Police investigate rorts as they keep disgraced MP Don Nardella in their sights

LATEST: THE Premier has called for the final report into MP expenses to be made public. It comes after revelations Melton MP Don Nardella paid his family to use their country address in order to continue pocketing a $37,678-a-year taxpayer-funded perk.

• Nardella refuses to pay back $100k, apologise
• ‘Honesty system’ for entitlements to end
• Disgraced MP’s $100,000 insult
• Speaker’s logbooks to be examined

LATEST: PREMIER Daniel Andrews has called on Speaker Colin Brooks and upper house president Bruce Atkinson to release the final report into MP’s expenses.

It was revealed yesterday that disgraced Melton MP Don Nardella paid his family $200 a fortnight to use their country address in order to continue pocketing a $37,678-a-year taxpayer-funded perk.

EDITORIAL: MELTON VOTERS NEED NEW MP

COMMENT: NARDELLA MUST GO NOW FOR LATEST INSULT

There is little evidence to suggest Mr Nardella frequently lived in the property he asserted was his home base while claiming the money, leading to further accusations he rorted the system.

A draft report to parliament on Tuesday found Mr Nardella had claimed the controversial “second residence” allowance since 2010, meaning he is likely to have claimed about $200,000 while living outside his outer-suburban electorate.

The perks claimed by the former deputy Speaker, who says he acted within parliamentary rules and quit the parliamentary Labor Party rather than repay any of the money, are to be assessed by police.

The report found neither he nor former Speaker Telmo Languiller, who also claimed the allowance for rural MPs who maintain a second residence in Melbourne, could substantiate that they frequently lived in properties they dubbed their “home bases”.

Don Nardella (top right) sits in parliament on Tuesday. Picture: Jason Edwards

The audit found Mr Languiller had “intended” to move to Queenscliff, well outside his Tarneit electorate. It said his family circumstances led to a change in his living arrangements and though he failed to inform parliament until February 2017, he later paid back the $37,800 he had claimed.

Mr Nardella had claimed the allowance since 2010, when he lived in Lake Wendouree near Ballarat.

In 2014 he moved because of a relationship breakdown and entered into an “informal arrangement” with family to stay in Ocean Grove and pay $200 a fortnight in “rent”.

A statement by the chairman of the Audit Committee, Legislative Council president Bruce Atkinson, said this was “opportunistic” and “designed to ensure continued enjoyment of the second residence allowance”.

“It is difficult to argue convincingly that he intended this to be a long-term or permanent principal residence,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews today urged that the final report be made public.

He said he would wait for the release of the report until making any comments about whether the MPs should quit parliament.

“I’ve made my views very clear about the community’s expectations, I don’t intend to ask members to pay back money unless I think they should,” Mr Andrews said.

“Beyond that, I think it’s best that we let the report be made public and I again call on the parliament to make sure it is made public, and beyond that let’s let the police do their work.

“The presiding officers are perfectly free to release whatever they choose to release, and they have not released anything other than a letter at this stage.”

In a letter to shadow attorney-general John Pesutto, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton’s chief-of-staff said: “I confirm this matter will be allocated to an investigator.”

In a heated parliamentary debate, Premier Daniel Andrews promised to “act once we have seen that report”.

But Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Premier was continuing to run a “protection racket for his rorting mates instead of coming clean to Victorians”.

Former Speaker Telmo Languiller. Picture: Tim Carrafa

WHAT THE PARLIAMENTARY AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCOVERED

Tarneit MP Telmo Languiller:

Told state parliament earlier this term he intended to move to Queenscliff for family reasons

Changed his address for his driver’s licence and on the electoral roll

In 2016, further serious changes to his family circumstances meant he rarely stayed in Queenscliff

Failed to alert parliament his living situation had changed and continued to claim the second residence allowance

Eventually notified parliament on February 13, 2017, that he no longer wished to claim the allowance

On March 2, 2017, repaid $37,800 he had claimed

Melton MP Don Nardella:

Claimed the allowance while living in Lake Wendouree from March 2010 to April 2014

In April 2014, a personal relationship breakdown caused him to leave Lake Wendouree

Notified parliament he had changed his “home base” to Ocean Grove

Entered an informal arrangement with family members to pay them fortnightly “rent” of $200 to use their address

Changed his driver’s licence and electoral roll registration to Ocean Grove address

Was unable to argue convincingly he intended this to be a long-term/permanent principle residence

Viewed “in terms of a reasonable person test”, the arrangement seemed designed to ensure the continued enjoyment of the second residence allowance

Has since moved out of the Ocean Grove “home base”