DANDENONG
dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
Tuesday, 16 November, 2021
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IBAC turns heat up on MP
Paying respect to the fallen
Triple Crown beckons for Rupee
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SPORT
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Memeti back in mayoral robes
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Swim skills sunk in lockdown Musad and Jason, with their swim teacher Danni at JUMP! Swim School in Noble Park, were making up for lost time back in the pool last week. After 15 weeks of lockdown, life-saving authorities are warning that swimming skills will have plummeted ahead of this summer. For more on the story, see page 17
Musad and Jason with Danni. 257647 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Office ‘nepotism’ By Cam Lucadou-Wells Accused branch-stacking MP Adem Somyurek hired a female staffer in his electorate office as a favour to factional colleague and Greater Dandenong councillor Loi Truong, an IBAC inquiry heard. The staffer, who was paid for 22 taxpayerfunded casual shifts between April-early September 2019, was hired for no reason but “for Loi”. It was one of several Somyurek hires described as ’factional patronage’ or ’nepotism’ at the IBAC Operation Watts inquiry, which is examining the misuse of public funds for ALP party-political purposes.
Mr Somyurek agreed that Cr Truong chose his own “friend” to work in the MP’s office. He agreed Mr Truong was recruiting or “turning up” members to Labor branch meetings. But he denied the hiring was a “quid pro quo” in exchange for this. “The Cambodians had an MP. I was an MP. Loi was sort of with Anthony (Byrne, who is federal Holt MP). “There was a view amongst us all that the Vietnamese were missing out. “They had been with the Right for a long period of time. So when they wanted employment they should at least get it.” When asked what work the staffer did, Mr
Buying or Selling?
Somyurek said she did what electoral officers do - “answering the phones, emails, people coming in.” “It could be work coming in from the Vietnamese community as well, which tends to come in word of mouth and through the mobile phones. “What I knew was that she was meant to be turning up and I got told she was turning up. “I knew she was coming in, right, because she was a pain to the others.” IBAC Counsel Assisting, Chris Carr questioned the need given there was “negligible” activity in Mr Somyurek’s electorate office – which was said to have staffing costs of more than $1 million in the past four years.
Mr Carr grilled Mr Somyurek on whether “having people sit idle” was “value for money” to taxpayers, as required under law. The notion was “subjective”, Mr Somyurek said. MPs also were able to discriminate based on ideology, values, political views, political activism and loyalty, he said. “What does a Vietnamese-speaking person who provides a service to the Vietnamese community, which are about 25 per cent I think of some areas of my electorate – can you put a value on that?” There was a “bit of grey area” whether “factional work” was part of his “public duties”. Continued page 5
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