Under questioning in Senate Estimates today, officials from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs confirmed that the Gillard Labor Government has been provided with advice regarding conflict of interest issues associated with the ACT Poker Machine Trial.
“The Gillard Labor Government must release all available evidence to prove that under no circumstance, not one single cent will end up with the Australian Labor Party,” said Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
Canberra Labor Club have the “simple philosophy that any profits that were not required to further the club itself be paid to the ACT Branch of the Labor Party."
Donations by the Canberra Labor Club to the ACT Labor Party for the 2010 – 2011 Financial Year was in excess of $624,000.
Canberra’s licensed clubs will share at least $36 million worth of compensation during the trial.
Officials also confirmed that the decision to host the trial was a decision by the Gillard Labor government and not the department.
"The Australian taxpayers are entitled to be sure that this was not part of some grubby deliberate plan to funnel more money into ALP coffers," said Senator Fierravanti-Wells.