ICAC’s big day out: Former mayor charged over misleading evidence

Say what you like about the Independent Commission Against Corruption – it works too quickly/too slowly, it’s too secretive/too public, it’s a kangaroo court/a bastion of our democracy – the one thing you can’t accuse our state’s top corruption warriors of is lying low. On Wednesday, the ICAC played a central role in Sydney’s news cycle.

The commission’s big day in the spotlight started early: just after 7am, Eddie Obeid – the corrupt former Labor MP who was brought down after an extensive ICAC investigation found him guilty of misconduct in public office – plodded out of jail.

Hours after he walked free, another ICAC victim was heading inside: Daryl Maguire, that bad boy regional MP whose relationship with former premier Gladys Berejiklian was revealed when the commission played tapped phone calls between the pair, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for misleading a corruption inquiry. He was swiftly released on bail.

But the agency’s sting doesn’t stop there: CBD now brings you news that Bill Saravinovski, the former mayor of Bayside Council in Sydney’s south, has been hit with three charges of giving misleading evidence to the commission.

The ICAC quietly uploaded a document to its website late last week that provides some detail on Operation Aspen: it investigated allegations Saravinovski and others “inappropriately or partially shared or disclosed confidential information to property developers” and that he supported an unsolicited development proposal from a property developer.

It was decided, according to the document, to refer the matter to the Office of Local Government. A court found him guilty of misconduct after he berated council staff over the development of a car park where he failed to correctly declare a conflict of interest.

While that occurred, the Director of Public Prosecutions was considering a request from the agency about whether there was sufficient evidence to charge him with three offences for giving misleading information during the investigation.

Last week the DPP acted, laying three charges that are yet to be tested in court – he’ll visit the Downing Centre late next month.

But we’re sure he’ll be free to attend: the former mayor has lots of time on his hands after leaving the council last September after more than 40 years.

Latham offends – again

Mark Latham is never short of dishing out accusations – or attracting unfavourable comparisons to reviled creatures. He’s a pig, according to NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson. And our own editorial compared him to a cockroach that can’t be killed. Now the upper house MP has someone else accusing him of being generally offensive: a senior government bureaucrat.

Brett Whitworth is the highly respected and long-serving deputy secretary responsible for the Office of Local Government. He’s been around the traps for more than 30 years and this year was awarded the Public Service Medal in the King’s Birthday Awards for his contributions to the sector. And he’s been humble enough not to add “PSM” after every mention of his name.

None of that seemed to deter Latham from making some fairly incendiary accusations within the Legislative Council about Whitworth and none other than – wait for it – Bill Saravinovski.

It turns out the supposedly independent deputy secretary sped up an investigation into Saravinovski, including by referring the matter to NCAT, in a bid to thwart Saravinovski’s attempts at preselection before last September’s council elections. Or did he?

In response to five separate comments made by Latham (and a question asked by Liberal MLC Chris Rath), Whitworth submitted a “citizen’s right of reply” to the Legislative Council’s powerful Privileges Committee, rejecting all such allegations.

In comments prepared “not in my role as Deputy Secretary for the Office of Local Government, but as a private citizen”, Whitworth wrote that he was “deeply offended” by the six mentions of him and a proposed referral to the Privileges Committee.

“I feel that it has no regard for my reputation as an honourable public servant,” he wrote.

Bourchier quits the ABC

While on the topic of people we respect, some news about the popular television journalist Dan Bourchier: the Indigenous reporter, who led the ABC’s coverage of the Voice to parliament, is leaving the network to head to NITV as its general manager.

After nine years at the national broadcaster, including several leading its internal First Nations Committee, Bourchier said he was “particularly proud of the work I’ve helped to drive to increase Indigenous representation internally”.

His departure comes less than a year after a review of the ABC found overwhelming evidence of systemic racism within the broadcaster.

But, posting on Instagram, Bourchier says he’s “optimistic about the future of the ABC I say goodbye to, and the tremendous leadership across the organisation”.

Thank goodness someone is feeling good about the state of our national broadcaster. Perhaps all of the current ABC staff are too busy reading their new social media handbooks? Seems like a lot to unpack there.

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