Queensland Training and Skills Minister Shannon Fentiman could be referred to the parliamentary ethics committee over claims she “covered up” the number of Commonwealth Games tickets handed out to TAFE Queensland staff and board members.
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In a letter to Speaker Curtis Pitt, seen by Fairfax Media, LNP shadow minister Fiona Simpson accused Ms Fentiman of “deliberately misusing” parliamentary procedures to avoid scrutiny.
Last month, the LNP asked Ms Fentiman to provide a breakdown of recipients of 2148 Commonwealth Games tickets purchased by TAFE Queensland into the following categories: board members, executives and staff, as well as TAFE clients, guests, volunteers and others.
At estimates hearings on August 2, TAFE chief executive Mary Campbell revealed that the cost of the tickets purchased was $230,641.
But in a written answer to the question on notice, Ms Fentiman said the total number of tickets was published on the Embracing 2018 website, and any further breakdown “would require an unnecessary diversion of resources from the provision of training.”
The table referred to in the answer showed that TAFE Queensland’s allocation of Commonwealth Games tickets was “excluded” from the main list.
But a second table itemised the number of tickets by event assigned to TAFE Queensland without disclosing whether those tickets were distributed to staff and board members, clients, guests, volunteers or others.
Ms Simpson said the minister’s answer “made a mockery” of parliamentary rules.
“It is clear that data relating to the categorisation of ticket recipients exists,” she said.
“The existence of this information demonstrates that [Ms Fentiman] has deliberately made no effort to attempt to answer the straightforward request for a breakdown of recipients.
“This latest cover-up only adds to [previous] revelations of Minister Fentiman’s use of a private email account for ministerial businesses," she said.
“Shannon Fentiman’s actions continue to demonstrate a complete disregard [for] the Premier’s request for transparent, accountable and ethical behaviour."
Ms Fentiman declined to clarify the content of the written answer, saying in a statement: “As the answer stated, TAFE Queensland reported and published their ticket purchasing according to the government policy."
“I am confident that the tickets were used to promote TAFE to potential partners, and there has already been contracts developed as a result of these interactions,” she said.
Ms Simpson wrote to the Speaker on Thursday to ask that the minister be referred to the ethics committee, or counselled.
