ICAC founder Gary Sturgess calls for Luna Park probe but rejects Neville Wran slur

Gary Sturgess has called for a new inquiry into the Luna Park ghost train fire in Sydney — but rejects accusations by the ABC implicating Neville Wran in a cover-up.

Gary Sturgess is calling for a new inquiry into the Luna Park ghost train fire

Gary Sturgess, the corruption-busting architect of ICAC, has called for a new inquiry into the Luna Park ghost train fire in Sydney and its aftermath — but he ­rejected accusations by the ABC implicating NSW premier Neville Wran in a cover-up and alleging he had a relationship with underworld boss Abe Saffron.

“Given the ABC investigation, there needs to be a serious investigation into the fire, the police investigation and the subsequent tender process,” Mr Sturgess told The Weekend Australian.

Mr Sturgess, director-general of the NSW Cabinet Office in Nick Greiner’s government, also saw no evidence Wran interfered in the tender process for the Luna Park lease, as claimed by the ABC documentary Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire.

“I do not accept the claim that Wran attended social functions organised by Saffron,” he said. “Based on everything I know about Wran, having studied him closely for many years and helped to design the tactics which repeatedly exposed his refusal to take corruption seriously, I do not believe for a moment he would have attended a social gathering with a person of Saffron’s reputation.”

The ABC broadcast unsubstantiated allegations by Rosemary Opitz, an employee of Saff­ron, that Wran and the notorious mobster were “really pally” and had drinks together. This claim has been ridiculed by former NSW premiers Bob Carr and ­Barrie Unsworth, both ministers in the Wran government.

The ABC also claimed Wran was involved in a cover-up over the fire, which tragically killed one adult and six children, and sought to arrange for the lease to be awarded to a Saffron front company. “It went right to the top,” the documentary alleged.

“I have not seen any evidence that Wran interfered in the tender process, but the manner in which the tender was reopened and the contract awarded deserve close examination,” said Mr Sturgess, who is now NSW Premier’s ANZSOG Chair in Public Service Delivery at University of NSW.

The documentary claimed it had “confirmed” an “allegation” that “Saffron conspired with High Court judge Lionel Murphy and NSW premier Neville Wran to win the Luna Park lease after the fire”. This claim was based on the Age Tapes — illegal phone tapping by NSW police — and was given credence by former policeman Paul Egge in the program.

But Mr Egge’s claim that Wran was mentioned in summaries of the tapes in connection with the Luna Park lease was not verified by any transcript or tape. Moreover, the Stewart royal commission into the tapes said the summaries were not “wholly accurate”, doubted the “evidence” presented by Mr Egge, and questioned the “objectivity” of police who compiled them.

“There were three police officers who recalled the tapes and/or transcripts referring to Luna Park, although Paul Egge was the only one to mention Wran,” Mr Sturgess said. “But no transcripts survive, the memories are now 30 years old and there is no evidence that … Murphy rang Wran.”

Mr Sturgess further said it had not been proven by the ABC that Saffron had any involvement in the ghost train fire, but he nevertheless has concerns about the tender process for the Luna Park lease which resulted in a company run by associates of Saffron ultimately being successful.

“It has yet to be established that Saffron had any involvement in the fire at Luna Park,” Mr Sturgess said. “However, there is clear evidence that he arranged for his own premises to be burned for financial gain, and given his subsequent interest in the Luna Park lease and the fact that Harbourside Amusements was owned by people close to Saffron, this needs to be seriously investigated.”

These comments follow that of former ABC managing director and Wran government adviser David Hill, who trashed the Luna Park documentary for accusing Wran of being corrupt and said it should not have been broadcast.

“I think this constitutes sloppy journalism,” he said. “It does not mean that because people are dead that the normal journalistic rules shouldn’t apply.”

Other Wran staff, including former Sydney Morning Herald editor Milton Cockburn and former director of corporate affairs for Channel 9 David Hurley, have also slammed the ABC over the Wran allegations and added their support for a fresh inquiry into the circumstances and aftermath of the ghost train fire.