Photographs have emerged that appear to challenge Federal MP Warren Entsch's claims that he was unaware of his wife Yolonde’s involvement in paid workshops for a company with government contracts. The situation raises important questions about potential conflicts of interest and the transparency of parliamentary disclosures. Below is the summary of an ABC story that raises more questions than the LNO is willing to answer. 

Images of Federal Liberal MP Warren Entsch in fancy dress have cast doubt on his claim that he was unaware his wife, Yolonde Entsch, was being paid to run face-painting and dress-up workshops by My Pathway, a company with significant government contracts.

Mr. Entsch told the Cairns Post that he "had no idea" his wife was working with My Pathway when he secured a $5 million project for the company to build sea walls in the Torres Strait. However, photos from March 2019 show Mr. Entsch in fancy dress with participants from one of Yolonde’s workshops on Thursday Island. Another image from the same day, posted to his official Facebook page, shows him with two entertainers hired by his wife for the workshops.

When the ABC presented these photos to Mr. Entsch, he issued a statement saying he was "uncertain" about when he became aware of his wife's involvement with My Pathway. He insisted that Yolonde was "her own person" and capable of managing her own affairs. Mr. Entsch added that while he knew about her work before his visit to Thursday Island, the exact timeline was unclear.

Despite his wife's workshops coinciding with his lobbying for government funding for My Pathway, Mr. Entsch denied any conflict of interest. He argued that the sea wall project had been a long-term goal, unrelated to Yolonde’s work. He also criticized the ABC for questioning his wife’s independent success, calling the comparison between face-painting and sea walls "a long bow."

Ms. Entsch’s work with My Pathway was used by the Liberal National Party to promote her candidacy for the state seat of Cairns. My Pathway, which has received millions in government funding over the past decade to run programs in remote Indigenous communities, confirmed that it briefly worked with Yolonde’s company, Empowering Women Empowering Communities.

While Mr. Entsch has declared on his parliamentary register that his wife operates YLE Enterprises Pty Ltd, he did not disclose her specific relationship with My Pathway. He maintains that no conflict of interest exists, but questions remain about the transparency of these dealings.