Independent MP Catherine Cumming gives taxpayer-funded jobs in her office to relatives

Taxpayers are forking out thousands to employ two of independent MP Catherine Cumming’s children. The arrangements have left other MPs stunned, with one saying it “does not pass the pub test”.

Independent MP Catherine Cumming has hired her 19-year-old son and her 18-year-old daughter to work as casual electorate officers. Picture: Mark Wilson

EXCLUSIVE: A rookie state MP is billing taxpayers thousands of dollars to employ two of her children in her office because she says she has “trust issues” with staff.

Catherine Cumming, an independent upper house MP, has hired her 19-year-old son and her 18-year-old daughter — who is still at high school — to work as casual electorate officers.

The Herald Sun can reveal the western metropolitan MP also employs her niece, her “long-time friend” and her friend’s 21-year-old son.

The staffing arrangements have stunned Ms Cumming’s parliamentary colleagues, with one MP that it “does not pass the pub test”.

But she defended herself tonight, saying her children had “absolutely heard it all from the back seat of my car” during her two decades as a local councillor.

“Both of my teenage children have been coming in and looking after the office when people are sick as well as learning what it is to be an electorate officer, because I’m learning how to be an MP,” Ms Cumming said.

When her son posted about his new job on Facebook in May, a friend asked: “Nepotism?”

He replied: “Oh course.”

Catherine Cumming (left) with Derryn Hinch and Justice Party colleagues before they split last year. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Ms Cumming — who dramatically split from Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party after last year’s state election — said she hired an experienced former Liberal staffer to be a senior adviser but she had since departed.

“Obviously I have a lot of trust issues after what I have been through during the election,” she said.

“I feel the need to surround myself with people I can trust and who are capable of doing the job.”

She said there was “plenty of online training” for her children to learn how to manage electorate business, adding she had also given casual jobs to a law student and a person who worked for a council.

Liberal frontbencher Tim Smith said it was “totally unacceptable for this member of parliament to use the taxpayers of Victoria as an ATM for her own family”.

“Multiple family members employed by an MP, that no one has ever heard of, what a farce,” he tweeted this morning.

Mr Hinch said he “sacked” Ms Cumming from his party after the state election and added: “Seems it was a good move.”

Federal politicians are specifically banned from hiring their partner, child, parent or sibling to work for them in taxpayer-funded roles.

But similar rules do not exist for state MPs, with full-time electorate officers paid between $65,999 and $94,731 a year. Casuals receive a 25 per cent loading.

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An upper house MP said: “It is widely considered that having family employed under that banner (of an electorate office) is not appropriate … It’s an ethical issue.”

The revelations could place pressure on the state government to tighten the regulations governing the employment of electorate officers.

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