NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has publicly stated that her corrupt conduct in spending $250 million to pork-barrel the 2019 state election was not illegal. Maybe that is true but it highly likely that her office staff shredding evidence is illegal especially given they knew there were court cases involving councils and that the shredded evidence might be subpoenaed for the court cases.
Pork barrelling is defined as ” “The term “pork‐barrel politics” refers to instances in which ruling parties channel public money to particular constituencies based on political considerations, at the expense of broader public interests”. (Click here to read more) Governments use pork barrelling to win seats they don’t have and to protect seats they do have.
Pork barrelling is in effect stealing from one taxpayer that you know won’t vote for your political party and giving it to another taxpayer so they will vote for your political party. Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who are members of the Liberal Party, have been exposed this year for personally being up to their necks in pork barrelling and both have lied in parliament and to the public about their involvement.
The SMH reported on the 26/11/20
Gladys Berejiklian’s office has recovered copies of shredded documents at the centre of a pork barrelling inquiry, revealing the Premier’s staff directly determined projects to be funded under the controversial $250 million council grants program.
The recovery of the documents, seen by the Herald, comes after the Premier’s office faced months of pressure over the program, including over a failure to produce signed paperwork.
Her office has since come under further scrutiny after it was revealed crucial documents relating to the council grants had been shredded or deleted.
Senior policy adviser Sarah Lau told a parliamentary inquiry last month that she shredded the notes and deleted electronic records as part of her usual document management processes.
Her evidence prompted State Archives to assess the destruction of the documents, while the Information Commissioner has also launched an inquiry. (Click here to read more)
The SMH reported on the 26/11/20
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has accepted the government’s controversial $250 million council grants program may have shored up Coalition votes, insisting the practice of pork barrelling was “not illegal”.
Ms Berejiklian said grants handed out through the program went to 95 per cent Coalition-held seats, because, she said, “Guess what? There are more Coalition seats than any other.”
When repeatedly pressed, Ms Berejiklian said there was no issue with using taxpayers’ money to help the Coalition win seats.
“It’s not an illegal practice. Unfortunately, it does happen from time to time by every government. I don’t know any political party that at some stage hasn’t made commitments to the electorate,” she said. (Click here to read more)
But they only have a couple of extra seats. not 95% of seats, so that is just another lie by Premier Berejiklian.
In 2011, as per the below video, Gladys Berejiklian accused then NSW Premier Kristina Keneally of pork barrelling so how can she now justify it by saying it’s not illegal? If it’s not a crime, why did Gladys complain in 2011?
The SMH reported more evidence of public lies by Premier Gladys Berejiklian on the 26/11/20:
The fresh insight into the handling of the Coalition’s controversial $250 million tied-grants round of the Stronger Communities Fund came with the recovery of missing documents from the Premier’s office and a stunning admission by Ms Berejiklian on Thursday that pork barrelling was not illegal.
Her position followed months of reporting by the Herald on the council grants scheme, including revelations the Premier approved of more than $100 million going to Liberal seats in the lead-up to the 2019 state election. A Labor analysis found 95 per cent of funds had gone to councils in Coalition seats.
The Herald has previously reported the government tried to withhold documents that show bureaucrats concealing Ms Berejiklian’s involvement in the scheme.
In government email correspondence, a draft answer to parliamentary questions said the Premier signed off on the $1 million grant to Hunters Hill, but that answer was struck out and amended.
The amended answer read: “OLG allocated funds based on the Stronger Communities Fund grants guidelines, approved by the former minister for local government in 2018.” (Click here to read more)
If pork barrelling was “not illegal” as Gladys Berejiklian claims why all the lies and why was evidence shredded? And why did the shredded evidence somehow appear after the Information Commissioner launched an inquiry and with the opposition calling for the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) to investigate?
Politicians rarely say something like “it’s not illegal” to justify their corrupt conduct unless it has been “war gamed” by their communications advisers. Gladys was in a lot of trouble because her lies about her involvement in the $240 million pork barrelling were unravelling so much she was forced to hand over the shredded documents because there was at least one inquiry afoot and likely another from ICAC.
The game was up and the best Gladys’s advisors could do was to tell her to say pork barrelling is “not illegal”. The Canberra Press Gallery should ask Scott Morrison what he thinks about pork barrelling not being “illegal”. Will he try the same excuse with the $100 million Sports Rorts pork barrelling?
If Gladys Berejiklian is allowed by the media to get away with the $240 million pork barrelling, then she has been allowed to normalise corruption with the help of the media. As I said at the beginning pork barrelling is stealing from one voter and giving it to another voter so they will vote for your political party which is straight out fraud and theft.
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Categories: Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Premier Berijiklian seems to attract a string of claims on her probity. In 2014 ICAC inquiry Operation Spicer into the Newcastle rail termination, ICAC offered her and Mike Baird an opportunity ‘to clear their name’ . Both refused. When 9 out of ten Hunter politicians were found to be corrupt. Mike changed the law so they weren’t corrupt and replaced the ICAC commissioner.
