Jones slams Crisafulli

Broadwater candidate linked to failed company

LNP star Gold Coast candidate David Crisafulli was a director and ultimately a creditor in a financially troubled training company before bailing out and resuming his bid for politics.

Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones in a fiery address in State Parliament yesterday revealed the LNP’s Broadwater candidate was linked to Southern Edge Training when he was based in Townsville.

Ms Jones said hundreds of students had been impacted by the company’s failure with clients from Nerang, Brisbane and Mackay.

Documents reveal that SET went into liquidation on June 30 last year sparking intervention by the Australian Skills Quality Authority to help students.

The ASQA immediately attempted to obtain records so the company’s clients could get a credit transfer with another training provider. SET had offered courses in business, hospitality, health and logistics.

Business records show Mr Crisafulli was appointed director of the company on December 1, 2015 but quit the role several months before SET went into voluntary liquidation last year. The Bulletin understands the company was in financial trouble when Mr Crisafulli joined it, that a new deal was signed to inject capital and he left before it fell over.

The former Local Government Minister declined yesterday to go into details of the financial collapse.

“The company was profitable during my short tenure and a deal to inject capital from a new owner was signed prior to my departure,” he said.

“I remain a large creditor of the company having not been paid for my services.”

Ms Jones in Parliament said Mr Crisafulli’s resignation as director of SET was on April 1.

“April Fools’ Day. He was no fool. David Crisafulli cut and run because he knew exactly that the company he was a director of was going into liqui- dation,” she said. “This is a man who cuts and runs – it speaks to the character of the man. He cut and run in Townsville. He cut and run in this business. It’s someone they think is fit for Parliament – it’s a disgrace.”

Mr Crisafulli beat sitting MP Verity Barton in a much publicised pre-election contest in May and is the favourite for the Broadwater seat.

Electoral boundary changes show the margin for the LNP in the seat has increased from 7.2 per cent to 16.3 per cent.