STATE Opposition Leader Luke Foley has renewed his calls for a debate in parliament on retrospective legislation to bring charges against the targets of Operation Spicer.
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The Independent Commission Against Corruption released the long-awaited findings of its investigation into illegal donations in the lead up to the 2011 NSW state election on Tuesday, finding that a number of property developers and then Liberal Party candidates acted “with the intention of evading” election funding laws.
But a review of the scope of what ICAC can classify as “serious corruption” and the statute of limitations, means that of the main players in the Hunter only former Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell and his wife, Samantha Brookes, face the prospect of any legal action.
However after former Newcastle Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy – one of the targets of the inquiry - described the investigation as a “waste of time” and its findings of fact against him “a parking fine, a speeding fine”, Mr Foley has called for consideration of further consequences.
“Jeff McCloy and his mates are thumbing their noses at ICAC,” Mr Foley told the Newcastle Herald.
“His comments demonstrate why the Parliament needs to consider what it can do to bring these people to justice.
“The ICAC report shows that the Liberals were engaged in deliberate and systematic rorting. It was designed to evade the law and steal parliamentary seats.
“As things stand, they are likely to get away with their wrongdoing and that would be an outrage. The Hunter saw the worst of it and the Hunter expects to see justice done.”
Also on Wednesday Greens Upper House MP David Shoebridge grilled Planning Minister Rob Stokes during a Budget Estimates hearing on why his department did not have checks in place to deal with illegal donors.
“Surely it’s relevant whether it’s you, your department, a council operating under your act, when considering a development application, surely it’s relevant for the planning authority to know whether the applicant has previously sought to or made illegal donations,” Mr Shoebridge said.
Mr Stokes said during the hearing that he had sought legal advice on the implications on Operation Spicer for his department, but that “the regulation of political donations is done under the electoral funding laws”.
“The planning system … does provide for reportable donations to be disclosed, that is the appropriate measure [and] we have sought legal advice on whether there are other issues in relation to [Operation] Spicer,” Mr Stokes said.
