Several Victorian MPs have used family members in taxpayer-funded roles

At least seven Victorian politicians have used family members to fill taxpayer-funded jobs, going back years. Federal MPs are banned from the practice — so is it time to end it here?

Deputy Nationals leader Steph Ryan has employed her mum for casual shifts in her office. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Embattled state MPs Tim McCurdy and Russell Northe are among at least seven politicians who have used family members to fill taxpayer-funded jobs.

The Herald Sun can reveal that Mr McCurdy — who is fighting fraud charges over his dealings as a real estate agent in 2009 — employs his wife as a part-time electorate officer.

His daughter also did media work for the National Party MP.

Mr Northe, who resigned from the Nationals in 2017 after racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debts, confirmed last night he had used his wife as a casual staff member.

Morwell MP Russell Northe. He confirmed he had used his wife as a casual staff member. Picture: David Geraghty

His wife and his youngest son — who also filled some shifts — are both still listed on parliamentary records as electorate officers. There are no rules banning the use of family in the taxpayer-funded jobs and the Herald Sun is not suggesting that Mr McCurdy or Mr Northe have engaged in any wrongdoing.

Mr Northe, the independent Morwell MP, said he had “no objection to the current rules being amended” to stop the practice.

The Herald Sun revealed yesterday that upper house MP Catherine Cumming had hired two of her children, her niece, her “long-time friend” and her friend’s son to work in her office.

She also said she would “100 per cent” back tightening the rules.

As well as Mr McCurdy and Mr Northe, four other Coalition MPs have used their close relatives as staff, including deputy Nationals leader Steph Ryan, whose mother had filled casual shifts in her office until more than a year ago.

Shadow Special Minister of State Kim Wells’s daughter has done intermittent work in his electorate office, as have two of Hastings MP Neale Burgess’s daughters.

Liberal frontbencher David Morris’s wife also did occasional shifts in his Mornington office, but not for at least a year.

Ms Ryan’s mother had filled casual shifts in her office. Picture: Zoe Phillips

The relatives of Mr Wells, Ms Ryan, Mr McCurdy, Mr Morris and Mr Burgess all remain listed as electorate officers.

The Herald Sun has been told relatives of Labor MPs have also been given jobs in their colleagues’ offices.

Liberal frontbencher Tim Smith said yesterday he believed politicians should be barred from hiring their partners and children.

Mr Smith — whose mother has volunteered in his office — lashed out at Ms Cumming, saying her staff arrangements were “totally unacceptable”.

Ms Cumming argued that she “did not realise I had to hire staff and run my office” after she was elected.

She said that to protect “the community’s money”, electorate officers should instead be independently hired.

All MPs named were contacted by the Herald Sun.

A RELATIVELY COMMON PLOY

Politicians have been putting their relatives on a gravy train that has rolled around Victoria for decades.

So when the Herald Sun ­revealed yesterday that independent MP Catherine Cumming had given jobs to two of her children, it was instructive which pollies spoke out — and who remained silent.

More than a few jumped on the phone to question her decision, but they wanted to keep their names out of it, perhaps mindful that their colleagues could soon be facing tricky questions too.

Liberal MP Tim Smith was more forthright, declaring it “totally unacceptable” for the upper house MP to employ her 19-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter — as well as her niece, her friend and her friend’s son.

independent MP Catherine Cumming. Picture: Mark Wilson

“The people of Victoria are not an ATM for the Cumming family,” he said.

“It beggars belief that she thought it was appropriate.”

Journalists thought they were on a winner when Mr Smith admitted his mother worked in his Kew electorate office, but he said she was only a volunteer when he was short-staffed.

Federal MPs are banned from employing partners, children, siblings or parents in any taxpayer-funded role, a rule that is now broadly ­observed, despite Barnaby Joyce calling for it to be overturned after leaving his wife for his media adviser. Some appear to be getting around this by having relatives ­employed by colleagues and factional allies.

But state MPs are not limited by any such restrictions, a loophole that Ms Cumming called on the government to close yesterday, even as she defended employing her teenage son and daughter.

She floated rumours about other MPs hiring their family members, as the Herald Sun reveals that five Coalition MPs have close ­relatives on their payrolls.

That should cause some awkward conversations in the Coalition party room after Mr Smith said: “Employing one’s children is difficult to explain away, equally employing one’s spouse … I don’t think this should continue into the future.”

The current crop of state Labor MPs appear to have been far more cautious to avoid charges of nepotism, but it hasn’t stopped some ­installing their relatives in the offices of other MPs.

Their electorate offices are also lined with former MPs, defeated candidates and ­factional allies.

Some Labor MPs are forced to take on certain staffers in internal deals, while others hand out jobs to those who control the numbers in their local branches.

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And it is not uncommon for some Labor operatives to cash in thousands of dollars a year while rarely setting foot in the electorate offices where they are technically employed.

Government minister Martin Pakula delicately suggested yesterday that hiring relatives was “perilous business” and “not something that I would advise”.

He said it would be a ­matter for the parliament’s presiding officers to look into — and now it is time for them to do just that.

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