Rumours have been circulating on the NSW North Coast that there are more revelations to come in the matter of the O’Farrell Government, North Coast Nationals and disgraced former state government MP Steve Cansdell - this media report would seem to be the first of these.
The Sydney Morning Herald 18 October 2012:
ALLEGATIONS that the former NSW MP Steve Cansdell rorted a staff allowance to benefit a Nationals colleague were referred by corruption authorities to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly a year ago but not investigated.
The allegations, similar to those over which the former Labor MP Karyn Paluzzano was convicted last month, were made to the Independent Commission Against Corruption by Mr Cansdell's former staff member Kath Palmer.
Ms Palmer alleged Mr Cansdell, who was the member for Clarence and parliamentary secretary for police, abused a staff allowance by requiring her to work on the 2010 federal election campaign of the Nationals candidate for Page, Kevin Hogan…..
Ms Palmer also said Mr Cansdell submitted claims for the allowance that differed from the days she worked.
The ICAC referred the allegations to the Speaker, Shelley Hancock, Ms Palmer's employer, last November. But Ms Hancock, who is also the Liberal MP for South Coast, did not pursue the matter.
''I considered material conveyed to me from ICAC, noting that they had not taken any action in respect of the allegations,'' Ms Hancock told the Herald. ''On the basis of the nature of the material, it was concluded at the time that it was not appropriate for this matter to be pursued since verification of the material would be difficult.''
Following inquiries by the Herald, Ms Hancock has asked parliamentary officers to review the material, which is understood to include Ms Palmer's work diaries and claim forms.
The decision to review the material could pose difficulties for Mr Hogan, who has been preselected to contest Page for the Nationals at next year's federal election.
The revelation adds to questions surrounding the handling of allegations against Mr Cansdell, who resigned from state Parliament in September last year after admitting to falsifying a statutory declaration to keep his driver's licence.
Mr Cansdell admitted to falsifying a statutory declaration to say Ms Palmer was driving his car when it was caught speeding in 2005……
1 comment:
The latest, reported in the Northern Star today, don't think it's going to go away and nor should it, cannot believe NSW Lib/Nationals haven't thrown Cansdell to the wolves, they're behaving like our PM with Slipper!
QUESTIONS have been raised in the NSW Parliament whether former MP Steve Cansdell falsified more than one statuary declaration to avoid traffic offences while he was the Member for Clarence.
Upper house Labor MPs Mick Veitch and Luke Foley aired the allegations this week in separate questions to Roads Minister Duncan Gay.
On Tuesday, Mr Veitch asked: "Has the Minister received any information, verbal or written, suggesting that the former member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, may have falsely nominated other drivers to cop the blame for traffic offences committed by him on more than one occasion? If so, did the Minister refer that information to the police? If not, why not?"
Mr Gay's reply was to the point: "No and no."
The next day, Luke Foley asked Mr Gay: "Has the minister's office or department received any information or advice that would suggest the former member for Clarence, Mr Steve Cansdell, may have falsely nominated other drivers to shift the blame for traffic offences on more than one occasion?"
On this occasion Mr Gay's response was a little more expansive.
"I was asked a very similar, but not the same, question yesterday. I was asked 'had I' and my answer was no," he said.
"The question was about my office or my department, so I will take it on notice and find out whether there is such information. To the best of my knowledge, there is not."
Mr Gay's office said he was yet to follow up the matter.
Mr Cansdell resigned as the Member for Clarence and parliamentary secretary for police in September last year after he admitted to signing a false statutory declaration that one of his staff members, Kath Palmer, was driving when he was caught speeding in 2005.
Despite his admission, NSW police last week said no charges would be laid against Mr Cansdell because Ms Palmer had declined to comment, a claim she has denied.
Ms Palmer has called for an independent inquiry into the investigation.
In the lower house on Tuesday, Labor MP Helen Westwood asked Police Minister Michael Gallacherw what steps he was taking to "ensure that a full and proper investigation is undertaken into the handling of the Steve Cansdell matter after the lawyer for the woman who blew the whistle publicly contradicted earlier suggestions that Mr Cansdell had escaped justice because she had refused to be interviewed?".
Mr Gallacher told Ms Westwood: "If the member has concerns about the conduct of that investigation and she has reason to believe that something untoward happened, I suggest that she refer the matter to the Ombudsman. I have answered the question fully."
The Police Minister also took a question from Labor's Steve Whan, who asked whether he would act to close the "legal loophole" that led to Mr Cansdell not being charged.
Mr Gallacher referred Mr Whan to his earlier answer.
In March, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said Mr Cansdell could not be charged under state law because he had signed a Commonwealth statutory declaration.
But it was revealed last week the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions was "not satisfied that a Commonwealth offence was involved".
Post a Comment