ASIC denies planting Parliamentary questions

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor/Publisher, Financial Newswire

27 June 2023

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has denied that it uses or has sought to use friendly parliamentarians to ask questions aimed at furthering the regulator’s agenda.

In doing so, ASIC has denied that an e-mail between two people working in its communications and marketing area actually resulted in the asking of a “Dorothy Dixer” question in the Parliament.

ASIC issued the denial under questioning during a hearing of the Senate Economics Legislation Committee where its chair, NSW Liberal Senator, Andrew Bragg, asked for an explanation of the e-mail which had been uncovered via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The e-mail was between ASIC’s national manager, Media, Gervase Greene and the regulator’s chief communications officer, Zoe Viellaris, who previously worked as communications director at Westpac Group and prior to that general manager, Group Communications at the Commonwealth Bank.

The e-mail suggested that a matter could be raised via a “Dorothy Dixer” question to be raised at the next available Parliamentary hearing.

ASIC chairman, Joe Longo denied that the regulator ever conducted itself in such a way and said that the e-mail contained a “throw-away line” on the part of Greene and that no such question had been asked.

He said it was not an ASIC practice to plan or ask for the planting of Dorothy Dixers.

ASIC appearance before the Senate Economics Reference Committee followed on from a highly critical interim report issued by committee which prompted Longo to defend the regulator against allegation stating that “ASIC unequivocally rejects any assertion of obfuscating or obstructing” the committee.

“There is absolutely no evidence to support that assertion,” he said.

“Nor is there any evidence to support the assertion that ASIC attempted to undermine and influence the process of the Inquiry from the outset. ASIC is accountable to Parliament. This Inquiry is an important part of ASIC’s oversight.”