Police Minister shrugs off suggestions she misled parliament over gin she received from Police Commissioner
Police Minister Yasmin Catley shrugged off suggestions she misled parliament over a bottle of gin she received from commissioner Karen Webb. Yasmin Catley says she didn't mention it because she was never asked. The controversy's prompted a change of policy from commissioner Karen Webb who'll no longer hand out alcoholic gifts.
Transcript
00:00With the state's emergency departments under chronic strain, the government had some good
00:05news to share.
00:07Another 12 EDs will get extra staff, so there's a ratio of one nurse to every three patients.
00:13It will see an additional two and a half thousand nurses and midwives come into the system.
00:18But there was little time for congratulation.
00:21You should be ashamed of yourselves, absolutely ashamed.
00:25The opposition zeroing in on the police minister and a gift on her office shelf.
00:30Why didn't you say yesterday that you'd also received alcohol from the police commissioner?
00:34I did get a bottle of gin. I haven't tried it. I'm not a gin drinker actually.
00:38But that being said, I certainly do like a red wine.
00:43Yesterday, Ms Cutley told parliament it was normal for a commissioner to give bottles to visiting dignitaries,
00:49but she didn't mention her own.
00:51Will you agree that you misled the house?
00:54Absolutely not, Mr Speaker. They didn't ask me the question yesterday.
01:01If you asked the question, I would have told you the answer.
01:05All of these gifts were purchased under the police minister at the time, Paul Toole.
01:12There's a conflict of interest in being too smoozy, if you like, with someone who you have a statutory
01:19responsibility to supervise and to hold to account.
01:22This minister has misled parliament on three occasions. She should go.
01:26The gin could be the least of the government's headaches.
01:29Today, Independent MP Rod Roberts made more allegations about mismanagement within the police.
01:34He says he has information that more than 1,500 bulletproof vests are missing.
01:39Police have declined to comment.