SCOOP: THE CRIMES OF TOWNSVILLE MAYOR JENNY HILL’S GANG, MAIDMENT GROUP AND THE CORRUPTION OF LAURENCE LANCINI AND OTHERS. -PAT COLEMAN 5/7/2018

THE COPPERS CAN CHARGE HER MOB NOW! PASS THIS TO THE QLD COPPERS

(NOTE: 23/10/19 The Electoral Commission of Qld has fucked over all my links to donations returns in my articles. They have changed all links. To make it easier to view these broken links go to my page with the new links in a new browser and scroll down to the relevant return in the article. Page link here: https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2019/10/changed-ecq-donor-returns-links-page.html )

Since I started posting all over they shut off the ECQ Squiz site to break my links. The new site has massive links here https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/donations-and-gift-disclosure/disclosure-of-political-donations/published-disclosure-returns You have to scroll down and chose the archive and manually search from there .

This article is to read in context with all other posts on my blog .Further Townsville Mafia info on this blue FACEBOOK link in comments and replies https://www.facebook.com/pat.coleman.90/posts/10156458884813447

“The JENNY HILL GANG is in a quandary, damned if they declare an interest and damned if they don’t. Damned if they amend the return, damned if they don’t. And, even if they refer the matter under the new laws to the minister because they have an interest, or, he calls it in and hands it to his coordinator general like the CORRUPT Hummock Hill Island decision , its still an admission and evidence of the failure to amend the return for 2 years and after the last amendment . And bugger it, I so wanted to be sued so I could get them on the stand, but, alas, it appears impossible now!”

In this article I show why Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill and her entire GANG, and Maidment Group have joint and severally, committed offences in a conspiracy against provisions of the electoral laws and The Criminal code of Qld Act 1899. These offences can invoke s92A in relation to misconduct in office but the coppers don’t have to wait for the lumbering CCC.

With Laurence Lancini President of The Qld Property Council and Chair of The North Qld Cowboys in Townsville, you can tell where his business or networking interests are by looking at his payoffs/donations/bribes . I AM alleging his money was to achieve approvals.

The historical chronological breakdown of the Lancini donations

http://democracyforsale.net/search-aec/ Lancini Donations to Parties Via AEC declarations since 1998 :

TO LABOR : $65 700 The Big 50k was for Mooney in 2007 for his re-election run and for the $60 mil needed from all levels of labor government at the time for the road through the mall.

https://periodicdisclosures.aec.gov.au/Donor.aspx?SubmissionId=10&ClientId=21385

TO Libs/LNP : $32 000 . The donations to the Liberals were for then councillor David Crissafulli . He was elected in 2012 for the Qld seat of Mundingburra and became the Local Government Minister of the Newman government. He then was making decisions on such matters relevant to Townsville. He lost his seat with Newmans fall in 2015. He then ran for the seat of “Broadwater” in 2017 and is now back in parliament.

Donations to Council “Independent Candidates” declared since 2012 :

http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/funding-and-disclosure/disclosure-returns/election-disclosure-returns/2012-queensland-local-government-elections/townsville-city ,new link

https://ecq.clients.squiz.net/candidates-and-parties/funding-and-disclosure/disclosure-returns/election-disclosure-returns/2012-queensland-local-government-elections

2012 LNP/Townsville First That is, including that ex cops with Integrity Now LNP MLA For Burdekin DALE LAST ans EDDINGHAUSEN : $ 12 000 last WAS THE ONLY ONE OF HIS TEAM NOT ELECTED IN 2012

2016 : http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/funding-and-disclosure/disclosure-returns/election-disclosure-returns/2016-local-government-quadrennial-elections/townsville-city-council new link
https://ecq.clients.squiz.net/candidates-and-parties/funding-and-disclosure/disclosure-returns/election-disclosure-returns/2016-local-government-quadrennial-elections/townsville-city-council

Labor/Team Hill : $15 000

LNP/Team Arlett : 15 000

THE LANCINI KICKER

At the 2016 Council Elections why did Lancini find the need to spend money on Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk?

