Cosgrove Clayton: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Cosgrove Clayton: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8833. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for State Owned Enterprises 
: Does he stand by all statements he and his Ministerial colleagues have made regarding State-owned enterprises? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 on behalf of the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Within the context they were made the Minister stands by all his statements. In regard to the likely hundreds of statements made by 20-plus ministerial colleagues in relation to all State-owned enterprises over 5 years that is just a little bit difficult to check out in 3 hours’ prep time. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that an inquiry into Solid Energy will not achieve anything even though $389 million of taxpayers’ money is in jeopardy and over 400 miners and associated staff have lost their jobs? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Yes the Minister agrees with the Prime Minister. The issues that Solid Energy has had in regard to its business over the last couple of years are very well traversed and there are some excellent articles in the media the member might like to read to assist with that. The focus of the Government is on working through the situation with the Solid Energy board and management to maximise the outcome for the company. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: In the absence of an inquiry into the near collapse of Solid Energy where hundreds of miners and associated staff have lost their livelihoods where $389 million worth of taxpayers’ money is in jeopardy and where he did nothing to stop this from happening how does he expect the public to have confidence in him as Minister for State Owned Enterprises when under his watch an export award - winning company has been driven into the ground? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I appreciate that that was a very politically loaded question from the member but the answer— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: It was a factual question; just answer it. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No it is not a factual question actually but the answer in terms of the position of the Minister for State Owned Enterprises as the member knows is that the responsibility for the investment decisions made by the company fall to the board and management and the responsibility for coal prices actually falls to the world market. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: In the absence of any inquiry into the near collapse of Solid Energy where hundreds of miners and associated staff have lost their livelihoods and $389 million worth of taxpayers’ money is in jeopardy and where again he did nothing to stop this happening how does he expect the public to have confidence in his ability to restore Solid Energy to the export award - winning company it once was under the previous Government? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I suspect Mr Cosgrove is claiming responsibility for world coal prices. 
Hon Damien O’Connor 
: Does the Minister support the National Party members who blocked an inquiry into Solid Energy; and how can employees have any confidence in their future if the Government refuses to investigate what has gone wrong inside the company in the last few years? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I am reasonably new here but I understand select committees are in charge of their own destiny. The member and his colleague are on that select committee. I take it they were unable to persuade their colleagues of the merits of an inquiry.