Then there was Gladys’ boyfriend caught with his hand in the till. Gladys seems to have developed a routine. If someone springs her up to no good, change the subject and ignore it. It has worked well for her many times.
I have to give this Premier 5 stars for the toughest hide I’ve come across in decades.🤣 Her skill in keeping that Poker-Face and look you in the eye and say I’m ya Gal.🤣 is hysterical stuff.🤣 Many unanswered questions about her covert 5 year stint with Wagga Crims Incorp.🤣 but I do understand she’s no glamour.🤮 and desperate times encourage desperate actions.🤣
Fact remains, she’s no.😇 and should be pursued by media and whoever for unconscionable conduct.😡😡
I think it might be fair to say that Gladys has become more than a little accident prone over the last few weeks. She seems to think that as a Liberal leader, she can get away with what Labor leaders have been getting away with for decades. So far, that seems to be working, but history would suggest that this will not continue.
I think her days are numbered.
The Premier says pork barrelling is ‘not illegal’ as she defends her council grants program . HOWEVER- I am not sure that the Premier has accurately stated the case with respect to the legality of so called “pork barrelling”. The practise may in appropriate circumstances give rise to a breach of the Ministerial code.The Ministerial Code has been prescribed as an applicable Code for the purposes of section 9 of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988. This means that, for the first time, a suspected breach of the Code may be investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption and if substantiated, give rise to a finding of corrupt conduct.The provisions that could in appropriate circumstances give rise to concerns (leaving aside the conflicts provisions and the provisions about directions to public servants.) include the following: 6. Duty to act honestly and in the public interest-A Minister, in the exercise or performance of their official functions, must not act dishonestly, must act only in what they consider to be the public interest, and must not act improperly for their private benefit or for the private benefit of any other person. 9. Misuse of public property for private benefit-A Minister must not improperly use public property, services or facilities for the private benefit of themselves or any other person. So a long way to go to conclude her conduct did not breach the Code.
The list of honest Australian politicians is blank, the list of corrupt Australian politicians needs a number at the bottom of the list which can be edited as they move around the ‘revolving door’ at the entrance of Parliament House.
All politicians are the same when in power and otherwise, they ALL RORT one way or another,none of the scum lining up for Gov’t really show their true colours when the trough and OTHERS money is there to take,
If one was associated in any way with law enforcement one would be reticent in being included in any picture opportunity?
Question remains: what would a solution/s look like? default is #transparencyworks4everyone unless? ICFW Independent Commission For Whistleblowers? #restorativeJustice?
A timely endorsement that the Federal/National coalition political party including any and all of its State political parties, do not care a jot to the best interests of the Australian people.
The evidence to support my contention is contained in the Australian Commonwealth Constitution Act 1900.
The role of Australia’s leadership government ( including Australia’s States and territories) is to govern in the best interests of the Australian people… nowhere within the constitution above referred to, in any form at all… is it stated therein… that it is fair and justifiable to overlook or ignore the clearly defined right to mislead or to determinedly govern over the best interests of the Australian people.
Therefore, if someone had the testosterone to challenge that… the separation of powers held in Australia’s Commonwealth Constitution (see below) is being vicariously* ignored by the current L/NP coalition leadership party, that particular someone could easily prove the full and absolute guilt, that is exemplified each and every day, by this current leadership party.. of its actively disobeying the Constitutional laws of Australia.
*EG in a way that is experienced in the imagination through the actions of this current leadership government.”
I now refer in detail to the Powers of Separation held within the above referred to Constitution.
The principle of the separation of powers is that, in order to prevent oppressive government, the three powers of government should be held by separate bodies—the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary—which can act as checks and balances on each other.
In effect this very same untenable government is no longer legitimate nor credible, thus can be revoked of its power of authority in the most immediate, and this to be for evermore, and at any time in our Australian futures.
Governing in the best interests of Australia’s registered corporations instead, is therefore a criminal action according to Australia’s Commonwealth Constitution.
What additional proof or evidence is there anywhere extant in our Australia, that can permit this above-referred to criminal Australian political party to claim or maintain its legitimacy, nor will it be permitted to contest any future State or Federal elections?
None whatsoever…
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/00_-_Infosheets/Infosheet_20_-_The_Australian_system_of_government#:~:text=The%20principle%20of%20the%20separation,and%20balances%20on%20each%20other.
Lets face it this unfortunate woman is only carrying out instructions. Answering the strings of her Liberal puppet masters. She has never held a real commercial job. Unlike our incompetent PM whom stuffed up every commercial position he held. Her defence is that of War Criminals ” I was following orders be they those of brother in arms (literally) dudder Daryl from Wagga previous premier young Mick of Manly, new Rail lines too small for existing trains, knock down stadiums and before summer demolish Parramatta Olympic pool ! Clever ! All at the public’s expense.