Why did he feel the need to do the same for Disgraced former Ipswich Mayor Paul Pissale, Logan Pollies Brett Raguse , Luke Smith, Steve Swenson and Trevor Evans who was up before the CCC’s Operation Belcarra Inquiry and in court for corruption too?

This question was answered as early as 2014 and discussed below. Line 257-273 on this ECQ Exel doc shows Luke Colin Guazzo was Lancini’s donations bagman . He now works at the Cutheringa Society in Townsville. https://au.linkedin.com/in/luke-guazzo-7a770a5b https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/excel_doc/0005/45419/Gift-Register.xls

new link
https://ecq.clients.squiz.net/__data/assets/excel_doc/0005/45419/Gift-Register.xls

Logan and Ipswich $ 31000 between 22/1/16 and 4/3/16

Lnp $ 2000 Senator James McGrath

Quirk $47 000 between 28/8/15 and 15/2/16

https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/62440/Laurence-Lancini-Constructions-Pty-Ltd.pdf

Google “Logan Council corruption “ and go to the Ipswich council returns for 2016 then Google “Ipswich council corruption” in the context of “Operation Belcarra”

Lancini only hands out money where his business interests are. https://www.lancinigroup.com.au/portfolio/retail/ For instance google “ Laurence Lancini developments Logan” .

If you follow the links above that disclose donations to “Team Quirk” of the Brisbane Council, you will see that has been changed on the realtime disclosure site to being to the LNP . The Lancini $2000 donation to Curtiss pit on 28/4/2017 was actually changed on that site to state it was made to the Labor Party Instead .

This was done around the time of the Labor State Conference in Townsville in 2017 https://disclosures.ecq.qld.gov.au/Map . At the time , Curtiss Pitt of the Mulgrave Electorate in Far North Qld was state treasurer . He is now The Speaker of Parliament in QLD. I wrote to him in his capacity as MLA for Mulgrave, so as to avoid any response by him being protected by parliamentary privilege -asking for an explanation for why this was done –months ago. I followed this up with a call to that office immediately as the email was sent and its unavoidable that he knows about it.

Due to the Premier announcing that labor would ban developer donations, Lancini stopped donating to labor and put all his eggs into the LNP basket.

Between the 16/2/16 and 11/10/17 when the developer donation ban was retrospectively brought in on the 12/10/17 He donated $79 700 to the LNP for the state election.

Go to https://disclosures.ecq.qld.gov.au/Map and pick local government elections and type Lancini into the search box and also pick “State” and “ALL”.

Lancini is or has moved his offices to the city from Dalrymple rd and he is President of the QLD Property Council. All moves are possible excuses to lose hard drives receipts and other documents that might be required in evidence -if one was conspiratorially minded.

I have stuff on the other developers and provided it to the CCC. As for Lancini, I publicly handed out stuff dealing with his bribes in September 2016 in Townsville and challenged him to sue me. It was given to him by a former councillor and he is too cowardly to have a crack cos its true (I have a legal case on that one).

