‘Feed me now’: Premier’s office and union leader feast

Kingfish sashimi and betel leaf bites … a working class night out with a twist for a union leader and a Labor premier’s private office staff.

Premier Jacinta Allan with former TWU boss Mem Suleyman.

A Victorian union boss charged a $200 “feed me now” restaurant dinner listed in an expense claim as a “meeting” with the Premier’s office to union members, and also racked up multiple other dinners and Uber Eats bills on a union-funded corporate card.

A Transport Workers Union reimbursement form seen by The Australian reveals former state secretary Mem Suleyman claimed the cost of a meal at Hochi Mama from the union’s petty cash fund.

In the expense form, the union and Victorian ALP powerbroker described the evening on Thursday May 2, 2024, at the Little Bourke St restaurant as “Meeting Premiers Office”.

A receipt reveals the party ordered four $49 “feed me now” meals – offering guests a choice or two small dishes such as kingfish sashimi and betel leaf bites plus two large dish options such as red duck curry and Mekong chicken – from the high-end Vietnamese eatery. The $197.96 bill, according to the receipt, was paid at 7.12pm.

Hochi Mama in Little Bourke St, Melbourne.

A government spokesperson has confirmed senior staff from Premier Jacinta Allan’s private office attended the restaurant meeting, but refused to identify which senior staff attended or the purpose of the get together.

“The Premier’s Private Office meets with a range of stakeholders, this includes union delegates, as is appropriate,” a government spokesperson told The Australian. Mr Suleyman and seven senior officials lost their jobs at the TWU in September after an internal inquiry by a former judge uncovered “significant operational and cultural” issues in the Victorian branch. The inquiry did clear Mr Suleyman, the union’s state secretary and influential ALP figure, of sexual harassment claims which had triggered the ­crisis that engulfed the TWU.

Mr Suleyman has been approached for comment.

Former TWU president Mem Suleyman.

A figure close to the former union leader has defended the restaurant expenditure, telling The Australian the claims were within Mr Suleyman’s entitlements and involved legitimate union business and meetings with politicians.

A TWU source questioned what benefit union members received from their funds paying for the $200 Hochi Mama dinner with the Premier’s Private Office.

“Business between the premier’s office and the union should not be conducted at a flashy city restaurant and charged to union members,” the source said. “It raises the question as to whether this dinner was more about Labor Party business rather than improving the rights of drivers.”

An expense-related form seen by The Australian has a handwritten note on it, stating; “Meeting with politicians and staff.”

Mr Suleyman commands significant influence within the Victorian ALP, with at least half a dozen federal and state MPs aligned to him and his family.

He and his father, Hakki Suleyman, have sat on the Public Office Selection Committee which helps select future Labor state and federal MPs.

TWU officials told the internal inquiry they were frustrated by how political the branch had become under Mr Suleyman.

Mr Suleyman’s corporate card expenditure records seen by The Australian reveal that in addition to the Hochi Mama expense, the card was used to pay for multiple pub and restaurant meals and a drinks session in 2023 and 2024.

Hochi Mama in Little Bourke St, Melbourne.

Among the restaurant and pub expenses that are being questioned by figures associated with the union’s disbanded Victorian branch were bills for $102.15 at the Rising Sun Hotel on September 25, 2023; $336.23 at Ahmet’s Restaurant (South Brisbane) on August 17, 2023; $306 at Lil Kitch in Moonee Ponds on June 19, 2023; $149 at the Keilor Hotel on December 19, 2023; $118 at Hunky Dory on January 23, 2024; $119 at the Ballan Hotel on February 5, 2024; and $658 at The Graham Pub on March 28, 2024.

A drinks bill for $185 at Pentridge Prison Brewdog, a trendy bar located in Melbourne’s former maximum security jail, is coming under focus by figures associated with the TWU.

According to a receipt seen by The Australian, the TWU corporate card was used to pay for one Gordons dry gin, five Coburg draught beers and one E-Division pint. The TWU card was also used to pay for eight Uber Eats deliveries in six months totalling more than $200.

A Hochi Mama dish.

The Australian has previously reported more than $300,000 poured into a TWU slush fund in just weeks to bankroll a fiercely contested internal election campaign in late 2022 for control of the scandal-plagued Port Melbourne-based organisation.

While most of the money was spent on advertising, marketing and printing charges, the fund was also used to cover a $750 bill at Dan Murphy’s, a $752 bill at the ­Exchange Hotel in Port Melbourne, pizza meals and even a $92 parking fine.

Bank records reveal six-figure deposits flowed into an account run by officials. Commonwealth Bank statements list three “cash” deposits totalling $275,000 made in late 2022 – $100,000 on November 4, $100,000 on December 12 and $75,000 on December 29 – into the account called Transport Logistics Advocacy And Training Association Inc.

The statements detail two “fast transfer” transactions from the TWU’s NSW state secretary Richard Olsen in late 2022 for $20,000 on November 12 and $10,000 on November 13.

The $30,000 was taken from an election fighting fund run by NSW union leaders and funded by private contributions from officials. The Australian understands there is growing concern within the union about the transfer of NSW funds to the Victorian branch.