It was the price tag for dinner with Tony Abbott in Townsville recently. It was also the price to attend the QForum Business Breakfast in Melbourne on 15th December 2011. An event at which people had the opportunity to meet then Qld shadow treasurer Tim Nicholls.
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The event was hosted by Peter Costello, and during the evening Tim reportedly indicated that he would be relying heavily on the advice of former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello should his party be elected to government in the 2012 state elections.
Which it was.
The timeline following that election win for the LNP is interesting as it relates to Costello, his lobby group ECG (Epstein Costello Gazard) and his 'independent' commission of audit
2011
- August – lobby group ECG Advisory Solutions is formed by Mr Costello with two of his former parliamentary staff members, David Gazard and Jonathan Epstein
- December - the QForum Business Breakfast runs in Melbourne. To attend, participants had to join the QForum (the fund-raising arm of the LNP) at a cost of $1500. The host is Peter Costello. Attendees have alleged that Mr Nicholls highlighted the importance of Mr Costello's advisory role to him.
2012
- March – LNP government is elected.
- March 26 - Mr Nicholls is sworn in as Queensland Treasurer.
- March 29 - Mr Nicholls announces that Mr Costello will head the Commission of Audit for the new government. Mr Costello was in attendance at the press conference. His role with ECG was mentioned in his bio released that day.
- April 26 - the Australian government lobbyist register shows that ECG was the lobbyist for 12 companies, predominately those with mining and exploration interests.
- June - ASG Group, which ''specialises in professional information technology solutions'', and Serco Asia Pacific, a firm which specialises in delivering public services are added to ECG’s lobbyist register list (Serco is listed on the Federal govt register but not the Queensland register)
- July - Primary Health Care (which employs ECG to lobby on its behalf) was entered as a client on the Queensland lobbyist register. PHC has recently confirmed that it wishes to expand into Queensland
2013
- January 24 – a complaint is made to the CMC in relation to Mr Costello’s conflict of interest
- Feb 1 - SP Ausnet, a member of the Singapore Power Group (manages electricity and gas networks in Australia) is added to ECG’s lobbyist register (again the Federal register but not the Qld register)
- March 1 – 1000 page audit report released to the government but not released publicly
Mr Costello was paid $3300 per day for the role, plus GST, which earned him at least $140,000.
The Commission of Audit executive summary makes no disclosures regarding Mr Costello's business interests with ECG Advisory Services, or its clients. It is not known if the disclosures are contained in the full 1000-page report, which is in the hands of the Queensland Treasurer and the Premier's Office.
It is exceedingly strange that the entire document was not released and beg the question 'Is there something to hide?' or 'Do revisions need to be made?'.
The audit recommendations in the executive summary include the outsourcing of government IT services (potentially benefiting ECG clients ASG and Serco), the privatisation of sections of the health service (potentially benefiting ECG client PHC), selling the 'poles and wires' of the electricity system (potentially benefiting ECG client Singapore power group).
Campbell Newman sees no reason why the companies aligned with advisors ECG (Epstein Costello Gazzard) should be excluded from any future sales of public assets, assuming they can now occur, given that 85% of Queenslanders oppose an asset sale.
While I wasn't a guest at that Melbourne breakfast, it does appear as if $1500 may have bought some insight into the LNP's plans for Queensland's public assets.
Tony Abbott also asks $1500 for a dinner date. I wasn't invited to the Tony Abbott-Ewen Jones soiree so I wonder if demand for $1500 plates was more about expectations about some some insight into Abbott's plans for Australia's assets (because he isn't talking about it publicly). I'm certain Tony's and Ewen's after-dinner one-liners aren't worth $1500.
by Mark Enders