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEGAL DISPUTES, DONATIONS AND COUNCIL APPROVALS

Lancini’s Townsville activities haven’t been without challenge. Previously in the early 2000’s , he had a development called “The Banyan’s Tavern” in Aitkenvale . Whilst it was being proposed Jenny Hill’s local Labor Branch lodged an objection in Liquor Licensing. But when they found out Lancini had slung more money at the party they withdrew the objection. This involved the well known at the time labor “Graham brothers” of that branch. That development was subsequently taken over by Tom Hedley and became “Toms Tavern”.
There is the well known case of the former “T and G Building” 420 Flinders st Townsville . Lancini had gone 50/50 with a company called “REELAW” and Mark Adams of “Three Islands Pty Ltd”. It was an old fashioned Heritage brawl that went to court before the then Townsville hanging Judge “ Ol’ CliveWall”. He along with the then Judge Pack had been appointed by nationals for work on the first “Nelly Bay case” involving the Nelly Bay Harbour on Magnetic Island. Reelaw v QLD Heritage Council https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2004/QPEC04-079.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%26G_Building,_Townsville He removed the building from the register. I argue that even with these two challenges, maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t the court cases that inspired Lancini to donate. See, he started small and the donations grew to both sides. Like the thief who steals as a servant that’s how he started and he was getting away with it and it grew and grew till , like the way Di Girolamo and the Obeids got into Logan and Ipswich in 2014 , he got into it cos he too spotted another corrupt patch in which he could spread his growing empire . See the article “Nick Di Girolamo , The networker used every contact” from the Australian in 2014 below.
The growing donations and success of Lancini inspired others however, who had trouble in court. See also the case of Townsville Demolitions at https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/06/submission-electoral-legislation.html
Enter The Maidments https://www.maidment.com.au/
Google “Maidment v Townsville City Council”. They had challenged the council in court in 2006. Planning and Environment Court Maidment Holdings P/L v Townsville City Council [2006] QPEC 045 (06/1165) Rackemann DCJ 28 April 2006 (delivered ex tempore- meaning no written decision. Possibly it was settled or withdrawn by either party ) https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/QPEC/2006/045
From that time on it would seem clear that if The Maidment Group had a problem with approvals then the “Townsville Sling” was the answer and the money flowed. And so it was when they came into dispute with the old Thuringowa City Plans after the Amalgamation. And you can see the amounts they slung the failed “Team Arlett” at the 2016 election on the gift register donating $20 000.

The register link https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/excel_doc/0005/45419/Gift-Register.xls new link
https://ecq.clients.squiz.net/__data/assets/excel_doc/0005/45419/Gift-Register.xls

But they were playing both sides of the street like the Griffins and The Gleesons of the “Hive” development amongst others who changed sides from the LNP aligned “Townsville first” 2012 team. SEE ASSOCIATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG INCLUDING https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/07/scoop-townsville-enterprise-gang-begins.html AS THE EVIDENCE TENDS TO SHOW A DONATIONS DEFECTIONS TURF WAR
https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/62353/Team-Jenny-Hill-4.pdf
new link
https://ecq.clients.squiz.net/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/62353/Team-Jenny-Hill-4.pdf
LANCINI IMPACTED BY MAYOR LUKE SMITH TRIAL

Read the Brisbanetimes article here https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/former-logan-mayor-luke-smith-faces-corruption-hearing-20200121-p53tbe.html

How this relates to Townsville.

The former Logan Mayor , Luke Smith is being done for corruption in the district court down south .

Pay particular attention to what his advisor said in court , that Smith could offer approvals before the election for donations .

Townsville Developer Mafia Don Laurence Lancini began by donating small amounts of $1-$5k to labor and the libs in Townsville. Small compared to the hundreds of thousands since.

Could you prove what those donations were for given they were to both sides ? Were they altruistic?

What did all these donations have in common?

Well, perhaps we can have a guess by looking at the donations made to corrupt Ipswich Mob ,, corrupt former Logan Mayor Luke Smith , Corrupt Logan Councilor Steve Swenson and former Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk .

All we have to do is google “Laurence Lancini” and add “Logan , Ipswich or Brisbane” in succession to find that Lancini needed approvals for his developments down there and …bingo ! That’s what all the Townsville money was for . If you go to https://disclosures.ecq.qld.gov.au/Map and type Lancini in you will see he even tried to do it AFTER the developer ban came into effect and it was returned by the LNP- too obvious !

