Mr BEAZLEY (2:15 PM) —Let me be simple for you, Alexander: the US needs an exit strategy and you ought to help them find one.

The SPEAKER —Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to his question.

Mr BEAZLEY —My question is to the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads and concerns the Tumbi Creek matter. I refer the minister to his statements in the House last night. Is the minister aware that, following the receipt of advice from your office on 17 November 2004 that the original grant conditions were non-negotiable, the deputy mayor of Wyong Shire Council sent a note to his general manager with this message:

he is your special adviser—

Doesn't this prove that the minister's adviser was putting improper pressure on the Wyong Shire Council?

Mr LLOYD (Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads) —I made a full and open statement to the House yesterday evening. I see these allegations as very serious. I take them as being serious. I have investigated these allegations in my office and in my department. I turn to the question of the emails. I would like to go through the details that I have before me here. Firstly, I did not see the emails in question until yesterday afternoon when they were brought to this House. Secondly, neither my chief of staff nor I were consulted about the text of the emails before or after they were sent. Thirdly, I do not think that the Leader of the Opposition checks a draft of every single email that is sent by his staff—and I am sure that no other member of parliament is in a position to check every email that is sent from their office.

Fourthly, while I have spoken to the staff member concerned and have indicated to him that the wording of the emails was inappropriate, the House should bear in mind that he sent with that two-line covering email the department's advice which made clear the purpose for the grants, that if the purposes of the grant were not to be met then that would affect the level of funding and that the project would not be revised to include outcomes beyond those agreed by Mrs Kelly without a formal request by council and reconsideration by the parliamentary secretary, the Hon. John Cobb. Mr Hallett has provided me with a statement on this matter which puts his handling of the issue into its proper context. I wish to table a copy of that statement.

Whilst I am on my feet, I have also received letters from the Wyong Shire Council Mayor and the general manager detailing their handling of the matter. This indicates that the council has also handled the matter properly. I wish to table those two letters. I also want to quote a section from this letter from the Mayor, Brenton Pavier, dated 10 February, addressed to me. It says:

The letter continues:

I table those two letters. What does concern me is that, with no evidence, the Leader of the Opposition has sought to slur the good name of the hardworking officials of Wyong Shire Council, people in my department and people in my office.