AFL grand final: Mark McGowan, ministers showered with $60,000 worth of tickets and corporate hospitality

Premier Mark McGowan — along with 10 of his ministers — were showered with more than $60,000 worth of tickets and corporate hospitality for the AFL grand final. Ministerial Gift and Hospitality Registers obtained by The West Australian reveal the extent of the freebies, with senior government officials enjoying the historic decider as guests of the AFL, VenuesLive, Tabcorp, Telstra and Satterley Property Group. The September 25 Optus Stadium fixture was the jewel in a crown of perks totalling more than $240,000 current McGowan Government ministers have declared since July 2018. That figure — covering just over three years — does not include gifts or hospitality that was declined, surrendered to the Department of Premier and Cabinet or provided to MPs that left the ministry at the last election such as Ben Wyatt, Mick Murray, Fran Logan, Peter Tinley and Michelle Roberts. Along with two tickets to the AFL Grand Final Chairman’s Function — valued at $6800 — Mr McGowan was also provided three seats in the stands worth a combined $1455. The AFL’s exclusive box — containing league boss Gillon McLachlan and chairman Richard Goyder — also welcomed Sports Minister Tony Buti, Transport and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti, Police Minister Paul Papalia and Tourism Minister David Templeman. Gaming giant Tabcorp, currently in negotiations with the McGowan Government to buy the publicly owned TAB, hosted Housing Minister John Carey and Environment and Commerce Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson. Both Mr Carey and Ms Sanderson disclosed receiving two tickets each, valued at $5000, from lobbyist firm Newgate Communications “on behalf of (Tabcorp government and industry affairs general manager) Tom Callachor”. Property developer Nigel Satterley — who has emerged as a major Labor fundraiser in recent years, including hosting a $1500-a-head function attended by Mr McGowan and his Cabinet ahead of the March election — opened his company’s box to Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan. Ms MacTiernan also received two tickets, which she disclosed at a value of $5000. Energy Minister Bill Johnston watched the grand final as a guest of Telstra, declaring two tickets worth $7200. Disability Services Minister Don Punch — one of just five who did not record receiving free entry to the match — noted that he had declined Telstra’s invitation. Attorney-General John Quigley and Racing and Gaming Minister Reece Whitby missed out on corporate suites but were each handed a pair of tickets by Optus Stadium boss Mike McKenna worth $810. Deputy Premier Roger Cook was a notable omission from the extensive list of ministers who declared attending the grand final as a corporate guest. The Health Minister’s gift register revealed he was a bigger fan of rugby and soccer, attending multiple Wallabies, NRL, Western Force and Perth Glory fixtures over the past three years — including at least once as a guest of mining billionaire Andrew Forrest. In one three-day stretch in August 2019, Mr Cook watched the Western Force (valued at $150), the Wallabies v All Blacks (valued at $180) and then a Fleetwood Mac concert (a pair of tickets valued at $700). While the concert tickets were provided by Murdoch University, Mr Cook wrote “unsure” for the provider of the rugby tickets. The registers show the level of access provided to senior ministers during sporting fixtures, with Satterley Property Group at various times hosting Ms MacTiernan, Ms Ellery and Mr Johnston for AFL matches. Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources also appears multiple times, as does Ramsay Health Care and lobbyist CGM Communications, which was founded by former Gallop and Carpenter government adviser Daniel Smith. Crown Resorts was noticeably absent from all of the gift registers. However, the document does not capture political donations and fundraisers. Unsurprisingly, Mr McGowan reaped the most in freebies with more than $38,000 in accepted and retained gifts and hospitality — followed by Ms Saffioti and Mr Cook (both over $27,000) and Mr Buti (nearly $26,000). Besides the AFL grand final, some of the Premier’s more extravagant hospitality gifts included five tickets to 2018 concerts by Taylor Swift (valued at $2500) and Katy Perry ($1430) — both courtesy of VenuesLive. Mr McGowan was also given a pair of RM Williams boots by SA Premier Steven Marshall worth $545. In line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code of Conduct — which caps the maximum value of gifts at $300 — he paid the difference from his own pocket. There is no maximum value for hospitality. Mr Cook was treated to two bottles of Penfolds Grange (worth $1700 combined) by GP Jags Krishnan — one in January and one in August of this year — who was elected Labor’s MP for Riverton in March. In both cases Mr Cook paid the difference above $300. Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic first struck — and amid worries about shortages of personal protective equipment — Mr Cook also received “10 boxes of surgical masks” from Hong Kong-based Clarigo Company Ltd which were valued at $1040 and surrendered to “State stockpile for non-clinical use”. Some of the quirkier accepted gifts included a $325 knife set from the Empyrean Institute (Ms Ellery), a $260 Nu Skin care package (Mr Papalia) and a “Portrait of the Premier done in Vegemite” from WA artist Esther Longhurst valued at $100. Mr Johnston accepted two gift cards valued at a combined $125 from the Australian Institute of Energy — one in 2019 and one in 2020 — which is forbidden by the code of conduct. Notes in his register state invoices had been requested for both gift cards after a “review on October 1, 2021” — which occurred after The West requested access to the document. A McGowan Government spokesman said ministers “occasionally receive gifts whilst carrying out their ministerial duties”. “This has been common for successive governments,” he said. “Registers are an administrative mechanism in order to keep a record of gifts received and events attended. “As has been the practice since the Code of Conduct was introduced in 2001, there is no requirement to repay DPC for the difference above $300 for hospitality or events attended by a minister. “It should be noted that the Ministerial Code of Conduct does not require ministers to keep an estimated value for hospitality or events, however, in the interests of transparency the McGowan Government continues to do so where possible. “The McGowan Government is committed to transparency, highlighted by a history of tabling gift registers in Parliament and releasing registers when requested, unlike the previous Liberal National Government which did not once table a compliant gift register in their more than eight years in Government.”