Secrecy on grants to protect operators

PREMIER Peter Gutwein is standing firm on the government’s decision to withhold the names of Tasmanian businesses who shared in $ 26m of taxpayer- funded stimulus grants, saying some operators would be upset if their details were revealed.

This is despite some applicants for assistance agreeing their details could be made public as part of the application process. It is understood officials had not subsequently asked applicants if their written approval still stood.

The information will be provided in secret to a parliamentary committee whose members will be prohibited from releasing details or talking about what they have seen.

“These decisions were made at arm’s length from the government and provided to people that were in a significant distressed state, in terms of their business,” Mr Gutwein said.

He said the government’s position was based on balancing the need for transparency with the desire to avoid causing additional distress for struggling business owners.

“Around the country for years, governments have provided grant funds and they make available the names,” Mr Gutwein said.

“This is a different set of circumstances. This is one out of the box, and the government has made a decision, based on advice, that the right thing to do is not to provide further distress to those people.”

Labor’s Treasury spokesman David O’Byrne said he had concerns about the administration of the schemes.

“The grant application documents make it very clear that there is an expectation of accountability for how public money is spent, and applicants were made aware that the information may be made public,” Mr O’Byrne said.