Victorian opposition chief of staff resigns over integrity issues
Questions of integrity have again embroiled Victoria’s parliament on it’s first sitting day of the week, this time involving Liberal Party leader Matthew Guy’s right-hand man.
Vic
Victoria’s electoral commissioner has launched a preliminary investigation into state Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s office after his most senior adviser was forced to resign over alleged attempts to get a Liberal Party donor to pay more than $100,000 to his private business.
In a major own goal that blunts his attack on the Andrews government over multiple Labor rorts just 117 days before the November 26 election, Mr Guy’s chief of staff, Mitch Catlin, resigned on Tuesday over the scandal.
Mr Catlin’s dramatic exit from the Opposition Leader’s office came just hours after it was reported that he had drafted an email asking the wealthy donor to enter into a contract with his company, Catchy Media Marketing, for monthly payments of $8333 from September last year until this December.
The total contract would have been worth $125,000 and possibly up to $195,000 in the event the Coalition lost the November poll.
Labor moved swiftly to turn the integrity heat back on Mr Guy on Tuesday, referring the matter to Victoria Police, IBAC, the AFP, and the electoral commission.
“We are aware of recent issues raised regarding political donations being potentially disguised as alternate payments of funding to political entities,” a commission spokeswoman said.
“We take the regulation of political donations very seriously and have commenced preliminary inquiries into these issues.
“We have commenced those inquiries proactively and not awaited a referral for this.”
The Herald Sun reported Jonathan Munz — a businessman and horse racing identity — was the donor approached by Mr Catlin.
He told the newspaper: “I do not know how many people received this unsolicited and unwanted email, but when I got it, I rejected it out of hand.”
Mr Guy denied any agreement was entered into or that he discussed the arrangement with Mr Catlin, but said he had accepted Mr Catlin’s resignation.
Government Services Minister Danny Pearson seized on the news, sparking a political punch-on after he referred the allegations to the police and state anti-corruption agencies.
“(Mr Guy) had the opportunity to come clean and explain what has been happening in his office. He chose not to,” Mr Pearson said.
“This bloke wants to be premier by Christmas. I have … referred this matter on to the relevant integrity agencies, law enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities for a full … investigation.”
Mr Guy retorted and said the move was a political stunt to distract from the government’s own integrity “failings”.
The Operation Watts findings – which found electorate officers and ministerial staff were misused to pursue factional agendas, branch stacking was rife and nepotism was rampant – are likely to place integrity as a key election issue in the lead-up to November.
On the same day the report was published, Daniel Andrews announced he would implement all 21 recommendations released in the report and go “further”.
The Liberals have not committed to implement the recommendations, but said they’d provide more funding to the state’s integrity agencies and would stamp out corruption in the public service.
Mr Catlin asked Mr Guy to forward the contract to the donor and emailed his personal email address with the request, according to report in The Age.
Mr Guy denied passing on the contract to the donor, and said he did not know how he received it.
“I forwarded nothing. Just reiterate, nothing was signed,” he said. “We make sure even the perception of integrity is taken seriously. We’re acting on a perception, this wasn’t even put in place.”
Asked how big a blow it was to lose his chief of staff ahead of the election, Mr Guy said: “He’s been very close to me.”
Mr Catlin did not respond to a request for comment. IBAC declined to comment and Victoria Police said they had not yet received a referral.
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