After a 30 month battle, Treasurer Kevin Foley had been forced to release details of payments made to consultant Bruce Carter and his company.
“For 30 months, Mr Foley and Mr Rann have refused to answer questions on notice in Parliament about total payments made by the Government to Mr Carter and his company,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today.
“However, in evidence tabled at the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee meeting today by Under Treasurer Jim Wright, it was revealed that Treasury had paid more than $1 million to Mr Carter and his company.
“Treasury revealed they had made the following payments to Mr Carter’s company, Ferrier Hodgson.
Year Payment
2002-03 $ 285,211.00
2003-04 $ 252,931.00
2005-06 $ 221,409.00
2006-07 $ 359,334.00
2009-10 $ 56,280.00
TOTAL $ 1,175,165.00
“These payments don’t include other payments such as the $65,000 Mr Carter received as Chair of WorkCover and $75,000 per annum Mr Carter is receiving as Chair of the Economic Development Board.”
In other evidence to the Committee, Mr Wright indicated that:
• Taxpayers paid credit rating agencies Standard & Poor’s (about $350,000) and Moody’s (cost TBA) for their services and didn’t pay Fitch for their services. Mr Wright reported that Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s rated South Australia as AAA but Fitch rated SA only as AA+
• There was a possibility of a further delay in the Royal Adelaide Hospital PPP tendering process and no decision had been taken yet on whether the Government would undertake a Best and Final Offer process
• The Budget treatment of the Convention Centre expansion meant it would not be included in the Government’s estimate of whether its budget was in surplus or deficit (net operating balance measure)
“These payments have been made at a time when the Rann Government is slashing critical programmes for South Australian families.”