ALP spin doctor given contracts without tender
Labor strategist paid $2m to run Daniel Andrews’ secretive program monitoring Victorians also won at least a dozen consultancies.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ $2m spin doctor has landed a string of taxpayer-funded consultancies from government departments and agencies covering environment, education, planning, local government and policing.
The Australian has confirmed at least 12 consultancies — in addition to the $2m paid to QDOS Research by the Department of Premier and Cabinet — have been awarded to the Labor strategy and polling firm.
Two of these contracts were awarded without a competitive tender process, as was the case with a seven-figure deal handed to QDOS by Mr Andrews’ own department.
The Australian revealed last week that the DPC paid QDOS $786,000 in 2016-18 to run a secretive program monitoring Victorians’ views, and last December it gave the firm a further $1.1m contract without a competitive tender.
Mr Andrews defended the taxpayer-funded QDOS contracts, saying the pollster’s research was not political, but went on to say the data and reports were classified cabinet-in-confidence and would not be released to taxpayers.
Sustainability Victoria appears to be the most prolific user of the firm run by veteran Labor strategist John Armitage, awarding four contracts to it between April 2018 and July last year. The state’s environmental agency has refused to reveal the cost or the purpose of the contracts to The Australian, saying they are confidential.
It confirmed that one contract was awarded without a competitive tender, but defended the move saying it was “in accordance with SV’s procurement policy, to provide additional services drawing on previous work undertaken”.
Sustainability Victoria chief executive Claire Ferres Miles said: “All contracts are awarded through the standard procurement policies, and are aligned with the Victorian Government Purchasing Board’s procurement principles.”
Of the four contracts, only one is publicly available. The agency commissioned QDOS to conduct community research and compile a report, entitled Love Food Hate Waste in May 2018.
“Sustainability Victoria commissioned this research to take baseline measurements of household attitudes and behaviours on food waste prior to the launch of a campaign aimed at reducing food waste,” the 26-page report states.
QDOS promotes itself as a pro-Labor firm and its ties to the ALP are reinforced by documents lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission which show it was owed $44,000 by Labor in the 2015-16 financial year for what is believed to be research work.
Labor sources have said QDOS and Mr Armitage played an important role in helping the Victorian ALP win the 2014 state election, a win that swept Mr Andrews to power, by running the party’s focus groups.
A search of departmental and agency annual reports, and responses to questions from The Australian, have revealed the 12 contracts awarded since 2016.
The Department of Education and Training awarded a contract without a competitive tender to QDOS in June this year to research the remote learning experiences of Victorian students during the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in an 80-page report, co-authored by Mr Armitage and his associate Sue Loukomitis.
The DET defended not holding a tender process, citing the “urgent nature of the work required to deliver a report within a month and the value of the contract”. It would not reveal the cost of the contract, saying it would not be disclosed until the 2019-20 annual report was released next year.
In the past two years, DET has also awarded two contracts — for $60,000 and $33,000 — to QDOS for “professional services (research, leadership and professional development)”.
In November 2017, the Victorian Building Authority paid the firm $54,500 to conduct its “annual stakeholder satisfaction survey”. A VBA spokesman said it was selected in a competitive tender process because it offered a “preferred methodology and they were the most experienced in the type of work required”.
The Department of Land, Water and Planning awarded QDOS two contracts in 2016, the first valued at $13,200 and the second costing $44,000.
Local Government Victoria awarded an $82,000 contract to QDOS to survey community attitudes towards local councils and the Labor strategy firm delivered a 49-page report.
In 2016, the Police Registration and Services Board paid QDOS $19,800 to conduct research on future employment prospects for members of Victoria Police.
The PRSB said QDOS was chosen because it was the cheapest and best-equipped of the bids.
QDOS failed to respond to questions from The Australian.
The revelations of its further taxpayer-funded contracts drew new concerns from opposition upper-house leader David Davis, who called for a review of all contracts awarded to QDOS.
“QDOS is a Labor-linked firm, fellow travellers, who are on Daniel Andrews’ gravy train,” Mr Davis said. “As well as the overarching work for Andrews’ DPC, they have special jobs scattered across the Labor government.
“QDOS has done very nicely out of the Labor government, with taxpayers footing the bill.”
Do you know more? Contact damon.johnston@news.com.au
‘Instruments of fear’: Fresh anti-Semitic attacks prompt calls for tougher penalties
Anti-Semitism is ‘an evil still spreading in our neighbourhoods’ said the Anti-Defamation Commission chair, as multiple vehicles and properties were plastered with graffiti in Sydney’s eastern suburbs overnight.
Women egged in anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach
Three men allegedly set upon a number of women on Saturday night in Sydney's east, throwing eggs at them, with police believing they were targeted because of the clothes they were wearing.