The Entrance and Gosford MPs caught out sending expensive printing work to a Sydney company
THEIR mantra is jobs for the Central Coast, but two of the region’s State Labor MPs have been caught out sending expensive, taxpayer-funded printing work to a Sydney company.
THEIR mantra is jobs for the Central Coast, but two of the region’s State Labor MPs have been caught out sending at least $150,000 in taxpayer-funded printing work to a Sydney company.
The Express Advocate can reveal The Entrance MP David Mehan and Member for Gosford Kathy Smith have had several newsletters and other addressed mail-outs put together and distributed by Jeffries Printing — a Revesby business which has links to the Labor Party — despite two major printers being based on the Coast.
Mr Mehan has spent about $100,000 in work with the Milperra Rd printers, including three gloss newsletters at a cost of $30,000 and a letter last year in which he tells thousands of householders “our community continues to not have enough job opportunities”, since he was elected on March 28, 2015.
In a shock admission, Mr Mehan said he wanted to support companies which had union links, despite having full discretion to spend his $83,787 annual communications allowance — on top of a base salary of $157,112 — with any local business.
“It’s one consideration because unions help taxpayers get better wages,” he said.
“You also need to understand that I started the job from scratch. We only had an office shell, so it was a bit easier using Jeffries. But I have sourced local as much as possible.”
His colleague, Ms Smith, has also brushed the local printers. Ms Smith’s newsletters from 2015 and 2016 show they were done at Jeffries Printing.
Ms Smith — who has been on extended leave for the several months due to serious illness — was unavailable for comment, and her staff refused to answer questions on Monday.
The Labor Party’s most senior Coast MP, David Harris, took the heat for his “inexperienced” colleagues’ lack of support for locals.
“I have to take the blame for this one,” the Member for Wyong said. “I suppose they went to Jeffries for ease. But I’ll take it upon myself to speak with both of them.”
Terrigal state Liberal MP Adam Crouch said this showed Labor MPs were “incapable of making a decision outside the union-driven party machine”.
“Labor members preach about creating jobs here, but then do the complete opposite. It is a slap in the face for small business on the Coast,” Mr Crouch, who gets his printing work done locally, said.
PRESSING THEIR CASE FOR WORK
The Central Coast’s biggest printers — Gosford Printing and Lakes Printers — say local MPs sending their business to Sydney is the latest blow to their already gutted industry.
“We’ve lost numerous printing businesses and jobs on the Coast over the past 15 years, and now we find out these local MPs are supporting Sydney over us. It’s very disappointing,” Gosford Printing managing director Gavin Edwards said.
“We are capable of doing the work for them. We employ eight people now, but with the extra money from all the region’s Labor MPs, we could put on more staff.”
“In these tough economic times I will take on whatever work I can get if it keeps jobs on the Coast and our business afloat.”
Lakes Printers at Tuggerah is also equipped to cater for MPs’ printing needs, but its operations manager, Aidan Vaughan, said his business — which employs 20 staff — had often been stonewalled by Mr Mehan’s office.
“He has done some work with us, but for the most part we don’t get the opportunity to quote for jobs,” Mr Vaughan said.
“We can do the design work as well as distribution for the MPs. And we’d be charging a lot less than $30,000 for putting it all together and distributing it.”
MOST COAST MPS KEEP IT LOCAL
THE majority of the Coast’s State and Federal MPs are spending their communications entitlements in their own backyard.
Wyong state Labor MP David Harris gets his printing work done — including newsletters, letterheads and flyers — at Lakes Printers in Tuggerah.
“It’s important that we support local business,” he said.
Terrigal state Liberal MP Adam Crouch gets his six-page gloss newsletters — which cost just under $20,000 — and other addressed mail-outs done at Gosford Printing.
His party colleague at a federal level, Lucy Wicks, also sends her communications material to the same firm.
Dobell federal Labor MP Emma McBride said she chose local businesses first.
“Central Coast businesses offer quality work and professionalism,” she said. “The printer I use is based in Tuggerah (Lakes Printers).”
ADOLF HITLER’S TELEPHONE TO GO ON AUCTION IN MARYLAND
Meanwhile, Central Coast Council was not specific on which local printers it uses.
In a statement it said: “Council undertakes its purchasing and tender processes in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and procurement policies with the aim of achieving value for money.
“Council engages a range of printers, both local and interstate to undertake printing works via a recommended pre-qualified suppliers list.”
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Originally published as The Entrance and Gosford MPs caught out sending expensive printing work to a Sydney company
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