Scrutiny deepens in LNP grilling by Queensland Electoral Commission

Queensland’s electoral watchdog has intensified its investigation into secretive fundraising events held by the Liberal National Party.

Former Queensland LNP leader Deb Frecklington. Picture: Jono Searle

Queensland’s electoral watchdog has intensified its investigation into secretive fundraising events held by the Liberal National Party, beginning to formally question party officials over funds allegedly traced to property ­developers banned from making political donations.

Almost a year after being alerted to the fundraisers, the Electoral Commission of Queensland has also grilled donors and others involved in the events that is suspected to have raised at least $150,000 in donations.

The probe comes as the LNP organisation is in disarray, with an exodus of staff – including the party’s state director, state secretary, finance and fundraising managers and several campaign workers – as it prepares for the federal election.

The LNP’s veteran state director Michael O’Dwyer, who resigned this year, is among officials who have been interviewed several times by the commission, which has also frozen tens of thousands of dollars in funds held in the branch accounts of several state MPs.

Mr O’Dwyer alerted the commission last year to his concerns about possible electoral law breaches after discovering MPs – including then state leader Deb Frecklington and backbencher Dan Purdie – were involved in fundraising events that were ­attended by developers.

The commission has refused to comment, but documents seen by The Australian show that the watchdog has been grilling ­donors and LNP officials over their knowledge of the events.

One LNP insider, who asked not to be named, said he was also aware of several former party staff and at least one donor who had faced questioning by commission investigators.

“I’ve been interviewed in the past weeks by the ECQ; it’s a serious investigation over fundraising events that were held by parliamentarians,” he said.

“They are looking at fundraising events which raised a lot of money that are allegedly outside of the Queensland electoral act guidelines. I had concerns about a few events, but the ECQ are aware of other events.’’

In August last year The Australian revealed that Mr O’Dwyer had taken the extraordinary step of emailing a warning to state MPs against being involved in “any private event”.

“Given the proximity to the election, it would not be unreasonable for any such political event to also be considered a fundraising event, hence any ­attendance by prohibited ­donors is highly problematic,’’ he said at the time.

One of the state’s most successful developers, Phil Murphy, later had a $1565 ticket to an event refunded by the LNP. At the time, the LNP insisted he had “mistakenly” been invited to the event that was also attended, according to several sources, by at least four other developers.

In 2018, the Palaszczuk government introduced a ban on developer donations in state politics.

It was ­revealed earlier this year that an LNP fundraiser with Defence Minister Peter Dutton at Richard Branson’s Makepeace ­Island and a dinner in the cellar of state parliament with Ms Frecklington were among the events being investigated.

An LNP spokesman said the party could not comment.

Mr O’Dwyer, veteran corporate manager Michael Leighton, state secretary Angela Awabdy and several other senior staff have all quit this year.

The commission said it could not comment.

Ms Frecklington has previously referred all questions about the probe to the LNP. Mr Purdie, who on Monday said he has not been contacted by the commission, has maintained that all “funds raised for the party” are held and controlled by the party.