Liberal MLC Rob Lucas said today. “Mr Hyde gave evidence to today’s meeting of the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee and confirmed that in June 2009…
Rann Government Ministers and ‘Spin Doctors’ were wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars on personal mobile phone costs because they won’t use deals used by most cost conscious South Australians. “Mr Rann must explain publicly why he and his Ministers are paying up to $16,000 per annum when there are many local phone plans…
Transcripts of the Budget and Finance Committee and Statutory Authorities Review Committee hearings are posted to the Committee section of the South Australian Parliament website after the transcripts have been corrected by the witnesses. (Sometimes this process can take a couple of weeks.) The recent hearing of the Budget and Finance Committee on 2 March…
Premier Rann and Treasurer Foley had refused for two years to answer questions in Parliament about frequent flyer points collected from travel by Rann Government Ministers. “Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws have revealed that Mr Rann and Mr Foley have had at least 44 separate overseas trips in the last seven years as…