IBAC: Politician admits husband did factional work

A Victorian politician has admitted to anti-corruption investigators that her husband was largely performing factional work when employed in the electorate offices of three moderate right MPs.

:Electorate officer Christine Kelly gives evidence at IBAC on Monday.

A Victorian Labor politician has admitted to anti-corruption investi­gators that her husband was largely performing factional work when employed in the electorate offices of three moderate right MPs.

Transcripts of interviews with Victorian upper house member Kaushaliya Vaghela were shown to a hearing before the ­Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission on ­Monday.

The inquiry heard the husband of Ms Vaghela, who represents the Western Metro region, circulated between the office of factional allies and moderate right Labor MPs Adem Somyurek, Marlene Kairouz and Robin Scott.

When Ms Vaghela was asked by investigators whether she understood her husband to have been “carrying out predominantly factional work rather than electorate work”, she said “Yes, yes” in a transcript of the interview shown to the hearing.

She also told investigators that her husband’s recruitment prowess in the Indian community was the “value” Mr Somyurek saw in her spouse as an employee that saw him given taxpayer-funded jobs in the offices of factional power­brokers.

When asked if her husband had not attended the office where he worked when required, she said “Yes”.

The inquiry heard Ms Vaghela’s husband sent one email from his work account in 2020.

The inquiry has previously heard Ms Vaghela was planted in the upper house as part of a ­factional deal between Mr ­Somyurek and wealthy businessmen brothers Aloke and Akash Kumar from the community group Subcontinent Friends of Labor.

On Monday, the inquiry heard from Christine Kelly, who has worked in the electorate office of Ms Kairouz since 2008 and has been a Labor Party member for 34 years. She said she had “no idea” memberships were being forged in Ms Kairouz’s office and had no knowledge of how it happened, saying she focused on constituent work.

The commission was shown membership renewal forms authorising Ms Kelly to collect and submit forms on behalf of members and heard she attended a branch meeting in Derrimut that was flooded with dozens of new members.

Ms Kelly said she took membership renewal forms into Labor head office when she was asked but did so in her own time and on her own dime. “I used my time in lieu and my petrol [and] never put in for overtime,” she said.

She told the inquiry Ms Kairouz would sometimes have conversations with other office staffers, including electorate officer Kirsten Psaila but she didn’t know what they were about.

“I wasn’t included,” she said. “I worked part-time. I don’t know what happens on the days I’m not there.”

Ms Psaila is due to give evidence on Wednesday.