‘You don’t know?’: Queensland LNP candidate grilled in painfully awkward interview

A candidate for the Liberal National Party in Queensland’s state election later this month has been grilled about his business interests in an awkward, frequently halting interview.

Jacob Heremaia, who’s been a member of the Logan City Council since 2020, is running against the state’s current Health Minister, Shannon Fentiman, in the seat Waterford. The state election is on October 26.

Channel 9 had been pursuing Mr Heremaia for an interview, and he yielded this week, speaking to the network after previously avoiding its questions.

Those questions revolved around Mr Heremaia’s recently founded company, Avem Technology, otherwise known as Rpay.

According to Nine, when it was established last August, the company of Mr Heremaia’s father became a 10 per cent shareholder. At the time, his father was in the middle of a 12-month ban from being “involved in any business carrying on credit activity”.

The Federal Court found Mr Heremaia’s father had committed misconduct related to a separate company, and fined him $30,000.

Neither Nine nor news.com.au is suggesting anyone involved has breached the ban or acted improperly in any way.

However, Mr Heremaia was evasive when confronted by Channel 9 reporter Josh Bavas.

“It’s your dad’s company?” asked Mr Bavas, referring to the company with shares in Rpay.

“That has the shareholding?” Mr Heremaia responded.

“Yes,” said Mr Bavas.

“I’d have to look into that,” the candidate said.

“You don’t know?” asked the reporter.

“Uh, I think you’ve mentioned a document. You haven’t presented that document. I’m happy to look into it,” Mr Heremaia said after a brief pause.

At another point in the interview, Mr Heremaia hit out against “this sort of gossip, negative politics”, prompting an interjection from the reporter.

“It’s not gossip though,” said Mr Bavas.

“ASIC prosecuted, and the Federal Court made the decision.”

Mr Heremaia did not respond, gently nodding in silence for a few seconds.

“Are you aware of the findings?” Mr Bavas pressed.

“I’m my own man. I have my own career. I love my dad, but I am not my dad,” Mr Heremaia said.

Subsequently, Mr Bavas sought to clarify “what Rpay is”.

“It doesn’t do anything right now,” Mr Heremaia explained.

“My focus is serving the community. In my spare time I have a hobby company where I look into different IT products, and things like that.

“But nothing’s been developed.”

Channel 9 then returned to the question of Mr Heremaia’s father’s involvement.

“Does your dad’s company have a shareholding or not?” Mr Bavas asked.

“I’m happy to look into that and get back to you about it,” Mr Heremaia responded.

“You would know. How would it have come about, otherwise?” Mr Bavas followed up.

“Could you please repeat the question?” the candidate asked, after a few beats of silence.

“How did it come about that your father’s company has shares in your company?” the reporter repeated.

“The company was established. You can see the document right there, that we have there. All of the information is on it,” Mr Heremaia said.

The ban was imposed on Mr Heremaia’s father, Dale Heremaia, in January of last year. He and his other son Benjamin, the director of Eden Capital, were ordered to pay $30,000 and $20,000 respectively for breaching the National Consumer Credit Protection Act.

Avem Technology

Their companies were told to pay $50,000 apiece for failing to co-operate with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

In a statement to The Courier-Mail, Mr Heremaia clarified the purpose of his company.

“This IT start-up was established with the intent to develop software for automated receipt technology, but has never traded,” he said.

“Shannon Fentiman is so desperate to hold on to power in Waterford that Labor is now stooping to a shocking new low and making-up stories about her political opponent.

“Labor’s health failures and desperate smear campaigns are exactly why Waterford deserves change, this is the Health Minister that has delivered the worst ambulance ramping in the nation and the longest ever elective surgery waitlists.

“We need a fresh start.”

Mr Heremaia’s opponent, Ms Fentiman, has held her seat since 2015. She won it with a margin of 16 per cent at the last election in 2020.