Corruption in the Liberal Party

. I'm damned if I want to be any part of that.

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Surely the problem lies in the undisclosed buying of influence rather than the publicly advertised events.

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A New South Wales Liberal MP has denied putting a property developer in touch with the alleged Liberal party slush fund at the centre of a corruption inquiry.

In a brief but colourful appearance at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), upper house MP Marie Ficarra referred to her miniature schnauzer’s medical problems, a trip to the Cumberland state forest to buy a particular plant and, eventually, the matters at hand. Ficarra insisted she told property developer Tony Merhi in a March 2011 meeting that as a property developer, he was banned from donating to the party.

She directed one of his non-prohibited friends to give money to the Young Liberals instead, she said. “He had plenty of friends who wanted to see the Liberal party win… It wasn’t anything sinister at all,” Ficarra said.

Ficarra told the commission the meeting was held at a cafe in the Cumberland state forest because there was a garden nursery nearby. "I had to buy westringias,” she said.

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A big donor to the ruling Liberal National Party in Queensland has escaped prosecution for illegal quarrying because of a last-minute change to legislation ordered by the state's Deputy Premier.

Karreman Quarries was this month facing legal action by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines over unlawful extraction of sand and gravel from the Upper Brisbane River when an amendment, slipped unnoticed into a package of reforms to the Water Act, retrospectively legalised its activities.

The change was not mentioned in the bill that preceded the vote on the amendments and even the Labor Opposition knew nothing about it.

ABC's 7.30 has learned the amendment was drafted after a meeting in April called at short notice by Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney at which the Karreman case was raised. The meeting was attended by Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps and senior bureaucrats.

The change to the law means officials are no longer able to prosecute the company. It also means the company's activities at Harlin, worth more than $15 million annually, can continue unimpeded for another five years.

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SirRumpole said:

They are at it again...

Queensland LNP donor Karreman Quarries escapes prosecution for illegal quarrying after Deputy Premier orders legislation change

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Calliope said:

Industry...

Geen Tape...:bad:

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Knobby22 said:

Did anyone watch 4 Corners last night about the attempted corruption in the NSW Labor and Liberal parties and ICAC and how it spread to Queensland and especially Federally?
Though the Obeids and associates didn't succeed they managed to corrupt quite a few pollies and Arfur (sic) Sinodinus comes out looking particularly poor. The Libs have been sacking people right and left which is good for the party.

I agree with the conclusion that ICAC and Faulkner made. We really should change our Federal laws for donations. All donations should be declared as they occur. As simple as that.

If I ever run into Arfur I will call him by that name as it alludes to Arfur in the show Minder.

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Two former New South Wales Government MPs have resigned from Parliament hours after one admitted lying to the state's corruption commission.

The resignations of Newcastle MP Tim Owen and Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell follow their admissions they accepted money from developers, who are not allowed to make political donations under NSW electoral laws.

NSW Premier Mike Baird called on both to resign this afternoon after Mr Owen this morning admitted lying to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and Mr Cornwell earlier told the ICAC he accepted money from banned donors during the 2011 election campaign.

Both men stood aside from the party last week after allegations of wrongdoing were heard by the commission.

Mr Owen yesterday told the ICAC that developer Jeff McCloy handed him an envelope full of $100 notes during the 2011 state election campaign.

Mr Owen told the commission he later put the envelope back into Mr McCloy's letterbox, but today he said that part of his evidence was false and he actually used the money for his campaign.

Mr Baird said resigning from Parliament would be the honourable thing for Mr Owen and Mr Cornwell to do.

"Ultimately it is up to them, but what I'm saying upon the evidence that we have seen and the comments that have been made, they should consider their positions as members of Parliament," Mr Baird said.
Tim Owen and Jeff McCloy 'met to plan ICAC evidence'

Under cross-examination by Ian Faulkner SC, who was representing Mr McCloy at the ICAC, Mr Owen admitted that he kept the $10,000 Mr McCloy gave him and "rolled it towards" his campaign.

Mr Owen also said that, in recent months, he had several meetings with Mr McCloy, who is now the Lord Mayor of Newcastle.

He said at one of the meetings, two days ago in Mr McCloy's office, the two men agreed they would both falsely tell the inquiry Mr Owen had returned the cash.