When you are trying to find the individual returns on the ECQ page for the 2016 council elections , you will see they changed it so people and journos will find it more difficult to provide individual links like we used to. See my post - https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2020/02/ccc-complaint-ecq-must-put-addresses-of.html CCC-ECQ IMMEDIATE ACTION RQD

On my links page I said “ If you cant access these links below , do a manual search by going to https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/donations-and-gift-disclosure/disclosure-of-political-donations/published-disclosure-returns and use the link at the bottom of the page entitled

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/asmade/act-2018-009#sec.20

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/asmade/act-2018-009#pt.3

The Electoral Act can be accessed through the following link https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1992-028#sec.271

THE JENNY HILL GANG , of whom SHE was AGENT FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE ELECTORAL LAWS At the time , and after amendment in May and June 2018 See s174, s178, s197, s207 , s210(3) , s212, s213, s261-275, QLD Electoral Act -s109 , s117 , 124 and s130 of The Local Government Act 2011 QLD

(i) put in an intentionally misleading return which was unlawful;

(ii) did so, so that if they lost, Maidment could say they were loyal to the LNP aligned Jayne Arlett Team.

(iii) Maidment also failed to put in a third party return as required by law; this on its own is an offence, though it had time limitations for prosecution.

On 22/11/2016 , in the Townsville Council Minutes Item 11, the Matter of Maidments Sanctum development came up . The entire council declared an interest because they had said they received donations from Maidment and McConaghy Properties (This was hidden behind the “Lentenyard” donation , see also the article on the “Hive” ) . This is at p 8 of the pdf file and p9146 . They Voted anyway at p 11pdf /p9149 , and p16 pdf/ p9154 . At p 20 pdf/ p9158 to p 23pdf / 9161 , and at p53 pdf / 9191 to p56 pdf 9194 It was recommended by Councils Planning officer that the preliminary approval be rejected on 23 grounds and it was passed because of the donation https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/26106/OC-mins-22.11.16.pdf
The Council approved an extension of Maidments “Sanctum” development at “North Shore” on 13/12/2016 . No interests were declared in relation to Miadment in that meeting https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2016/december/council-approves-sanctum-extension Minutes 13/12/16 : https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/26107/Confirmed-Minutes-Ordinary-Council-13-December-2016.pdf
Since the minutes of the 22/11/2016 Council meeting, it can be an unarguable proposition that THE JENNY HILL GANG – DIDNT know of the Maidment donation . In fact no effort was made to amend that return to make it clear and unambiguous on what day, how much and who paid the donation as agent for the third party.
I argue Team Hill agent attempted to pervert the course of justice or engaged in a conspiracy to do so . This conspiracy includes Maidment who definitely knew who they gave money too, and definitely knew of its own future plans which involved applications to the council.
An extract of the common law on perverting below the article. This is because they knew it was a serious matter for non disclosure. And at least since the Operation Belcarra Report (WWW.CCC.QLD.GOV.AU ) they knew it may end up in the commission or court cos of what was happening down south. And their conduct was continuing. I draw attention to s132, s140, and Part 7 Ch 55-57 of the Criminal Code Act 1899 Qld. Criminal Code Act 1899 Qld

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1899-009

The coppers can charge the JENNY HILL GANG NOW without waiting for the lumbering CCC , or the knobbled and useless electoral commission by proceeding by way of the code either for the conspiracy or the following s204 offences :

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1899-009#sec.7

· Preamble s7 Offender may be prosecuted under Code or other statute

When an offender is punishable under the provisions of the Code, and also under the provisions of some other statute, the offender may be prosecuted and convicted under the provisions either of the Code or of such other statute, so that the offender is not twice punished for the same offence.

· https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1899-009#sch.1-sec.204

204 Disobedience to statute law

(1)Any person who without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on the person, does any act which the person is, by the provisions of any public statute in force in Queensland, forbidden to do, or omits to do any act which the person is, by the provisions of any such statute, required to do, is guilty of a misdemeanour, unless some mode of proceeding against the person for such disobedience is expressly provided by statute, and is intended to be exclusive of all other punishment.

(2)The offender is liable to imprisonment for 1 year.

