Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The office of Minister Kevin Andrews did answer questions on behalf of Hillsong. I would like to know why. It seems very suspect that the minister would want to involve himself in defending an organisation that has so blatantly manipulated the grants process. Minister Andrews goes to great lengths in an email to defend the Hillsong application. He says, ‘Much of the criticism that has been made seems to be politically motivated against Hillsong itself.’ Minister Andrews knows that this is not an attack on Hillsong followers or believers, or beliefs. As with any organisation that receives government money—taxpayers’ money—it is essential that the organisation remains accountable for how it is spending the people’s money.

I am shocked, quite frankly, that Minister Andrews would act as a bodyguard to Hillsong. The minister’s office writes to journalist Nick Soon that the whole reporting of the grant is a nonissue. He claims that the reporting ‘misses the intention of a pilot program’ and, even though they did not help a single Aborigine to become employed, ‘That is okay. It was just a pilot program—no big deal. That 25 people have renewed confidence in themselves to become self-employed is to be congratulated.’ None of them actually were self-employed at the end of the program, but Minister Andrews thinks it is well worth $610,968 of taxpayers’ money to help 25 people feel good about themselves.

I do not think that is good enough. It is not good enough that the minister feels he needs to shield the blame from Hillsong and its endorser Louise Markus. What we have here is a local rort pushed along by the member for Greenway and pandered to by this federal government. The member of Greenway, the minister and the Prime Minister should be ashamed.