Marching Towards Oblivion: a former NSW Police Minister and his former Parliamentary Secretary for Police

Image of ICAC exhibit by @Kate_ McClymont

On 3 April 2011 Liberal MLC Mike Gallacher became NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services – on 2 May 2014 he resigned after being named as a subject of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption Operation Spicer investigation .

On 4 May 2011 Nationals MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell became Parliamentary Secretary for Police under Gallacher – he resigned on 16 December 2011 in the midst of questions concerning a statutory declaration and allegations that he (rather than one of his staff) was driving a speeding car caught by a traffic camera.

Both had successfully stood for re-election in March 2011 and both went on to disappointed their party leaders and their electorates. It only took Cansdell a bit over 22 weeks to meet his political end in the 55^th NSW Parliament – it may take Gallacher a while longer as the current ICAC investigation is likely to continue for some time.

UPDATE

The Sydney Morning Herald 6 May 2014:

In a stunning development, the corruption inquiry into alleged Liberal Party slush funds will be "suspended" next week while investigators examine new evidence implicating former Police Minister Mike Gallacher in potential "serious electoral funding irregularities".

Counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Geoffrey Watson, SC, applied on Tuesday for a suspension of Operation Spicer "to allow the investigative staff at the commission time to investigate more material which has come to hand in recent times".

"In light of speculation on the subject, it does seem an appropriate moment to say that these activities implicate the former minister Michael Gallacher," Mr Watson said.

e-Health PCEHR platform: what is the Abbott Government trying to hide?

Federal Minister for Health & Minister for Sport, Peter Dutton

Media Release

e-Health Record Review

The review of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) system has been completed.

20 December 2013

The review of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) system has been completed.

Health Minister Peter Dutton today received the report from the review team headed by the Executive Director of the Uniting Care Health Group, Mr Richard Royle.

The review looked into significant concerns about the progress and implementation of the PCEHR.

Mr Royle was assisted by AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton and Australia Post CIO Andrew Walduck.

Their report provides a comprehensive plan for the future of electronic health records in Australia.

Mr Dutton said the Government would now take time to consider the review recommendations and would respond in due course.

“I sincerely thank the members of the review panel for their work on this matter.”

Media Contact: John Wiseman – 0401 776 108

Delimiter 28 April 2014:

However, Dutton has not committed to publicly releasing the findings of the PCEHR Review. As a consequence, in early January, Delimiter filed a Freedom of Information request with the Department of Health seeking to have the full text of the document released under the Freedom of Information Act. In late January, Rob Schreiber, acting assistant secretary for eHealth Policy for the Department of Health, wrote back to Delimiter claiming that he could not find a copy of the report within the department.

Subsequently, Delimiter filed an notice of appeal with the Department, asking explicitly that the Minister’s office be included as a search location for the document. In addition, Delimiter filed a second Freedom of Information request with the Department for the document, under the assumption that a copy may have been filed with the Department at a latter date.

Late last week the Department wrote back to Delimiter, stating that it had decided that the document would not be released under Freedom of Information laws. In the letter (which you can view in full here in PDF format), Linda Jackson, Assistant Secretary of the eHealth Policy Branch of the department’s eHealth Division, acknowledged that there were public interest reasons why the report should be released.

However, ultimately Jackson used section 47C(1) of the Freedom of Information Act to block the release of the report, on the grounds that its release would “disclose opinion, advice or recommendation obtained, prepared or recorded, or consultation or deliberation that has taken place in the deliberative processes of an agency or Minister or the Government of the Commonwealth.”

“If the contents of the review were to be made public, the matters presently under consideration … would be prematurely exposed to scrutiny which would undermine the integrity of the decision-making process of government,” Jackson wrote. “It is in the interest of the Australian community as a whole that consideration of the report’s recommendations and analysis be conducted in circumstances of confidentiality to government and those public officials who need to know relevant details.”

“I note in this context that key stakeholder groups, including peak clinical bodies, were given the opportunity to make submissions to the review team.”

The news comes, however, as pressure grows on the Government to release the report. Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton, who was one of three experts who produced the report, told the Financial Review several weeks ago that he had believed the report was going to be released in January, then February, then April…..

Given the privacy issues surrounding the PCEHR system and the background of the review's authors, one has to wonder if the report the Abbott Government is sitting on so determinedly may contain evidence of ongoing privacy breaches or a proposal to increase data collection on patients without their consent or yet again, a proposal to further limit patients control over their own electronic records.

