Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Member conduct

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. Between July 2020 and August 2021 the minister received at least seven written briefings from the Department of Treasury and Finance in relation to Victorian government banking contracts. How could the minister not know that he had a conflict of interest when he read and signed these seven briefings?

Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Government Services, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, Minister for Consumer Affairs) (14:06): Again I refer the member to the answer to the previous question, which is that I signed off on a noting brief in relation to this matter. It was an independent process run by the Department of Treasury and Finance overseen by a probity auditor.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast is warned.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): On 14 occasions the minister has declared to Parliament that he owns a significant holding of Commonwealth Bank shares. How can Victorians believe that he was unaware of his conflict of interest and breach of the ministerial code of conduct?

Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Government Services, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, Minister for Consumer Affairs) (14:07): As I have indicated, I declared this at every step of the way once I had the great privilege to be the member for Essendon in this place, and these things have been disclosed in the appropriate way.