There are fresh questions over a quarantine business scheme set up by close friends of the prime minister, with conflicting stories emerging about Scott Morrison’s involvement.
Yesterday Sky News revealed the new information which calls into question statements from the Prime Minister’s Office that he knew nothing of a contract awarded without tender to a company run by close associates Scott Briggs and David Gazard.
The $80,000 contract was awarded in August to DPG Advisory Solutions by the Home Affairs Department and was the forerunner to a large prospective business venture called Quarantine Services Australia (QSA), which planned to provide quarantine services.
Sky News reported fresh information that Home Affairs head Mike Pezzullo said “words to the effect” that the quarantine project was “a really important project for the PM, the treasurer and the government”. Pezzullo reportedly made the comments on a conference call with Briggs and members of the Business Council of Australia.
The claim contradicts evidence which Pezzullo gave to a Senate hearing in October when he said he was unaware of that QSA was owned by DPG Advisory. Crikey contacted the Department of Home Affairs for a response. We were directed to Pezzullo’s comments at Senate estimates.
As Crikey has detailed, the awarding of the contract has been highly controversial given the close links between the figures behind the companies involved and Morrison, as well as the vast sums of money potentially at stake. According to a QSA document, the charge for quarantine would be between $8000 and $12,500 for 14 days.
Briggs and Gazard are part of Morrison’s inner circle. Briggs is a former New South Wales Liberal Party deputy state director and is said to operate with the authority of the PM. He is also a board member of Morrison’s football club, the Cronulla Sharks.
The links extend to other members of DPG Solutions.
Sasha Grebe joined DPG as an associate in 2020 and has a long relationship with Morrison. He was director of communications and strategy for Morrison when he was treasurer from 2015 to 2017. He had previously worked as a senior adviser to then treasurer Joe Hickey.
He was also general manager, corporate affairs for Tourism Australia 2005 to 2006, coinciding with Morrison’s tenure as its head. Grebe reported directly to Morrison and was a champion of Morrison’s “Where the bloody hell are you?” campaign.
But perhaps most disturbing for Morrison will be the change of tone from Sky News. It introduced its segment as “the curious story of the friends of the PM and the contract without tender”, a signal that, in this case anyway, the relationship between Morrison and his business mates — and accompanying questionable process — is no longer off limits.
News Corp like to rattle the Liberal chains prior to an election. It’s happened before; a little warning to ensure political compliance before Corpse papers and TV channels settle in to bury any opposition to their pets.
Spot on. It’s merely a reminder of who is in charge.
Maybe Rupert’s afraid Morrison’s not the jockey to ride his favourite to win this race – he wants Dutton rung-in?
Murdoch turning on Morrison, oooh I hope so. A coalition government is one thing but a coalition government with a religious zealot in charge. I’ve had enough of it.
We were warned from the beginning that he intended to “look after his mates” and there have been just so many secret deals with business and social mates and, of course, any happy clapper wanting to be made more “prosperous”, and thus more lovable to his gods.
Michael Pezzullo says the public service must serve the Government of the day, not the Australian public. Howard changed the Public Service Act to reflect this soon after becoming PM in 1996. The erosion of the public service can be attributed to Howard’s actions. Pezzullo is a willing accomplice.
It should not be forgotten that Dr Peter Shergold, as CoS of PM&C defended going after the Sydney airport Customs w/b in 2005-2007 at the Press Club by declaring –
“Public servants have no right, I repeat NO RIGHT, to follow their conscience when given instructions!”.
Good to have that clarified.
Were proof required that moral perfidy is profitable, the sinecures flowed after leaving/being booted in 2008.
In 2011 Shergold became the Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney and was appointed as chairman of the New South Wales Public Service Commission.
In August 2018 Shergold was appointment Chair of the Joblife Employment Board.
In December 2019 Shergold was appointed chair of the New South Wales Education Standards Authority.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Shergold
I once worked for a minister who never gave directions. If he wanted more Facilities in his electorate he would say there is not enough balance.
Given his declaration, I presume had Shergold been legal counsel at Nuremberg, he would have acted for the Defense. 😉
Pezzulo and Gaetjens are totally compromised lapdogs. No fearless and frank advice from the two poodles. Pezzulo tried to intimidate Senator Patrick and Scotty had to put him back in his kennel.
Pezzullo is the brain running Spud, the latter is the lapdog.
Dutton is certainly the puppet to Pezzullo. I think Pezzullo’s ruthless influence goes to the heart of this government.
If the ALP win the next election or have a minority government with independents I would think several Royal Commissions should be set up. They could review different aspects of the current government’s handling of contracts, finances, the attorney generals and health departments operations, for a starter. The precedent is the Abbott Government politicised use of the process.
I like the typo of the name of a former treasurer 🙂
I presume that you intend the old Australian meaning – a boil or pustule – rather than the Septic’s, the mark left by a petting teenager.