MAIDMENTS NEW MARINA PROPOSAL

The extent of Maidment’s Townsville Interests are evidenced by the portfolio on its own website. https://www.maidment.com.au/
In The Townsville Bulletin on 10/4/2018 an article by Tony Raggatt “STADIUM HOTEL ROW- But Hill says no special treatment” appeared showing a preliminary approval of the stadium hotel by Focus Pacific , who didn’t put in a third party return as required by the acts but was declared in the Team Hill return.
Around the end of April 2018, I was going back over the returns doing my own research when I saw that Jenny Hill had amended that return on 13/4/2018 to put in $22 k by Wingate, 3 days after Tony Raggats article went to print!
I tipped of Tony Raggatt, a local Bulletin Journo I have always respected and trusted, as he has followed my adventures (like Bazza McKenzie) in the courts on free speech issues but never stuck the knife in unlike some who know who they are. I won fuck yahs!!! Kiss my hairy arse!!! And the bully ran his story “”HILL DONATION ‘SLIP UP’ “ on Thursday May 3 on p 3 (Insert juvenile giggle here) .
So, since 22/11/2016 Team Hill made it known that they must declare Maidment donations as an interest BEFORE CORRUPTLY VOTING ON IT . Since 13/4/2018 they knew they had to amend that return as they did for wingate –FOR MAIDMENT
Recently The Townsville Bulletin and other news publications nationally, published a story . “Developer reveals plan for Marina site” by Scott Sawyer 28/6/18. Stating that Maidment had lodged an application with the council for approval of its “11 homes and 16 –unit apartment block” at 30 Mariners Drive on the Casino land by the water. And said that Glen Maidment had said it was a $50 Million dollar development.
As of the day of the publication of this article Thursday 5 July 2018 PM , though Maidment itself has don PR to get support in the media by spruiking its application , and this was published on 27-28/6/2018 , the council has made no move to place it on its website submissions page : “Applications on Public Notification” which means the public may be running out of time to have its say on the matter . Or, they have shoved it into their new corrupt Townsville development Corporation for a “Priority Development Area tick and flick” as our corrupt Mayor puts it.
Weblink https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/building-planning-and-projects/planning-and-building-approval/the-application-process/applications-on-public-notification

THE CONDUNDRUM FOR THE JENNY HILL GANG AND MAIDMENT

The JENNY HILL GANG is in a quandary, damned if they declare an interest and damned if they don’t. Damned if they amend the return, damned if they don’t. And, even if they refer the matter under the new laws to the minister because they have an interest, or, he calls it in and hands it to his coordinator general like the CORRUPT Hummock Hill Island decision , its still an admission and evidence of the failure to amend the return for 2 years and after the last amendment . And bugger it, I so wanted to be sued so I could get them on the stand, but, alas, it appears impossible now!

Below is the 2014 Article showing how the Obeid’s and all sorts of corrupt types began sniffing around Logan and Ipswich in Qld. Is it any wonder that Laurence Lancini and the Chinese would see an opportunity ?

Article “Nick Di Girolamo the networker used every contact”

Mark Coultan TheAustralian 12:00AM April 26, 2014 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/nick-di-girolamo-the-networker-used-every-contact/news-story/eb129785a95ec7231961edc325123f1a

HE’S the man who brought down the premier.

Nick Di Girolamo, the chief executive of Australian Water Holdings, was the one who gave Barry O’Farrell a bottle of 1959 Grange — from O’Farrell’s birth year — a few weeks after his election victory in 2011.

It was O’Farrell’s adamant denial to the Independent Commission Against Corruption of such a gift that brought about his sudden resignation.

The downfall of O’Farrell has made Di Girolamo persona non grata in the Liberal Party, if the ICAC inquiry hadn’t already blackened his name enough.

Some in the party think he’s a Labor plant, a convenient conspiracy theory that hides the truth of modern politics, where conviction can take a back seat to ambition, and networks, money and corporate interests stretch across families, parties and governments.

Friends and acquaintances describe Di Girolamo variously as good company, smart, loyal, a consummate networker and a salesman. “He was always having coffee with someone. You wondered when he had time to do any work.”

One friend was shocked that Di Girolamo was able to compartmentalise his life to such an extent that he was unaware of the close friendship with the Obeid family.

But Di Girolamo’s story is even stranger than it first appears. He gave up a successful law career — managing partner at one of Sydney’s established law firms by 32 — to become head of an obscure company, based in a McMansion belt of Sydney’s northwestern suburbs.

