REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday October 6, 2004

THE suicide of Energex boss Greg Maddock sparked a furious debate in State Parliament after weeks of confrontations.

Queensland Treasurer Terry Mackenroth was welcomed back from his overseas trip with a barrage of Opposition questions about his role in the investigation into Mr Maddock’s expense claims which, after his death, cleared the Energex boss of wrongdoing.

The State Opposition, led by Lawrence Springborg, called for Mr Mackenroth to be sacked, but it was a reference to an old travel rorts scandal and a nasty feud he had in the early 1990s with Premier Peter Beattie which provoked an uncharacteristically furious outburst from the Treasurer.

The Opposition began targeting Mr Mackenroth by referring to a slanging match between Mr Beattie and former Energex chairman Don Nissen, a close friend of Mr Mackenroth.

“In recent days, the Premier has claimed that Mr Nissen has lied, Mr Nissen has claimed that the Premier has lied,’’ Mr Springborg said.

“As the Treasurer knows the character of both of these men, will he tell the Parliament who is telling the truth?’’

Mr Mackenroth said that he had not yet spoken to Mr Nissen but the Premier prided himself on his honesty. “I have had the opportunity to work with the Premier over the past six and a half years in his ministry and there is one thing that I know: in that time I have never found that the Premier has ever said anything that was not the truth,’’ he said.