Chief Minister Michael Gunner ‘unaware’ of former chief of staff’s dealings deemed improper by ICAC

Former chief of staff to Chief Minister Michael Gunner, Alf Leonardi, has been found to have acted improperly by a bombshell ICAC report, but Mr Gunner has denied he or any of his fellow ministers had any knowledge of his dealings.

Former Chief Minister chief of staff Alf Leonardi and Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

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THE former chief of staff to Chief Minister Michael Gunner has been found to have acted improperly by the bombshell Independent Commissioner Against Corruption report.

But Mr Gunner has denied he nor any of his fellow ministers had any knowledge of Alf Leonardi’s dealings.

Alf Leonardi, who worked for Mr Gunner until late 2019, had a close relationship with Darwin Turf Club chairman and Jaytex Construction director Brett Dixon.

The ICAC report found Mr Leonardi was “lobbying on behalf of Mr Dixon, advising him of what to write … what to include, where to send his proposal and providing his own personal assistance in several ways” in gaining government funding for the turf club’s $12m grandstand.

The report details a number of interactions between the two men, including an email on January 13 from Mr Leonardi saying “this is the letter you need to write us”.

In June 2019, Mr Dixon sent Mr Leonardi a text saying “thx mate. info for the stand submitted. (fingers crossed emoji)”.

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During a press conference on Friday, Mr Gunner said the ICAC report had cleared him and his frontbench of any improper dealings.

He further said that he had no knowledge of his former chief of staff’s dealings.

“The ICAC has looked extensively at this and has made no findings against any Minister or the cabinet, and has made it clear that there were a number of individuals who behaved in a manner that breaches the ICAC Act,” Mr Gunner said.

“They made clear findings of misconduct against Mr Leonardi and they made a criticism of unsatisfactory conduct against the department.”

Mr Leonardi is currently employed in the Education Department, and Mr Gunner said he would ask the Public Employment Commissioner to “consider his employment status”.

CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro claimed it was “completely implausible” for Mr Gunner not to have known the actions of his former chief of staff Alf Leonardi.

“It’s completely implausible that for three years, the chief minister was not aware of any of the activities of his chief of staff,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro also claimed any suggestion the government could sack the board of the Darwin Turf Club was “nebulous”.