But within six years Di Girolamo would end up owing money to a bunch of school friends, including the family of Eddie Obeid, severing longstanding family and political connections.

He’s being sued by a group of investors consisting mainly of school friends and their families, a circle concentrated around St Patrick’s College at Strathfield, a Christian Brothers school for the comfortable middle-class residents of Sydney’s middle ring suburbs.

Along with Eddie Obeid Jr, he would convince Rod de Aboitiz (school captain 1988) and Tony Karam (school captain 1995) to invest family money in Australian Water Holdings.

Both successful businessmen, neither was anybody’s fool. Karam describes de Aboitiz, a former chief financial officer of Rothschild Australia, as one of the brightest intellectual stars St Pat’s had produced.

Di Girolamo also convinced the Navarra family, which runs Sydney’s Le Montage function centre, to invest.

Di Girolamo’s father, Frank, worked for the Navarras.

He persuaded Joe Craparotta, whom he had known through the Navarras, to give him $100,000. He even borrowed money from his now deceased sister.

But, strangely, the Obeids, not noted for their philanthropy, seem philosophical about potentially losing the $3.5 million they have given Di Girolamo.

Eddie Obeid Jr, one of his best friends, told the ICAC that he still believed in Di Girolamo and that he would repay the $3m debt that Eddie had personally guaranteed to his brothers.

Di Girolamo’s networks encompass three intersecting circles: St Patrick’s, the Italian community of Sydney’s inner west, and the Liberal Party.

Born in a solid Labor family, Di Girolamo grew up in Five Dock and became involved in the Liberal Party through John Brogden, a fellow student in the class of 1987 at St Patrick’s.

Di Girolamo used his legal connections at Colin Biggers & Paisley to raise funds for Brogden when he became leader of the opposition in NSW.

St Patrick’s features prominently through the story of AWH. Even Geoffrey Watson SC, counsel assisting the ICAC, is a St Pat’s old boy.

In the old days of sectarian politics, it would have been expected to produce Labor voters, but such distinctions have long disappeared.

Tony Burke, Labor’s spokesman on finance, was school vice-captain in 1987, one year after Brogden, whose year included the sons of two Labor MPs and a teacher who was married to a Liberal state MP.

Di Girolamo’s best mate was Edward Obeid Jr, who went to St Patrick’s several years after him.

All the Obeid sons went to St Patrick’s. Burke was duchessed by Di Girolamo and Eddie Jr when he was federal water minister, enjoying a two-hour lunch at Otto’s on Sydney Harbour.

It was not the first time Burke had become enmeshed in the Obeid web. Before entering federal parliament, he served alongside Eddie Obeid Sr in the NSW upper house and, during a previous ICAC inquiry, had to correct his parliamentary declara-tion when it was revealed he had stayed at the Obeids’ ski lodge at Perisher.

The Obeid connection is the reason ICAC became interested in AWH.

It has held a succession of inquiries into Obeid Sr using his influence to lobby for family interests, most spectacularly gaining a $30 million windfall profit from a coal exploration licence over the family farm.

But according to one witness, one of his sons, Moses Obeid, saw AWH as an opportunity that would be even more profitable.

AWH had been formed as a not-for-profit company that would project-manage the laying of state-of-the-art recycled water and sewerage systems in the northwest growth sector.

The contract was simple but open-ended.

AWH would do the work and Sydney Water would reimburse it for the cost.

According to ICAC, everything changed when Di Girolamo arrived.

One friend speculates that he left Colin Biggers & Paisley, despite a salary that in good years might have reached seven figures, because he wanted “never work again dollars”.

AWH seemed to offer that opportunity.

It had been formed more than 15 years earlier, during the Greiner era, as a way of getting around a sleepy old government authority, the Sydney Water Board, to get the private sector involved in the provision of infrastructure. Di Girolamo had been the company’s solicitor and a board member. In 2007 he joined as chief executive and, according to ICAC’s narrative, realised that its reimbursement model offered an opportunity. He simply had to raise his own salary and the salaries of other directors, and Sydney Water would pay.

