AWH questions for Campbell Newman’s offsider Jon Grayson

CAMPBELL Newman’s top public servant is under intense pressure after evidence emerged casting doubt on his account of a meeting.

CAMPBELL Newman’s top public servant is under intense pressure after conflicting accounts emerged of a meeting with a business partner in the company at the centre of a NSW corruption inquiry.

Former Ipswich City Council chief executive Carl Wulff last night disputed the recollection of Department of Premier and Cabinet head Jon Grayson — who had a joint venture with Australian Water Holdings — about an official meeting involving the company’s Queensland boss, Wayne Myers, in June 2012.

Mr Wulff said he was surprised there was no official record of Mr Myers attending the meeting and that Mr Grayson was unsure whether the businessman came along as part of a dele­gation with Mr Wulff.

“Wayne organised the meeting for me, and then made the introductions between me and Grayson,’’ Mr Wulff alleged.

“I remember because it was the only meeting I had with Grayson.’’

The comments follow Mr Grayson’s statement to The Australian last month categorically ruling out any contact with representatives of AWH since a one-off meeting to cut board ties in March 2012, when he first joined the government.

Last year, Mr Grayson was among six equal shareholders who set up a new venture company, Gasfields Water and Waste Services, alongside Eddie Obeid Jr and AWH boss Nick Di Girolamo, and headed by sole direct­or Dennis Jabour, a former AWH employee and cousin of Mr Obeid Jr. The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is examining whether former NSW Labor MPs Eddie Obeid Sr, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly misused their positions to favour the privately held AWH, in which the Obeid family held a ­secret $3 million, 30 per cent stake.

Emails tendered to the ICAC emerged this week revealing Mr Myers discussing a then looming 2012 meeting with Mr Gray­son and Mr Wulff to discuss infrastructure funding for a housing project in Ipswich.

AWH was hoping to win the rights to build the water infrastructure for the 4000-home Ripley Valley development. “I am meeting with DG Premiers (I believe you know him) and Carl Wulff CEO Ipswich City Council at 11am next Monday to discuss the operational and logistic ­issues surrounding (council) ­taking control of the Ripley ­Valley development and how the associated infrastructure can be funded,’’ Mr Myers wrote.

AWH had already negotiated a $5 million agreement with land developer Sekisui House, which partly owns the Ripley Valley development, near Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

On Monday, Mr Newman’s spokesman issued a statement saying that, while the meeting went ahead with Mr Wulff, there was no record of Mr Myers attending. “Mr Grayson recalls Mr Wulff brought other people with him to the meeting, but he cannot be sure Mr Myers was one of them,’’ it said.

“No matters were discussed that presented any conflict of interest for Mr Grayson.’’

Mr Myers has not returned calls to The Australian.

Mr Wulff said last night he had sought the meeting to ­discuss looming changes to Boeing’s operations near Ipswich. “It was an important business for our area and that’s why I asked Wayne for help because I knew he could get us a meeting quickly. That’s what I discussed, but I’m not sure if Wayne stayed behind with Grayson and talked about other things.’’

Mr Wulff quit Ipswich City Council last year amid a Crime and Misconduct Commission probe about a rental arrangement involving a Brisbane ­apartment he owned and a ­contractor on Ipswich flood ­recovery works. The probe found no evidence he had engaged in “official ­misconduct”. At the time of publication, a spokesman for Mr Newman’s had not responded to Mr Wulff’s comments.

The Premier’s statement on Monday confirmed the ­Ripley Valley project had been on the table at the meeting. “The meeting discussed the transfer of responsibility for the Ripley Valley Urban Development Area to the Ipswich City Council in accordance with the government’s election commitment,’’ it said.

Mr Newman’s office and Mr Grayson have since failed to ­answer written ­questions about who was at the meeting and if there had been other contact with representatives of AWH or its subsidiaries.

Mr Grayson, hand-picked by Mr Newman, was revealed by The Australian as AWH’s sole partner in Gasfield Water Management, set up in 2011.

Last year, Mr Grayson became a partner with Mr Obeid Jr, former AWH boss Nick Di Giro­lamo, Mr Jabour, Mr Myers and Tony Bellas — appointed to the Newman review of the electricity market — in Gasfields Water and Waste Services.

Mr Grayson said he had only a passive interest in GWWS, with Mr Jabour as its sole director. Mr Obeid and Mr Di ­Girolamo have since transferred their holdings in GWWS to Mr Jabour, and Mr Grayson has ­retained his stake.