Minister’s Guilty Silence
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Lisa Neville has continued to evade questioning over the $25 million expenditure on 600 rifles for Victoria Police.
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur raised an adjournment matter on 17 June 2020 with Minister Neville, asking her to ‘provide Victorian taxpayers with an in-depth breakdown of costs for the $25 million expenditure on 600 rifles’.
As per Legislative Council Standing Order 4.13(1), when a Member raises a matter which requires a response from a Minister that response must be given at the time the matter is raised or provided in writing within 30 days.
That response is now 53 days overdue, having been raised 83 days ago.
Mrs McArthur raised the unanswered matter with the President of the Legislative Council last Wednesday and said, “I would like to draw your attention to adjournment matter 726, which I raised with the Minister for Police and Emergency Services in the house on 17 June this year and which remains unanswered.”
On 4 August 2020, Mrs McArthur tabled questions on notice relating to the expenditure, which Ministers are also required to answer within 30 days.
Answers to those questions are now also overdue.
Mrs McArthur said, “Clearly, Minister Neville has something to hide by refusing to answer these questions.”
“All Victorian taxpayers should be extremely concerned when a Minister refuses to tell them how she has spent their money.”
“I am deeply concerned about a potential misuse of public funds by the Minister.”
“Where else did this $25 million go, if not on the rifles that are estimated to cost just over $1000 each?”
“If the rest of the money was only spent on training and ancillary equipment, then the Minister simply would have answered my questions and the numbers would have stacked up.”
“The avoidance of transparency obviously indicates that the numbers won’t stack up and that she’s trying to spare herself the embarrassment and possibly even self-incrimination.”
“These aren’t difficult questions if the Minister isn’t covering anything up – all these figures should be appropriately recorded and accounted for.”
Mrs McArthur’s questions on notice were:
MRS MCARTHUR — To ask the Minister for Health (for the Minister for Police and Emergency Services): In relation to the Government's media release dated 17 February 2019 titled ‘New Police Firepower to Target Major Incidents' and the announced $25 million expenditure on 600 longarm rifles for the Operations Response Unit of Victoria Police:
(1) What model firearm was purchased.
(2) What was the cost of each firearm.
(3) How many optical sighting systems were purchased as a part of this expenditure.
(4) What was the cost of each optical sighting system.
(5) How many tactical lights were purchased as a part of this expenditure.
(6) What was the cost of each tactical light.
(7) How many slings were purchased as a part of this expenditure.
(8) What was the cost of each sling.
(9) How many carry cases were purchased as a part of this expenditure.
(10) What was the cost of each carry case.
(11) What other ancillary equipment was purchased as a part of this expenditure.
(12) What was the cost of any other ancillary equipment that was purchased.
MRS MCARTHUR — To ask the Minister for Health (for the Minister for Police and Emergency Services): In relation to correspondence to the National Secretary of the National Shooting Council dated 16 January 2020 about the ‘Longarm Firearm Announcement' and the discussed $25 million expenditure on 600 longarm rifles for the Operations Response Unit of Victoria Police:
(1) What was ‘the remainder of the $25 million' that was spent on training and firearm parts replacements.
(2) How much expenditure was used on specialist user training.
(3) How many Victoria Police officers participated in the specialist user training.
(4) How much expenditure was used on organisation-wide awareness training.
(5) How many Victoria Police officers participated in organisation-wide awareness training.
(6) What did ‘organisation-wide awareness training' entail.
(7) How much expenditure was used on firearm parts replacements.
(8) How much expenditure was used on the ‘extensive five-day firearm training program'.
8 September 2020