Awabakel land dealings saga continues

Newcastle Herald, 7 April 2017:

Disgraced former assistant tax commissioner Nick Petroulias has failed in a bid to scuttle a corruption inquiry into his land dealings with the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council.

In March, Mr Petroulias applied for the ICAC inquiry to be abandoned, arguing it was based on "trivial" matters. He claimed he had been treated with "bias" and "denied procedural fairness" during public hearings, including "by reason of [his] mental health impairment".

Mr Petroulias also tendered interviews he had recorded with witnesses - including former Awabakal board members Richard Green and Debbie Dates - to support his case.

ICAC Commissioner Peter Hall QC threw out the application on Wednesday, finding Mr Petroulias had not substantiated his allegations.

"Mr Petroulias asserts that the real purpose behind the inquiry is to improperly cause damage to his reputation," Commissioner Hall noted. "There is no evidentiary basis for what is an entirely unsupported assertion."

The last fortnight of public hearings will begin on May 6.

The ICAC inquiry began over 12 months ago, and is probing four deals to sell off Awabakal land, in which Mr Petroulias is alleged to have played a "central role".

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