"I was just concerned that he was going to get into trouble and I was going to get into trouble," he said.

"He and I shook hands on that and then I left."

Mr McCloy's barrister disputed that evidence and said his client had urged Mr Owen to tell the truth.

"He [Mr McCloy] said to you, 'you're rolling the dice Tim, I'm telling you, you have to tell them the truth'," Mr Faulkner said.

He put to Mr Owen that he had responded to Mr McCloy by saying: "I can't... my wife will divorce me [because] I've sworn on a stack of bibles that I didn't receive any money."

Mr Owen said: "That's not how it happened".

Mr Owen said he wanted to come clean after giving the evidence on Monday afternoon.

"I wanted to retract that statement and say yesterday that he did actually give me money and that went to my campaign," Mr Owen said.

Developers are banned from making political donations under NSW electoral laws.

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banco said:

Smartest thing Nathen Rees ever did was ban donations from developers. He set a time bomb for NSW Liberals.

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SirRumpole said:

As if Labor never took donations from developers


However, all credit to Nathan Rees. He is one of the few in the NSW Labor party who retains some credibility and decency.

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IFocus said:

The Liberals can be bought really cheaply..............any one else notice this?

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Garry Edwards, the latest NSW Government MP to be implicated in illegal campaign funding in the Hunter region, says he will stand aside from the parliamentary Liberal Party and sit on the cross bench.

Mr Edwards made the announcement after Newcastle Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry he gave Mr Edwards about $1,500 cash and an envelope of cash for his campaign before the last election.

The Member for Swansea said in a statement he had told the Premier of his decision and he looked forward to clearing his name.

He was now the eighth member of the NSW Government to step aside or resign as a result of Operation Spicer.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-14/icac-swansea-mp-implicated-in-illegal-campaign-funding/5670408

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Influential Liberal Party senator Arthur Sinodinos is due to front an anti-corruption hearing in Sydney again today as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of business donations and political favours.

Senator Sinodinos stood aside from his role as the assistant treasurer in March, saying he did not want the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) probe to be a "distraction" for the Federal Government.

ICAC was told last week that Senator Sinodinos was present during a Liberal Party meeting that discussed how to deal with a New South Wales ban on political donations from property developers.

The party's finance committee considered the idea of funnelling donations through the Canberra-based Free Enterprise Foundation as a way around the ban.

Liberal Party fundraiser Paul Nicolaou told the ICAC hearing he put forward the idea but then left it with the committee members.

"I advised the [finance] committee of the Free Enterprise Foundation and what it does," he said.

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Craig Baumann has become the 10th Liberal parliamentarian to go to the crossbench or resign from the party in NSW as a result of an inquiry into alleged illegal donations.

Earlier today, the Member for Port Stephens admitted to the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Sydney that he had taken secret donations from developers during his first tilt at state politics in 2007 and written sham invoices to cover up the payments.

His appearance follows claims he facilitated a payment from development firm Buildev to a campaign staffer.

ICAC commissioner Megan Latham said the watchdog was looking into whether Mr Baumann and his accountant made false declarations to conceal benefits exchanged with developers Hilton Grugeon and Jeff McCloy.

The Port Stephens MP was repeatedly asked who paid for his 2007 and 2011 election campaigns.

Mr Baumann told ICAC that Hunter Ready Mix Concrete, which was owned by Hilton Grugeon, made the largest donation to his 2007 election campaign.

When asked if he declared that money, Mr Baumann replied, "I inadvertently made a dishonest declaration and I apologise."

Mr Baumann admitted he created sham invoices to disguise money being donated to his 2007 election campaign by Mr McCloy and Mr Grugeon.

He admitted developers Hilton Grugeon and Jeff McCloy gave $79,000 to his 2007 election campaign, but he falsely declared the money had been donated by his own company.

It was 2007 and I mucked up a couple of disclosures, and I do apologise.
Port Stephens MP Craig Baumann

Developer donations were not banned at the time but Mr Baumann conceded he ordered false invoices be drawn up to cover up the payments because both developers stood to make a lot of money from a favourable decision about the subdivision and rezoning of the Wallalong Urban Release Area.

At the time Mr Baumann was on Port Stephens Council.

But Mr Baumann denied he had ever made favourable decisions because of the donations.

More at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-...umann-10th-liberal-mp-developer-links/5738778

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