He negotiated himself a $750,000 salary and an automatic bonus of $250,000, plus performance bonuses.

When he was paid a $250,000 sign-on fee, a long-serving director awarded himself the same amount.

One founding director raised his salary to $1.7m a year, even as he was easing himself out of the company.

Not bad for a company that employed less than a dozen people.

But the bigger prize lay within reach: instead of simply earning big salaries as a glorified subcontractor for Sydney Water, they could own the entire water business lock, stock and valves.

A public-private partnership — essentially a franchise from the government to run the business within a geographical area — could turn the not-for-profit into a company worth $250m, according to a valuation by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

And at one stage Di Girolamo owned 60 per cent of the shares.

Sydney Water never knew that it was paying for huge salaries, political donations, lunches and limousines.

But when Sydney Water started objecting to the soaring bills, Di Girolamo went to school friends and families, spruiking the imminent public-private partnership deal.

Political donations and political connections were a central part of the AWH business model. AWH was used as a vehicle to funnel donations to the Liberal Party — worth $72,000, all funded by the ratepayers of Sydney Water.

When floods devastated Ipswich, Di Girolamo’s Italian connections, political influence and business interests came together. AWH had been trying to get work in Queensland, identifying Ipswich as a growth area. It had been courting Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale, flying him down to Sydney to see the company’s work.

Employing the same modus operandi as in NSW, AWH recruited people with political connections — including the present head of Queensland’s public service, Jon Grayson, and former Queensland Treasury official and company chairman Tony Bellas.

When the Bligh government was thrown out of office, Di Girolamo, head of the NSW Italian Chamber of Commerce, recruited the head of the Queensland chamber — Howard government minister and super lobbyist Santo Santoro.

For a charity dinner, Di Girolamo arranged for one of the auction items to be dinner with NSW’s premier O’Farrell. It raised $30,000.

John Sidoti, now the state member for Drummoyne and at the time the mayor of Burwood, arranged with a friend to donate and deliver old council furniture.

“I had no idea he was after some contract there,” he says.

During his ICAC testimony, Di Girolamo said he had helped Liberals, including Sidoti and the new federal MP for Reid, Craig Laundy, by acting as a go-between to Chris Hartcher — one of the Right’s factional warlords, now suspended from the party pending the ICAC inquiry.

Sidoti says that if Di Girolamo was trying to suggest he had some influence over him, “he’s totally wrong”.

He says he has known Di Girolamo’s family for many years. “If I didn’t know Nick from the Italian community, I wouldn’t be a good member of parliament.”

But he is amused by the reference to factional support.

“That’s funny, because Chris Hartcher is from the right wing, which has got nothing to do with me.”

Laundy says that although they both attended St Pat’s, Di Girolamo was several years above him and he barely knew him.

“When it was publicly reported that I was running for preselection, Mr Di Girolamo made contact with me to say that he knew people within the Liberal Party and offered to put in a good word on my behalf,” he says.

Di Girolamo used his connections to the Obeid family to lobby the then Labor government in relation to AWH, getting ministers Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly on-side.

That failed when the then premier, Kristina Keneally, advised by an alert bureaucracy, refused a deal with AWH.

As an inevitable change of government loomed, Arthur Sinodinos, the impeccably credentialled former chief of staff to John Howard, was brought on to the board, eventually becoming chairman.

But attempts to get the new Coalition government to sign a public-private partnership also failed, despite that gift of Grange to the premier.

Australian Water Holdings was eventually sold to a group of investors for a relative pittance, Di Girolamo walking away with an amount that has been reported as $250,00 or $400,000, but owing millions to creditors.

Just before the ICAC hearings began, he sold his waterfront home in Sydney’s inner west, complete with boatshed and jetty, for $4.8m.

He went on from AWH to lobby for a Korean coal company keen to develop a mine on the central coast.

