Piggery broker asked Keating for help on indigenous college fraud

THE man who brokered the sale of Paul Keating's piggery back in the 1990s has reached out to the former prime minister for help.

THE man who brokered the sale of Paul Keating's piggery back in the 1990s reached out to the former prime minister to help save the principal of a top indigenous college rocked by allegations of enrolment fraud.

Businessman John Benson's behind-the-scenes manoeuvres have been revealed at the committal hearing of former Djarragun College principal Jean Illingworth, accused of defrauding the federal and Queensland governments of $9 million in funding between 2008 and 2011 through inflated enrolment figures.

The Cairns Magistrates Court was told yesterday that Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson, who led a push to acquire the school from the Anglican Church, also lobbied then federal schools minister Peter Garrett over the saga.

Mr Benson, the resources executive who helped arrange the sale of Mr Keating's controversial piggery to Indonesian interests in the 1990s, said in the witness stand yesterday he had contacted both "sides" of state and federal governments to help find an "administrative solution" to Djarragun and Ms Illingworth's problems.

He told prosecutor Michael Cowen he had been a supporter of Mr Pearson and his Cape York group of organisations for more than a decade. Mr Benson said he was also a "strong supporter and sponsor" of Ms Illingworth and Djarragun College, located south of Cairns and catering for primarily indigenous students.

The court was read an excerpt from an email sent on December 14 last year from Mr Benson to Ms Illingworth in which the businessman writes: "Noel (Pearson's) call to Peter Garrett was a bad move."

Mr Benson also wrote: "I went back to PK." Asked who PK was, Mr Benson answered: "It's the initials of a previous prime minister, Paul Keating."

The committal hearing has been adjourned until next month.