‘Appropriate’: LNP’s handling of election printing

Liberal National Party statesman Lawrence Springborg confirms he’s leaving as president, as he reveals he secretly commissioned a forensic audit into the party’s controversial election printing issues.

Queensland LNP president Lawrence Springborg, left, at the Liberal National Party 2024 convention in South Brisbane, Picture: Richard Walker

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A forensic audit into the Liberal National Party’s election printing has found the LNP “appropriately” handled a perceived conflict of interest involving a top official, the party says.

In a letter to all members on Friday, LNP president Lawrence Springborg revealed he ordered an independent investigation by BDO after revelations in The Australian last month that deputy state director Matt Chadwick and his mother had an ongoing financial relationship with a company that did more than $2m of the party’s election printing.

Mr Chadwick was in charge of organising the party’s campaign printing for the local, state and federal elections in the past 18 months, and directed a large amount of work to Sunshine Coast-based EPM Group, which he and his mother sold in 2022.

The Australian revealed the Chadwicks had a vendor financing agreement with the new owners of the business, and EPM Group was still making monthly payments to the Chadwicks.

LNP deputy state director Matt Chadwick at the party’s post-budget lunch. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Springborg said as soon as he read the story he had “started a process to thoroughly scrutinise this matter” and commissioned an independent forensic audit from “respected accounting firm BDO”.

He said the initial findings of the audit showed there was not an “actual conflict of interest” and there was a “solid gap” between Mr Chadwick’s previous ownership of EPM and his employment by the party.

The Chadwicks sold the business in August 2022 and he was employed by the LNP in late 2022.

“Appropriate disclosure and management protocols were put in place to manage any perceived conflict of interest from the outset of the DSD’s initial employment with the party,” Mr Springborg said.

“This should not preclude the party from using EPM as a supplier. No evidence has been found to indicate an excessive amount of printed material being ordered.”

“A competitive assessment process was put in place to allow the party to achieve the best commercial outcomes, based on a rigorous tender process where 8 printers were approached and participated in the lead up to the state election.

“EPM was marginally the most cost effective per unit of all the printers…There has been no evidence found to indicate that a disproportionate amount of printing work has been directed towards EPM.”

Mr Springborg was critical of people who he said had “leaked” material to The Australian, outside of the party’s formal review.

“A small number of people within the party chose to continue to publicly weaponise this matter to damage the Party and individuals, and I must ask, “to what end?”,” Mr Springborg said.

Former LNP MP and Newman government minister Ian Walker is conducting the review of Queensland’s contribution to the federal election, and was embedded in party HQ for the duration of the campaign.

Mr Springborg said Mr Walker’s review had identified members’ complaints about the printing issues, but Mr Walker said he could not ascertain the veracity of the concerns.

Mr Springborg, right centre, at the swearing in of the Crisafulli ministry in November last year. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Some LNP branches passed motions demanding the party order an independent forensic audit into the printing issues. At the time, LNP headquarters said Mr Walker’s review was sufficiently independent.

Premier David Crisafulli then urged the party not to sweep concerns of grassroots members under the carpet.

In his letter to members, Mr Springborg confirmed last week’s reporting by The Australian’s Feeding the Chooks column that he would not nominate for president again at next month’s convention.

He has been president since 2021, and is considered the father of Queensland’s merged conservative parties.

“My personal undertaking when I took on this role was that I would steward the party until the year after the state election, which also was a federal election year. This was known to my family and very few others, for obvious reasons,” Mr Springborg - the former Newman government health minister and an Opposition leader - said.

“This, notwithstanding the disappointment of our recent nationwide federal election result, has seen our single united LNP continue to maintain itself as the most formidable and functional of our side of politics across the country.”