Opposition Leader and Shadow Mines and Petroleum Minister Shane Love has called on the McGowan Labor Government to release a recent review into the practices of Gold Corp.
Mr Love said the embattled Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Johnston made a commitment for the ‘root and branch’ review, which was to be finalised by the end of last year.
“The McGowan Labor Government is responsible for the dealings of the Perth Mint, and its governing body Gold Corp, so they must be open and transparent about what the review found,” Mr Love said.
“The lack of awareness or care about the internal failings at Gold Corp by both the Minister and the Premier has been disturbing, and they cannot keep shirking responsibility.
“West Australian taxpayers could potentially be on the line for the alleged unlawful conduct of the Gold Corp, so it’s in the Minister’s best interest to release the review to the public.”
Mr Love said WA’s global reputation has already been put at risk, following revelations of governance failures at the State-owned organisation and an AUSTRAC investigation.
“There was a series of registration failures and questionable dealings spanning more than 13 years, over which time the McGowan Labor Government had direct responsibility for the State-owned entity.
“The Premier and his Government ignored the red flags which were raised about the conduct within Gold Corp, failing to take ownership over the problems occurring under their watch.”
Mr Love said he had been raising the concerns around Gold Corp for more than 18 months, only for the Premier and his Minister to blatantly dismiss what is clearly their responsibility.
“Given West Australians are potentially on the hook for a large fine, the McGowan Labor Government should be taking this issue more seriously.
“I’d encourage the Minister to release the details of the ‘root and branch’ review into Gold Corp immediately to remain transparent in what appears to be a murky situation.”
