Now we know exactly how much a connection to Scott Morrison is worth.
As Crikey reported a few months ago, Morrison’s close friend and former deputy of the NSW Liberal party Scott Briggs has been busy working on his latest business venture — a network of private quarantine facilities that aims to help big mining and agriculture companies bring in cheap labor from overseas.
At the time, the company, registered as Quarantine Services Australia, claimed it would be “100% industry funded”. It was even being spruiked on ABC radio by self-appointed pandemic spokesperson Jane Halton as the private sector’s answer to hotel quarantine.
But thanks to the government’s AusTender website we now know that it’s not entirely industry funded. QSA has in fact managed to get money from the government, though of course not directly.
According to a limited tender published on October 15, the Department of Home Affairs paid Briggs’ lobby group DPG Advisory Group $79,950 to advise the government on the scheme over two months. Interestingly, it’s just short of the $80,000 threshold that would warrant the tender more scrutiny.
According to the ABC’s Andrew Greene, an industry update distributed by QSA this week confirmed that Home Affairs engaged DPG to “help facilitate an industry led and funded quarantine capability in line with Commonwealth government policy”.
Briggs is a partner at DPG advisory, alongside Peter Costello’s former adviser (and another close associate of Morrison) David Gazard and former Morrison strategist Sasha Grebe. The firm represents the interests of a powerful cohort of almost 50 large businesses, including international juggernauts Facebook, Rio Tinto and G4S.
Money for mates
Labor has wasted no time calling it another “money for mates” rort by the government. But in many ways it’s worse than that. As both a lobbyist and the only listed director of QSA — as well as a close personal friend of the prime minister — Briggs has an obvious conflict of interest in this project, one that could make millions if successful. (According to the ABC, the quarantine facilities will cost as much as $12,500 for 14-day stints, or between $2,700 and $4,700 for shorter three-day stays).
Briggs’ political access has gotten him into trouble in the past. The lobbyist was behind the consortium to bid for the government’s controversial outsourced $1 billion visa processing system last year. He ended up bowing out of the scheme amid conflict of interest concerns. It was another tender being run out of the Department of Home Affairs. Briggs is also the president of Morrison’s federal electoral conference in his Sydney electorate of Cook.
But what this also shows is just how shameless Morrison’s mates are at trying to profit off their connections.
When asked about DPG’s role in the quarantine scheme, Gazard told Crikey in September that there was no conflict of interest issues “whatsoever” given the company was not going to receive any government funding.
“It is a 100% industry funded initiative,” he said. “The Department of Home Affairs plays no role in the administration or funding of QSA.”
But now we know this is not true. There is scarcely any difference between QSA and DPG. As news.com.au previously reported, QSA is even registered at the same address as DPG’s headquarters in Canberra.
Gazard told Crikey that DPG was engaged by Home Affairs for two months to “facilitate the establishment an industry-run and industry-funded quarantine program to allow skilled migrants and international students back into Australia”.
“Quarantine Services Australia is a not-for-profit service provider totally run and funded by business,” he said. “There is no government funding to QSA so there can be no conflict of interest. Any suggestion otherwise is completely baseless.”
Home Affairs told Crikey DPG was engaged to support the department to facilitate industry discussions on the management of quarantine of skilled workers, agricultural labour, tertiary students and others.
“These discussions resulted in several private sector companies collaborating to establish Quarantine Services Australia … a not-for-profit company,” a spokesperson said.
“The Australian government plays no role in the administration, or funding of QSA. As QSA is a private sector company, all staffing decisions are their own. The Australian government has played no role in this matter.”
This story has been amended since publication to include comments from DPG and the Department of Home Affairs.
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