ICAC’s looking at that, too

____________________________________________________________________________

Carters Criminal Law of Qld 16^th Ed on Perverting the course of justice and fabricating evidence.

Extracted from Carters Criminal Law of Qld, 16^th Edition , Authors ; MJ Shanahan Qld District Court Judge , P E Smith Barrister Qld ,S Ryan Barrister Qld , Reed International Book Trading as LexisNexis Butterworths Australia, 2007 , Printed Malaysia

Page 231, Par [123.30].....The prosecution merely has to show that in the judicial proceeding in which the accused was a witness he or she wilfully (deliberately and not inadvertently or by mistake) made on oath a statement which he or she knew to be false or did not believe to be true .....R v Milward [1985] 1 QB 519; 1985 1 All ER 859 ; (1985) 80 Cr App R 280....

Page 235 Par [s126.20] Meaning of section The word “fabricates” is not necessarily used in the pejorative sense. The word may only mean “make up” or “get together” without any dishonest connotation. See R v Love (1983) 9 ACRIMR 1. The offence is complete even though the tribunal never sits; R v Vreones [1891] 1 QB 360 .

Page 241, Par [s132.25] ....The course of justice is perverted or obstructed by impairing the capacity of a court to do justice. An act which has the tendency to effect this impairment is the actus reus of attempting to pervert the course of justice......

Par [s132.30].... “It is well established at common law and under cognate statutory provisions that the offence of attempting or conspiring to pervert the course of justice can be committed when there are no curial proceedings on foot, see R v Murphy (1985) 158 CLR 596; 61 ALR 139; 59ALJR 682 ; 16 ACRIMR 2003 . It is enough that an act has a tendency to frustrate or deflect a prosecution which the accused contemplates may possibly be instituted even though the possibility has not been considered by police. See R v Rogerson (1992) 174 CLR 268 ; 107 ALR 225 ; 66 ALJR 500 , 60 ACRIMR 429 .......An act which has a tendency to deflect the police from prosecuting a criminal offence or instituting disciplinary proceedings before a judicial tribunal , or from adducing evidence of the true facts , is an act tending to pervert the course of justice , and if done with the intent to achieve that result , constitutes an attempt to pervert the course of justice ......

Page 247 , Par [s140.20] ......... “To prove this charge there has to be evidence that the accused has done enough for there to be a risk without further action by him that an injustice would occur, see R v Murray [1982] WLR 475 ; [1982] All ER 225; (1982) 75 Cr App R 58 .....It is sufficient if the evidence discloses a risk or possibility that injustice might result. See Foord v Whiddett (1985) 60 ALR 269; 16 ACRIMR 464.

Cross references

TOWNSVILLE'S JENNY HILL GANG SPLITS ON LABOR TICKET - WORRIED ABOUT SPLITTING THE LOOT AND QUESTIONS FOR EX COPPER AND 2012 -16 COUNCILOR GARY EDDIEHAUSEN-PAT COLEMAN

https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/08/townsvilles-jenny-hill-gang-splits-on.html

STILL TIME TO PROSECUTE TOWNSVILLE MAYOR HILL , ROCKHAMPTON MAYOR MARGARET STRELOW AND LABOR/LNP PARTY AGENTS FOR TAKING ILLEGAL FOREIGN ADANI DONATIONS-PAT COLEMAN

July 18, 2018

https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/07/still-time-to-prosecute-townsville.html

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https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/07/submission-live-export-cattle-yeards-at.html

SCOOP : COUNCIL ELECTION DONORS BUY COURT MEDIATION OUTCOMES – “PATTERN FORMS”, and, MIADMENT APPROVAL COVERUP - PAT COLEMAN

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https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/07/normal-0-false-false-false-en-au-x-none.html

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https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/07/re-open-submissions-to-qld-donations.html

CENSORED - My Submission to The Electoral Legislation (Political Donations) Amendment Bill 2018 - Pat Coleman

June 27, 2018

- Pat Coleman

https://cynicismcentraltownsvilleaustralia.blogspot.com/2018/06/submission-electoral-legislation.html