00:02Empty streets and shuttered shops at the height of COVID lockdowns businesses were crying for help.
00:08Over two years, $11 billion in emergency business support grants were paid so businesses could stay afloat.
00:16These grants were necessary and they needed to be administered quickly.
00:20But some businesses received money they weren't entitled to through a GST-related loophole.
00:26IBAC Analysis has found $257 million was wrongly paid to 9,000 businesses,
00:33with public servants failing to disclose the loss in briefings to the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula,
00:41and the department's secretary.
00:43They need to make decisions. Should they recoup payments? Should they suspend the program?
00:47They need that information and they didn't have that.
00:50In the report, the deputy secretary states the department didn't give full and frank advice to Mr Pakula as a
00:57result of a chilling effect from particular behaviours.
01:00Mr Pakula responded to IBAC saying while public servants may not want to contend with a cranky minister, such a
01:07response can never be justified.
01:09The premier, Ben Carroll, who took over the portfolio from Martin Pakula was named in the report.
01:15He was also provided misleading information when he was briefed that his predecessor had approved of the grants process and
01:23that no payments had been made in error.
01:26It's just more evidence of a government that has mismanaged taxpayer money and more evidence that corruption is rife.
01:34I've been very clear to the head of my department that we act on these reports and we act on
01:41them immediately.
01:42According to the report, as of April this year, just $8 million of the fraudulent grants had been repaid.
01:49So, since we've only used
01:52you
01:53are
01:54great
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