Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 7:40 to 13:03
Officials detail new allegations related to the Northeast Link, SRL East, and other projects, covering fraud, criminal behavior, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Topics: Infrastructure, Integrity, Procurement
Speakers: Hon Bridget McKenzie, Jessica Hall, Toby Robinson, Unknown Speaker
so we have Northeast Link. There are 19 um uh new allegations since last estimates. Um these include allegations uh overall of fraud, corruption, criminal behavior, breach of workplace laws, workplace health and safety and underlo conflicts of interest. South um SRL East four since last estimates again allegations of fraud, bullying, corruption, breaches of workplace laws, criminal behavior and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
>> Sorry, just while that's happening, have we got that list to print? >> because it is table. Thank you, >> Sorry. Continuums SRL East corruption. Sorry, did you say
>> breaches of workplace law, workplace laws, criminal behavior, and undisclosed conflicts of interest? Um, and then there was uh in Victoria there's um two that are no specific projects identified that just go to the big build more broadly. Um and then in
>> sorry, the two that go to the big build more broadly relate specifically to
what? Um we don't know which projects relate to this.
>> No, but what is the nature of the allegation? >> Fraud.
>> Uh then we have um uh one in South Australia which is the North South Corridor Torrance to Darlington which are allegations relating to a civil And then we have uh one in New South Wales. Um uh and the New South Wales government has requested that the project name be withheld as its disclosure at this t time may prejudice an investigation of a possible breach of law and that's in regards to an allegation of corruption.
So um okay I'll come back to that. So, New South Wales one project undisclosed nature because of it relates to corruption and may um undermine the investigation.
>> That's all of the new allegations.
>> That's all of the new allegations. So that's on top of our original
>> the ones that we >> uh it would have been 84 minus 27
>> 84 minus 27 just in terms of there were um as I two projects where undisclosed conflict of interest
>> Uh yes, Senator.
>> Yep. And and where was the nature of the undisclosed conflict of interest in the in the subcontractors, the ministers, the public servants? Where was that undisclosed p uh conflict of interest? Because as I would understand it, like a subcontractor working for a tier one, it would be odd for them to be declaring conflicts of interest to come to your attention. Where was the undisclosed conflict of interest raised?
>> Um, I'm not sure we've got that level of detail for you, Senator, because they go to um the information that's provided, but I'll just see if my team has that.
Uh, Senator Toby Robinson, Assistant Secretary, Land Transport Infrastructure Division. Um, so I think the undisclosed conflicts of interest relate to the Northeast Link and SRL East projects, but we don't have the um the details of
Are the details of those undisclosed conflict of interest in the material provided to the department just not with you today or it this sort of brief table uh is all the information you get out of jurisdictions?
>> No, no, Senator. So the the jurisdictions um when they provide um
>> may or must.
>> No. So the jurisdiction we the the department has a reporting protocol with the jurisdictions um which formalizes reporting of allegations to the department. Um this is where jurisdictions have been um referring allegations to regulators in accordance with their obligations under the federation funding agreement schedule on land transport infrastructure projects. We have a protocol to ensure that the department is also notified. Yeah. >> Of those allegations. Uh so we can be aware um when the the jurisdictions provide information uh they provide information about uh the allegation the project it relates to um and and they will provide details of uh uh what those allegations go to. Um uh and what we've provided is a summary of the types of allegations that relate to each project.
So on notice, if you don't have it with you, I would like to know whose undeclared conflict of interest, where that conflict sat. Is that something, Mr. Betts, that you will be able to provide the committee?