The Queensland Premier, David Crisafulli, was found by the state’s parliamentary ethics committee to be “careless” for not declaring $200,000 in payments after a company he previously ran went insolvent.
Crisafulli became the sole director and CEO of Southern Edge Training Solutions following his electoral defeat in 2015. The company was already financially stressed when he took over in December 2015 and went into liquidation a few months after he left his position in April 2016.
The committee also determined that there was a liability due to an agreement that created a legally binding obligation to settle a debt. They found that while Crisafulli was careless in not declaring the payments, he did not knowingly fail to disclose the liability, thus, the non-disclosure was not considered a contempt of parliament.
Crisafulli’s office stated that he acted in good faith and should have consulted the clerk of Parliament for clarity on the rules. He expressed regret for the oversight and stated it was an honest mistake.
The committee recommended no further action be taken since the payments did not create a conflict of interest or the perception of a conflict. The potential ambiguity in the definition of liability was cited as a reason for the committee’s decision.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/28/david-crisafulli-found-to-be-careless-in-not-declaring-200000-in-payments-related-to-company-he-ran-ntwnfb
