Stakes high on latest state politics scandal, writes Matt Johnston
YOU know state politics is on the skids when an alleged rort is called the “latest” misuse of taxpayer funds, writes Matt Johnston.
Opinion
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YOU know state politics is on the skids when an alleged rort is called the “latest” misuse of taxpayer funds.
Last term, former Frankston MP Geoff Shaw was found by the Ombudsman to have used his taxpayer-funded car as part of his hardware business.
This term, there has been the airing of the “red shirts” scam, where Labor MPs used taxpayer-funded electorate officers for election campaign work — against parliamentary rules.
And former minister Steve Herbert had his chauffeur ferry two dogs between properties without him in the car.
After that, the then Speaker Telmo Languiller was found to have diddled an allowance meant for country MPs by claiming tens of thousands of dollars for having a “second residence”; his deputy, Don Nardella, was also found to have rorted the system. Both have had to repay money, just as Shaw had to last term.
Voters are again left thinking: What the hell is wrong with these people?
Those in parliament haven’t been the only ones caught with their fingers in the cookie jar recently.
Disgraced former Liberal Party state director Damien Mantach took things to a whole new level when he was locked up for five years after stealing $1.55 million from the party by creating false invoices for mailing and marketing campaigns.
But wait — back in parliament, there’s more!
The latest rort allegation also relates to printing.
According to multiple Labor whistleblowers, invoices were knocked up and sent to state parliament in order to get payments for printing jobs that were never done.
LABOR WHISTLEBLOWERS SAY TAXPAYER MONEY SIPHONED FOR PARTY MEMBERSHIPS
SECOND PRINTER IN LABOR STACKS RORT CLAIMS PROBE
That money was then allegedly used to pay for ALP memberships. Parliament is now investigating.
If there is the slightest whiff about any invoices, then the state’s anti-corruption watchdog must be called in.
The critical difference between Wednesday’s “cash for stacks” allegations and most of the other taxpayer ripoffs that have gone on in parliament is that what has been alleged here is an outright fraud.
As Legislative Council president Bruce Atkinson said: “If the allegations are true, they involve criminal actions.”
Crimes that, if proven, could see people go to jail.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
And that is probably why no Labor MPs were publicly denying the claims at the centre of the “latest” allegations of rorting.
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