Senator Katy Gallagher says ‘stench’ around Taylor’s business interest in endangered grasslands grows stronger by the day

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Labor and the Greens have accused Angus Taylor of breaching the ministerial code of conduct by not declaring a personal business interest at a meeting about endangered grasslands in 2017.

A Senate inquiry heard on Friday that Taylor, now the energy minister, did not disclose his financial interest in the company Jam Land Pty Ltd at a 20 March meeting with senior environment officials and the office of the then environment minister, Josh Frydenberg.

The meeting, about the government’s designation of the critically endangered natural temperate grassland of the south-eastern highlands, occurred as Jam Land was under investigation for poisoning about 30 hectares containing the grasslands in the Monaro region of New South Wales.

The Labor senator Katy Gallagher said Taylor not disclosing his interest at the meeting was “a clear breach” of his obligations under the statement of ministerial standards.

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Gallagher and the committee’s chair, Greens senator Janet Rice, also questioned why a senior department official at the meeting did not take notes.

“Note taking is a critical function of the public service with clear guidelines outlined in the Code of Conduct. The department is required to provide notes, so where are they?” Rice said.

The evidence was heard as part of a Senate inquiry into the faunal extinction crisis. Friday’s hearing focused on Taylor, the energy and emissions reduction minister, following revelations by Guardian Australia about the meeting and later correspondence from Josh Frydenberg’s office asking if protection of the grasslands could be watered down.

One of the directors of Jam Land is Richard Taylor, the minister’s brother. The minister himself holds an interest in the firm via his family investment company, Gufee.

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Angus Taylor and Frydenberg were both invited to give evidence at Friday’s hearing and declined. Jam Land’s directors – Richard Taylor, David Mitchell and John Jeffreys – were also invited to appear and declined, the hearing was told.

The assistant secretary of the department’s protected species and communities branch, Geoff Richardson, was one of the officials at the March 2017 meeting.

He told Friday’s hearing Taylor did not disclose his business interest at the start of or during the meeting.

Richardson also said he did not take notes on the day, but told senators the poisoning investigation “was not raised, it was not discussed”.

Taylor has stated repeatedly that the meeting did not discuss the investigation and was focused on the listing of the grasslands, which he has said was a matter of concern for constituents in his electorate of Hume.

“Every day [Scott] Morrison stands by Mr Taylor is another day he demonstrates his disregard for basic ministerial standards,” Gallagher said.

“The stench around this matter grows stronger by the day. Angus Taylor and Josh Frydenberg have many more questions to answer.”

Taylor did not respond to a request for comment by publication deadline.

The statement of standards says ministers must “make arrangements to avoid conflicts of interests arising from their investments” and “it is critical that ministers do not use public office for private purposes”.

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Ministers must declare any private interests “held by them or members of their families which give rise to, or are likely to give rise to, a conflict with their public duties”.

Gallagher said it was also “unacceptable that no notes were taken by the Department of the Environment and Energy at these crucial meetings”.

Guardian Australia asked the department if any other officials at the meeting kept a record.

At Friday’s hearing, the inquiry was told that another senior official, Dean Knudson, did not keep notes at a meeting about the matter with Frydenberg and National party members in October 2017.

Rice said: “If ministers Taylor and Frydenberg have nothing to hide, notes of the meeting would have only strengthened their case.

“The department knew compliance action was under way and knew of the familial link between Jam Land and Minister Taylor. No notes were taken. Taylor’s financial interest was not declared.

“The department couldn’t even tell the committee the names of everyone who attended the meeting. The whole thing stinks to high heaven.”

A spokesperson for the department said it was standard practice “that the department takes notes, in particular of any action items, at meetings with external stakeholders”.

“At the meeting Mr Knudson attended, there were no action items and consequently no notes were taken,” the spokesperson said.

“At the meeting Mr Richardson attended there were action emails sent soon after the meeting.”