One also has to wonder if this report indicates a relationship between a rise in the number of persons registered within the PCEHR system and the 2013 commencement of the federal government's Practice Incentives Program (PIP) which enables quarterly incentive payments (capped at $12,500 per practice, per quarter) to medical practitioners for joining and using this national data system.

NSW Farmers object to Bylong Gateway Panel Assessment 28 April 2014

NSW Farmers media release 28 April 2014

Clarence Landcare "Making Commercial Farming Systems Sustainable with Bob Shaffer" 9.15 to 3pm at Harwood 15 May 2013

Click on image to enlarge

NSW ICAC Operation Spicer Week Two - running sheet and witness list outline

To date one NSW Premier has resigned, one NSW minister has resigned and been suspended from the Liberal Party, one NSW Minister has resigned, one NSW Liberal MLC has resigned from a parliamentary position and stood aside, two NSW MPs been suspended from the Liberal Party and one Liberal federal senator has stood aside, as a result of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Operation Credo and Operation Spicer investigations.

They are:

Barry O’Farrell - MP for Kur-ing-gai, former NSW Premier & Minister for Western Sydney until his resignation on 17 April 2014

Chris Hartcher - NSW MP for Terrigal, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for the Central Coast & Special Minister of State until 9 December 2013 and now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Mike Gallacher – NSW MLC and, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services until his resignation on 2 May 2014

Marie Ficarra - Member of the NSW Legislative Council and, a former parliamentary secretary until 17 April 2014

Darren Webber – MP for Wyong now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Christopher Spence – MP for The Entrance now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Arthur Sinodinis - Federal Senator for NSW and Assistant Treasurer in the Abbott Government (not fulfilling assistant treasurer duties for the duration of the investigations)

Operation Spicer enters its second week today.

Operation Spicer is an investigation into:…whether, between April 2009 and April 2012, certain members of parliament including Christopher Hartcher, Darren Webber and Christopher Spence, along with others including Timothy Koelma and Raymond Carter, corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments from various sources in return for certain members of parliament favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.

The Commission is also examining whether, between December 2010 and November 2011, certain members of parliament, including those mentioned above, and others, including Raymond Carter, solicited, received and failed to disclose political donations from companies, including prohibited donors, contrary to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981.

Further allegations include whether Eightbyfive, a business operated by Mr Koelma entered into agreements with each of a series of entities including Australian Water Holdings Pty Ltd (AWH), whereby each entity made regular payments to Eightbyfive, purportedly for the provision of media, public relations and other services and advice, in return for which Mr Hartcher favoured the interests of the respective entity.

The ICAC is also investigating the circumstances in which false allegations of corruption were made against senior SWC executives….

NSW ICAC Operation Spicer Witness List For Week Two:

Darren Williams - development manager at the Buildev Group and a sponsor of the Sydney-based Liberal Party associated entity The Millennium Forum in 2008

Troy Palmer - chief executive of Hunter Sports Group, Chief Financial Officer of Patinack and a Buildev Group director

David Sharpe - one of the co-owners of Buildev

Nabil Gazal – Gazcorp director Sydney property developer

Nicholas Gazal – Gazcorp director Sydney property developer

Eric Koelma – brother to Tim Koelma creator of the ‘slush fund’ corporation, Eightbyfive

Grahame Young - CEO of Tesrol property group

Gary Bonaccorso – Sydney property developer
Doug Sneddon - planning consultant

Anthony Bandle – trustee of Liberal and National Parties’ Canberra-based associated entity Free Enterprise Foundation 

John Abel – NSW Liberal Party member and factional identity within the party
Tony Merhi - property developer and alleged Liberal Party donor
Marie Ficarra - Member of the NSW Legislative Council and, a former parliamentary secretary until 17 April 2014
Peter McConnell - former chief of staff to former NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell

Nick Di Girolamo - Liberal Party fundraiser, managing partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley until February 2007 after which he joined Australian Water Holdings as CEO and shareholder

Removed from Week Two List:

Paul Nicolaou - principal fundraiser for the New South Wales Liberal Party and former chairman of the fundraising associated entity Millennium Forum

Arthur Sinodinos – Federal Liberal Party Senator for New South Wales and Assistant Treasurer (not performing the duties of an assistant treasurer for the duration of the investigations)

Mark Neeham - former State Director of the New South Wales Liberal Party

Simon McInnes - Finance Director of the New South Wales Liberal Party

Almost eight months in months to its term in office and the Abbott Government still not faring well in opinion polls

It's almost something Australian voters expect to see these days, as the trend has been forming since the Abbott Government won power on 7 September 2014 - yet another opinion poll shows support for the Liberal-National Coalition dropping as it continues its punitive class warfare.

The Herald Sun 3 May 2014