Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

Here's my answer to the ambitious but previously obscure shadow minister, who is desperately trying, without conspicuous success, to capitalise on what he thought was going to be his moment in the sun. He asks: 'Who made the decision?' I'll tell you who made the decision: the minister of the day made the decision. And the minister of the day had authority. This is the key point. The Auditor-General's report does not contest that the minister of the day had authority. Let me read to you from page 38 of the Auditor-General's report:

Under the Infrastructure Investment Program arrangements, the Australian Government may commit funding to an investment project at any time for any phase based on information it deems appropriate.

The Auditor-General's report does not say, because it could not say, that the minister did not have authority. He did have authority. The Auditor-General's report does not say, because it could not say, that the minister did not act on the advice of his department. In fact, what the Auditor-General's report says, quite precisely, is: for each of these 33 projects, the minister recorded that he had accepted the department's recommendations. There have been no instances where the minister approved funding for a commuter car park that had been recommended for rejection by the department. There is no question. The minister had authority, consistent with the provisions of the National Land Transport Act.

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