The Government was asked two questions in the Senate yesterday on whether the Prime Minsiter, Paul Keating, had a conflict of interest over a piggery half owned by his family company.
Senator Brian Archer, (Lib Tas) referred to an article in üThe Canberra Times@ yesterday dealing with corrected accounts of the Brown and Hatton Group Pty Ltd. He asked if the company having a contingent liability of $4 million to a former Minister of the Crown, John Brown, was a conflict of interest. The Leader of the Government in the Senate, John Button, said he would not comment on private affairs of individuals and that the matter was not in his portfolio area. He said the Liberals were reluctant to pursue the matter where they ought to, in the House of Representatives. The Leader of the Opposition, John Hewson, wanted to be Mr Clean and let the Mr Dirtys in Senate do his dirty work for him.
Senator Ron Boswell (NP, Qld) asked whether Mr Keating was present at Cabinet meetings of the Primary Industries Amendment Bill and recalled that he had asked the Government to table Mr Keating’s declaration of interests as required by Cabinet rules. Senator Button said Mr Keating was not present at any Cabinet meeting relating to the Bill. It involved only minor policy matters and had been dealt with by the legislation committee.