Matthew Guy’s chief of staff quits after email leak reveals $100k payment request

The billionaire who was targeted for cash donations by Matthew Guy’s chief of staff Mitch Catlin has revealed his reaction to the “unsolicited” approach`.

The billionaire who was targeted for cash donations by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s chief of staff Mitch Catlin has revealed he rejected the “unsolicited” approach immediately.

Mr Catlin resigned following revelations he asked a Liberal Party donor to make more than $100,000 in payments to his private business.

The proposed contract would have seen Mr Catlin’s Catchy Media Marketing and Management company paid more than $8000 each month by the donor, in addition to his taxpayer-funded salary.

The Herald Sun can reveal that businessman and horse racing identity Jonathan Munz was the wealthy donor approached by Catlin to provide the payments.

It is understood there was no requirement for work to be done for Mr Munz under the proposed arrangement, which was seeking more than $100,000 over time.

“I do not know how many people received this unsolicited and unwanted email, but when I got it, I rejected it out of hand,” Mr Munz said.

The Herald Sun has approached Mr Catlin for comment.

Matthew Guy’s chief of staff, Mitch Catlin, has resigned.

Jonathan Munz rejected the “unsolicited” approach immediately.

Labor has seized on the revelations that Mr Catlin sought cash for his business while working in Mr Guy’s office as a “secret deal to breach donation laws”, but Mr Guy has rejected the attack saying that no deal was done and that this was a distraction from the government’s own integrity woes.

Mr Catlin resigned from Mr Guy’s office on Tuesday morning, just hours after the emails were revealed.

Labor has sent the issue to police, the state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, and the Victorian Electoral Commissioner for assessment.

Mr Munz, who made his fortune as the founder of the plumbing manufacturer Reliance Worldwide Corporation, was said to be surprised by the approach by Mr Catlin.

Mr Munz has previously helped bankroll a High Court challenge against the Andrews Government’s Covid-19 lockdown, and was a strident critic of restrictions put in place during the pandemic, but is not a Liberal member or frequent donor.

In response to the scandal, Mr Guy blasted the Andrews government’s referral of the Liberal Party “secret deal to breach donation laws” to Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police.

The matter has also been forwarded to the Victorian Ombudsman, IBAC and the Victorian Electoral Commission.

The Andrews government said Mr Guy must come out and answer questions about the contract, slamming it a “secret rort to breach donation laws”.

Matthew Guy and Mitch Catlin. Picture: Tim Carrafa

But Mr Guy slammed the government’s referral to integrity agencies as an “unfounded and desperate political stunt”, while insisting he would co-operate with any investigation.

“Today’s referral by the Andrews Labor government is a desperate attempt from a tried, corrupt and arrogant government to distract from its own integrity failings,” he said.

“Let’s be perfectly clear. This referral relates to an arrangement that was never agreed to, signed, or put into place.

“Unlike Daniel Andrews, I will not waste taxpayer money to block the work of integrity agencies and cover up the truth.

“Unlike Daniel Andrews, I will fully co-operate with any investigation.

“Unlike Daniel Andrews, I will increase, not cut, the funding and powers of the Ombudsman and the IBAC.

“Unlike Daniel Andrews, I and the Victorian Liberals and Nationals have nothing to hide.

“I look forward to Victoria’s integrity agencies confirming this referral for what it is – an unfounded and desperate political stunt.”

Government Services Minister Danny Pearson. Picture; Getty Images

Government Services Minister Danny Pearson said the referrals were warranted because the state opposition had failed to provide clarity over the circumstances.

He said Mr Guy “must immediately provide details of the original email agreement, disclose the identity of the secret donor and explain why this secret deal to potentially circumvent donation laws was even contemplated”.

Mr Pearson said Victoria Police had been engaged to examine whether any conduct would constitute a criminal offence.

The Australian Federal Police was informed to ensure the deal was not made with a “foreign entity and not in breach of Commonwealth laws”.

It was also referred to the Victorian Electoral Commission as to whether it is a breach of the state’s electoral laws, while the Ombudsman and Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission have been asked to “investigate what was promised and whether this secret deal constitutes corrupt conduct”.

Liberal MPs say it’s a ‘blow’ to party

Despairing Coalition MPs said the matter was a blow to the team’s pursuit of Labor over its integrity issues.

They said Mr Guy already had “baggage” — referring to the time he dined with an alleged criminal figure last term — and that this latest scandal reinforced voter doubts about him.

“It’s absolutely infuriating,” one MP said.

Another criticised the appointment of Catlin and the running of Mr Guy’s office.

But one Liberal MP said the focus would remain on Labor’s rorts, and the fact that ministers had used taxpayer-funded staff for party political or factional activities.

The man Matthew Guy rolled as opposition leader, Michael O’Brien, was understood to have raised the matter in the Liberal Party room on Tuesday morning.

One MP said he told the group that he and others had taken pay cuts to enter parliament and that people shouldn’t be “facilitating” anyone who was not there for the right reasons and wanted to run a “side hustle”.

The MP said Mr Guy did not respond to the spray.

Labor lists questions for Opposition Leader

Mr Pearson said the opposition leader failed to explain the situation on Tuesday morning.

“Matthew Guy has fundamentally compromised himself — now and for any future role — by his alleged involvement in this secret scheme to circumvent donation laws,” he said.

“Matthew Guy may not have voted for the country’s toughest donation laws, but he is obliged to follow them.

“Victorians are entitled to answers about this secret deal and the Liberal Party should be demanding their Leader provide them.

“This bloke wants to become the Premier of this state in a number of days.”

Mr Pearson also released a list of 14 questions the government wants Mr Guy to answer, including whether it was “just a sham contract to receive illegal donations”.

He called on Mr Guy to reveal the identity of the secret Liberal donor.

“Is it anyone linked with the infamous “Lobster with a Mobster” dinner?” he asked.

He added: “Will Mr Guy co-operate fully with integrity bodies to clear up even the perception of illegal activity?”

The Herald Sun understands Mr Catlin sent Mr Guy an email to his personal account with a drawn-up contract proposal, asking for it to be forwarded to the unnamed donor.

But Mr Guy on Tuesday insisted he never forwarded the email on and no such deal was ever struck.

“My chief of staff, Mitch Catlin, has this morning offered me his resignation, despite not signing any agreements of this nature,” he said.

“We’re talking about a contract proposal that was never actioned.

“I’m telling you straight out. Nothing happened. Nothing was agreed to. Nothing was signed.

“It never progressed. It was considered and never progressed.”

Mr Guy has pledged to create a code of conduct that would oversee all opposition staff in the wake of the scandal.

A specific code does not currently exist.

“I accept that as an issue that needs resolution,” Mr Guy said.

“I will fix that and we will make sure there is a code of conduct for opposition staff, as there is, and should be for government staff.

Mitch Catlin, right, with former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Picture: Sarah Matray

“I have a vastly different approach to managing integrity in this state compared to the current government.

“We don’t need laws passed in this parliament to tell us to keep to a code of conduct. We’ll get one, we’ll keep to it, we’ll stick to it and we don’t sign agreements of this nature.

“It’s the current government, as you know, who are this week debating and passing laws from the corruption commission about their own code of conducts which have been breached around their own behaviour, which is yet again in question.

“I value integrity. I want to make that very clear.”

Premier Daniel Andrews said it wasn’t a matter for him to comment on.

“Only he can answer for his conduct,” he said.

“They’re entirely matters for him to answer.

“I think there are questions to be answered there and they’re best answered by the leader of the Liberal Party.”

Originally published as Matthew Guy’s chief of staff quits after email leak reveals $100k payment request