State Tourism Minister Kate Jones personally headhunted Mr Godfrey for the TEQ chair job and said he had not been directly or in-directly involved with the EOI process.
"What I can advise every single resident of Queensland, is that the decision in regard to Hinchinbrook Island is one being taken by departmental offices [Department of Tourism]. It has nothing to do with TEQ," she said. However, Mr Godfrey disclosed to the ABC that he owns and holds a beneficial interest of approximately one-third of Australian Walking Company, via a holding company arrangement.
When asked why he did not include the size of his shareholding in Australian Walking Company in the submission to the integrity commissioner, Mr Godfrey said it did not matter.
Given what we have seen coming out of the commercialisation of public assets, the pub test is one thing. IMHO good conscience and equitable decisions need to be the hallmark of all politicians, and that is lacking in todays world.
Don't do it. You don't want to screw up the national parks.
Leave our national park alone, get your greedy hands off.
Who goes to the pub for a reasoned political discussion?
Stop privatising our national assets! If there is a demand for eco tourism, the govt should be investing! Any conflict of interest should disqualify a company from tender - this 'conflict can be managed' line is just bullshit.
'Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.'
I'm sick of the bloody pub test. Pubs hardly exist anymore anyway.
And the taxpayer is going to fund some of this, for private enterprise? What a con job:-(. The Govt should do it alone and we the people own it and get the benefits from it. But then, could a Govt run it successfully? Probably not.