[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Questions Over new Building Company Promoted on Govt Website_K Booth MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

BUILDERS DEJA VU

As TCC Ghosts From Labor's Past Come Back To Haunt Government And
Builders

Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Building spokesperson

Thursday, 30 October 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today called for an Inquiry into the apparent
promotion on the Bartlett Labor government's Workplace Standards website
of a new company owned by John White and Glen Milliner, that offers
continuing professional development services to those in the Building
Industry.

Greens Shadow Building Matters spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that
Tasmanian builders feel that they are getting a dose of deja vu with the
ghost of the ill-fated Tasmanian Compliance Corporation (TCC)
resurrected in this more recent form, the CPD Institute, and that the
Tasmanian Building Industry deserved to know what vetting processes the
Government has in place when it comes to providing such promotional
support to private companies.

Mr Booth reminded that both John White and Glen Milliner were the
principals of the Tasmanian Compliance Corporation (TCC) that signed an
illegal agreement with Ex-Deputy premier Bryan Green MP that
subsequently led to a guilty plea from John White before the Supreme
court and set in place a chain of scandals that rocked both Lennon and
Bartlett Labor.

"Builders have expressed horror to me that via the Workplace Standards
Tasmania website the government is promoting another company that seeks
to sell training services to builders, that has two ex-TCC directors at
the helm, one of whom pleaded guilty to a charge relating to the TCC,"
Mr Booth said.

"Additional to the connection with disgraced former-TCC operators is the
fact that the KPMG audit found that the TCC did not provide the building
accreditation services for which they were paid, which resulted in the
Labor government taking back control of accreditation, while both Mr
White and Mr Milliner walked away with $640, 000 of builders'
hard-earned money."

"It is no surprise that the State's builders are now horrified to
discover that persons who cost them so much in the past are still now
promoted by the government in relation to building operations without
disclosure."

"Builders are asking how this could happen again, whether any vetting
occurred of those submitting their businesses for promotion on the
government website, why government is promoting this company, and why
they were not informed."

"I have sought those answers today in the Parliament and at this stage
the government has been unable to explain, nor has it given any
justification for their actions."

"It seems like the more things change the more they stay the same with
State Labor, whether it is Mr Lennon or Mr Bartlett at the helm," Mr
Booth said.

Background:
* Builders are required to achieve annual Continual Professional
Development (CPD) points to maintain their accreditation under the
Building Act 2000.
* Workplace Standards Tasmania website provides a list of organisations
that may assist builders meet their CPD requirements. (attached).
* The Workplace Standards Tasmania CPD assistance providers document
lists CPD Institute.
* ASIC Company Search on CPD Institute Pty. Ltd. lists as its Directors
Mr John White, Mr Glen Milliner, plus two others (document attached.)

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Attached:

1. Workplace Standards Tasmania - CPD Assistance webpage, 30 October
2008;

2. ASIC Company Search on CPD Institute Pty. Ltd.




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