Eventually full details of this investigation will become public, as it cannot seriously be thought to be in the public interest for the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) not to publish findings.
The Australian, 27 October 2017:
ICAC has begun a preliminary investigation into whether NSW public officials favoured Nationals donor and irrigator Peter Harris by not prosecuting him over alleged water theft.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is also investigating whether public officials made decisions in favour of western NSW irrigator and lobbyist Ian Cole by changing water sharing arrangements to benefit him.
A day after The Australian revealed that the corruption watchdog was investigating a case where Multicultural Affairs Minister Ray Williams wrote to Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair asking for prosecutorial action against constituent Garry Bugeja to be dropped, it has emerged that the NSW government is facing a series of inquiries over its water policies.
The Berejiklian government is facing the real spectre of a public ICAC inquiry potentially involving the two ministers and at least one former primary industries minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, just months out from the 2019 state election.
ICAC is investigating whether former deputy director-general of the Department of Primary Industry Gavin Hanlon disclosed confidential information to Barwon-Darling irrigators, allegations that have been the subject of a government inquiry and led to Mr Hanlon’s resignation.
The commission is also understood to be looking at whether any public official failed to properly investigate or prosecute Mr Harris, a cotton farmer from Moree, in northern NSW. ICAC is also understood to be investigating why the department’s strategic investigations unit was disbanded, leading to the abandonment of several water compliance operations.
There is also an investigation into whether any public official acted inappropriately in making changes to the Barwon-Darling Water Sharing Plan to benefit irrigator Mr Cole.
Another line of investigation is understood to be whether any person improperly gave access to departmental files and confidential material for the benefit of Mr Harris. Investigations into Mr Cole are understood to also involve whether pumps were attached to a property and were authorised by the department in breach of water laws…..
It was revealed earlier this year that Mr Blair sought law changes which may have benefited Mr Harris by retrospectively approving water-trading rights granted to him that appeared to not comply with the law. But Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton blocked the changes.
Mr Blair also legislated to allow past illegal works to be retrospectively approved — another piece of law which may have helped Mr Harris….
Mr Bugeja was not prosecuted for an alleged illegal dam in Sydney after Mr Williams wrote to Mr Blair
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