SOPHIE Mirabella has asked an appeals tribunal to overrule censorship of Victoria Police papers detailing how Wangaratta’s Bruck Textiles lost a $1 million contract to China.
The federal member for Indi says after months of waiting the freedom of information material was too heavily censored to make any sense of the “secret deal”.
Mrs Mirabella first appealed to the police and late last week asked the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to review the reasons “large chunks” of information were excluded from her request.
“The certificate of exemption which details why they did not need to go to tender has been heavily censored,” she said.
“A significant part of the information has been blacked out.
“I don’t know what they are covering up but it’s not good enough.
“I have now lodged an application with VCAT to review that decision because I’m not satisfied the information provided to me adequately explains why there was no open tender and why it was secretly given to an offshore company.”
Queensland-base d Trade Import Services, which sources its fabric from China, won an interim deal to supply the soon-to-be phased-out blue and white shirts for Victorian police officers last June.
The $973,274 contract was never publicly advertised.
The contract, for fabric previously supplied by Bruck, was awarded without a tender process in a police decision.
The freedon or information documents obtained by Mrs Mirabella show Victoria Police first dealt with Trade Import Services in 2005 and was impressed by its ability to deliver on time and quality.
The documents say the contract was an interim one, pending a deal to supply dark-blue material for the new “New York-style” uniform.
But it also suggests the contract maybe extended if the new uniforms were delayed.
A covering letter from Victoria Police says the information censored contained personal details of bureaucrats and information that could impact on the tender for the new uniforms.
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