Fairfield Labor branch meeting records falsified by unknown person
Leaked findings from a NSW Labor internal investigation into alleged branch stacking concede minutes from a 2015 southwest Sydney branch meeting were falsified by an unknown person.
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Shocking findings from a NSW Labor internal investigation into alleged branch stacking concede minutes from a 2015 southwest Sydney branch meeting were falsified.
A young Labor member sensationally accused Opposition police spokesman and Fairfield state MP Guy Zangari of branch stacking ahead of the 2019 State Election after the young member was allegedly forced to sign an attendance book for a 2015 branch meeting he had not attended.
Mr Zangari was cleared of any wrongdoing, but leaked documents from the March 22 tribunal found “(the young member’s) signature was added to the page of the branch attendance book relating to the meeting on 17 December 2015 at some point after that date”.
“A false set of minutes for that meeting was inserted into the minute book for the Fairfield branch in place of minutes which initially did not record the attendance of (the young member),” the findings read.
The tribunal made no findings as to who falsified the minutes.
NSW Labor originally refused to comment on how the party came to the conclusion Mr Zangari had not done anything wrong.
“This process has caused me and my family a significant amount of pain,” Mr Zangari said.
“They have cleared me and I am very, very comfortable with the review.”
The findings indicate the man alleged Mr Zangari called him to his Fairfield office on February 16 and produced the Fairfield Labor branch’s attendance book.
“The member’s evidence is ... Mr Zangari produced the attendance book for the Fairfield branch, opened it to the page for the meeting of 17 December 2015, and said, ‘you forgot to sign the book’,” the findings read.
“Given what was said to be Mr Zangari’s ‘serious and intense look’ and his position as a member of the State Parliament, (the member) felt pressure to sign the book, and did so.”
However, Mr Zangari denied the account.
“I asked (the member) how he was and how university studies were going,” Mr Zangari is quoted as saying in the findings. I then asked (the member) if I still had his support.
“He answered that I still had his support.”
A NSW Labor spokesman said the secretary of the Fairfield branch at the time of the alleged incident is no longer on the branch executive.
“The Party will continue to provide training to branch executive members on the proper maintenance of branch books and notes that a second branch officials training day for 2018 has been scheduled for Saturday, September 1,” he said.
At the tribunal’s conclusion Mr Zangari was endorsed as the Fairfield Labor candidate for the 2019 State election.