The Independent Commission Against Corruption’s hearing into Australian Water Holdings dealings may have moved on from its mention of Campbell Newman, but Queensland politics has not.
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One day after the ICAC hearing was told AWH chief executive Nick Di Girolamo was asked to donate $5000 to the LNP trust used to finance its push into City Hall - Brisbane Forward Leadership - in order to meet the then-lord mayor, Mr Newman, the state’s opposition parties are calling for an independent inquiry into the matter.
A spokesman for Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the air needed to be cleared.
“The Premier needs to explain his knowledge of those events and the way to clear it up is an independent inquiry,” he said.
Palmer United Party Queensland leader, Alex Douglas, also released a statement on the matter, calling for a “very rigorous enquiry of Campbell Newman’s diaries, his various campaigns, any monies paid to any entities established to pay for the purpose of re-election campaign of Campbell Newman,” Dr Douglas said in the statement.
“This investigation cannot be brushed aside and a full and thorough forensic audit investigation must now occur
“For that to occur, a full and open independent Queensland judicial enquiry must be convened to conduct that investigation as a matter of urgency.”
Mr Newman is in north Asia on a trade mission with the Prime Minister and could not be contacted. But on Monday, the same day as the corruption hearing heard the allegations of the donation-for-meeting, a spokesman for the Premier said Mr Newman ''does recall attending a meeting with Mr Di Girolamo sometime in 2007'' but added Mr Newman ''does not personally solicit donations''.
''It would have been unlikely that Mr Newman would have agreed to this meeting had he known that a donation had been solicited,'' the spokesman said.
Brisbane City Council said the Liberal National Party returned the $5000 donation last month, after Fairfax Media reports in relation to AWH.
But the matter still dominated political talk on Tuesday.
Speaking to ABC Western Queensland during his ‘asset sales conversation road show’, on Tuesday, Treasurer Tim Nicholls said Mr Newman had “clearly indicated” he had not solicited the funds, adding “had that been the case, he would not have met with that person”.
Mr Nicholls said Ms Palaszczuk and Labor needed to explain the donations it received from the company.
“The stain of Mr Eddie Obeid and Australian Water Holdings is something that more particularly affects the Labor party,” he said.
The AWH donations to the Labor party was brought up in parliament by Mr Newman last week, after he was asked whether his Director-General, Jon Grayson, had been asked to appear before the corruption hearing, or provide information regarding his dealings with the now-defunct Gasfields Water and Waste Services company by Labor MP Jackie Trad.
Mr Newman said the matter had already been dealt with and a report found Mr Grayson “had complied with his obligations to disclose his material personal interests in relation to the Australian Water Holdings company”, before attacking Labor about its own dealings.
“I say this: the Labor Party needs to say why it received donations from Mr Obeid and what conversations and meetings it had. Not only does it need to explain that; it needs to explain Mr Mike Kaiser’s role, who was the Chief of Staff to the Premier of New South Wales, and he met with Obeid as well,” Mr Newman told parliament.
Fairfax Media understands Queensland Labor is investigating how it can pay back any donations it received, but maintains Mr Newman still has questions to answer.
