John Sidoti: Drummoyne MP standing down from politics, lashes ICAC for ‘political witch hunt’

The NSW MP has exclusively revealed he won’t contest the state election in March, while lashing ICAC for a “flawed” investigation and “political witch hunt”.

Pictured at his home in Drummoyne, state MP John Sidoti will be stepping back from his career in politics and won’t recontest next March’s election. Picture: Richard Dobson

Long-serving Drummoyne MP John Sidoti will end his 12-year career in politics, exclusively telling NewsLocal he won’t recontest the seat he’s represented since 2011 at the upcoming NSW state election and will drop plans to clear his name in the Supreme Court.

In the interview, he also lashed out at ICAC, describing the last three years as the “shittiest, worst time of my life”.

“Once they go to a public inquiry, in front of cameras, you’re gone – by hook or by crook,” Mr Sidoti said.

In July, ICAC found Mr Sidoti corrupt, and determined he leant on City of Canada Bay councillors to include his parent’s function centre in plans to redevelop the suburb.

Parliament voted to suspend Mr Sidoti from the Legislative Assembly in August after he refused calls to resign, and ICAC is currently seeking advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether criminal prosecution should be commenced.

Mr Sidoti will leave politics after 12 years representing the seat of Drummoyne. Picture: Richard Dobson

ICAC found Sidoti emailed, telephoned and sought meetings with councillors in the lead-up to council meetings at which relevant planning matters were to be discussed, and implied their positions on council could be threatened if they did not advance the positions he wanted.

When the councillors refused to comply, Mr Sidoti withdrew his endorsement for those of them who were contesting the 2017 council election.

“They (ICAC) brought in three councillors with an axe to grind because they didn’t get elected, and cherry picked witnesses to suit the story,” Mr Sidoti said.

The MP has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations, and described the investigation as a “political witch hunt”.

John Sidoti arriving at his ICAC hearing in 2021. Mr Sidoti said the period was the worst of his life. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“Integrity to me is everything, and these guys destroyed me from that perspective,” he said.

Mr Sidoti said sections of the public would always view him as guilty.

“ICAC just selectively pulls the lines they want and make you look terrible,” Mr Sidoti said.

Mr Sidoti said the impact, and ensuing media coverage, had taken its toll, especially on his parents.

“Can you imagine how proud my parents – typical migrant parents who worked their arses off their whole lives – were when I first got elected,” he said.

“And then having the media come to their house, putting cameras in their face – It was horrible, just horrible. I couldn’t put them or my wife through it all again.”

In July, ICAC found Mr Sidoti corrupt. The MP denies the findings. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mr Sidoti reneged on his commitment to clear his name in the Supreme Court and said fighting the commission’s “flawed” finding of corruption would be a “pointless exercise”.

“I’ve spent over $500,000 already (on legal costs) and it’s not a conviction, there’s no process for me to challenge the finding.”

Mr Sidoti he’d been “mobbed by people” in the electorate who believed he hadn’t been given a fair process.

“I was walking around the Bay Run and this woman came up to me,” he said.

“I think, ‘here we go again’, but she said: ‘give it to those bastards, don’t let them get away with it’.”

Mr Sidoti said he had been prepared to stand as an independent, as recently as last week, but decided to “hand the baton over” to ensure he didn’t split the Liberal vote.

Mr Sidoti sat as an independent MP at the onset of the investigation. Pictured here leaving the 2021 hearing. Picture: Joel Carrett

Parliament voted to suspend Mr Sidoti in August, where he called ICAC “Frankenstein’s monster”. Picture: David Swift

“I spoke with the powers that be in the party and told them I wanted to leave on an honourable note,” he said.

“I joined the party when I was 15, and while I was poorly treated by some members at the end, I wasn’t going to lower my standards to theirs – I’m Liberal through and through.”

No decision has yet been made on the Liberal candidate for Drummoyne, but Mr Sidoti said when he saw the potential candidates he made his decision.

“There would have been two scenarios: I’d win, or Labor would have won through the middle,” he said.

“And over the last few days some really exceptional candidates have put their hands up (to represent the Liberals).”

Mr Sidoti won the seat from Labor-turned-independent Angela D’Amore in 2011.

“I’ve had the highs and lows of politics,” he said.

“I reached the highest echelons as a minister and achieved real legacy projects.”

JOHN SIDOTI ON …

ICAC:

“In the eyes of the public it’s a court, but it’s not – so it’s a sad indictment where we criticise Russia and China, but we haven’t even got a judicial process to challenge (the finding).”

The investigation:

“You’ve only got one thing in life, and that’s integrity. And these guys destroyed me from that perspective. I didn’t get a fair process and I can’t appeal – it’s just so debilitating and horrible.”

His innocence:

“I was always up for the fight, I’ve got thick skin, no one gets the better of me when I know exactly what I did and didn’t do,” he said.

His constituency work:

“It’s been my greatest thrill to have achieved some real legacy projects; from Concord hospital, which was never funded properly, and we got it a beautiful $341 million renovation.”

The Party:

“I joined the party when I was 15, and while I was poorly treated by some members of the party at the end, I wasn’t going to lower my standards to theirs – I’m Liberal through and through.”