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Suburban mayor admits he paid thousands for Labor Party memberships

Melissa IariaNCA NewsWire
IBAC has resumed sitting for a fourth day as part of its inquiry into allegedly corrupt conduct involving public officers. David Crosling / NCA NewsWire
Camera IconIBAC has resumed sitting for a fourth day as part of its inquiry into allegedly corrupt conduct involving public officers. David Crosling / NCA NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia

A suburban mayor who once aspired to be a Labor MP has admitted branch stacking, paying about $18,000 for others’ memberships.

Rick Garotti, who is the mayor of Banyule City Council in Melbourne’s north east, told an IBAC anti-corruption inquiry on Monday he became aware of branch stacking when he first joined the Labor Party.

Mr Garotti said he got involved in branch stacking about five or six years ago, paying about $5000 a year to cover the costs of the Heidelberg party branch, including paying for people’s memberships.

About $3000 of that went annually towards paying for memberships, he said.

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“I paid money for the membership of others in the branch,” he said.

“$3000 a year would be a fair amount that was going towards memberships.”

He said Dr Hussein Harako, who was employed in Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek’s electorate office, also contributed about $2000 from his own personal funds.

Mr Garotti told the inquiry the practice of MPs hiring family members in their office was “just part of the culture of the party”.

Assignment Freelance Picture IBAC witness Rick Garotti, the mayor of Banyule City Council. Source:
 IBAC livestream
Camera IconIBAC witness Rick Garotti admitted paying for Labor Party memberships. Source: IBAC livestream Credit: News Corp Australia

The 36-year-old said he became involved in the ALP in about 2005, rising to become a senior member of the moderate faction.

He said he aspired to be an MP and in 2012 he met Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek, who was from the same faction and someone he regarded as a mentor when it came to party strategies.

“He was a person I would talk to, to learn and understand what was going on within the party factionally,” he said.

Mr Garotti said he quit the party earlier this year.

Branch stacking describes the act of signing up new members to local political party branches, so they can use their voting power to pick candidates and influence decisions.

While branch stacking is not illegal, staff receiving public salaries are not allowed to do party political work.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission inquiry is probing whether taxpayer resources were used to assist branch stacking operations.

It was launched after allegations of branch stacking – involving factional heavyweight Mr Somyurek, his allies and taxpayer-funded workers – were aired in leaked videos.

The bombshell hearings began last week and have already claimed the scalp of a Victorian cabinet minister, Luke Donnellan.

Federal MP Anthony Byrne also resigned from a powerful national security committee after admitting to branch stacking and misusing Commonwealth-funded staff.

Adem Somyurek Pap
Camera IconAdem Somyurek was at the top of the factional hierarchy, IBAC has heard. Tony Gough Credit: News Corp Australia

JOB FAVOUR FOR FACTIONAL MATE

Mr Garotti asked Mr Somyurek if there was a job available to reward a factional mate, messages shown to the inquiry reveal.

In a message sent in January, 2018, Mr Garotti asks Mr Somyurek whether he had an electoral office job for the daughter of Hussein Harako, secretary of the Somali Australian Council of Victoria, who was in the same faction.

“Do you think we can get a day a week somewhere for Dr Hussein’s daughter? Maybe Marlene’s EO?” Mr Garotti asks, referring to to the electoral office of MP Marlene Kairouz.

“The idea is that she would move into the Broadmeadows branch as a regular, active member and help support our recruitment activities there,” the message continued.

“Longer term, she come to work for me if/when I become a MP.”

Mr Garotti follows up with Mr Somyurek a couple of months later, asking if there was any movement on the job for Dr Harako or his daughter, adding, “He’s been doing a lot of work. Need to keep him supported.”

“There’s no doubt at all you’re asking Mr Somyurek to reward Dr Harako for his factional work by giving his daughter work in somebody’s office, it doesn’t matter who?” counsel assisting, Chris Carr asks.

“Correct,” Mr Garotti replied.

In a separate message sent in March, 2017, Mr Garotti asks Mr Somyurek whether he can follow up with Victorian Labor Minister Martin Pakula to try and get Dr Harako a job on the board of the Coronial Council of Victoria.

“Dr Hussein has put in an expression of interest with the Coronial Council of Victoria for a board type position (which is paid). Could you follow up with Pakula to see if we can get Dr over the line?” he asks.

Mr Somyurek replies: “Ok.”

Mr Garotti told the inquiry Mr Somyurek had influence to offer work that’d be taxpayer funded.

He agreed it was a way of channelling taxpayer money to Dr Harako to reward him for his factional work, an example of factional patronage in the party.

IBAC BUILDING STOCK
Camera IconIBAC is probing whether Victorian MPs or their staff misused public funds. Photo: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia

MP ASPIRANT ADMITS ‘SHOWBOATING’

Mr Garotti told the inquiry he was aware the culture of the moderate Labor faction was that public officers also did party work.

Mr Garotti said he recommended Dr Hussein Harako for promotion, partly because of his factional work.

“Did you suggest that Dr Harako was doing good work and needed to be looked after,” counsel assisting the inquiry, Chris Carr asked.

“That would be a reasonable way of characterising him,” Mr Garotti replied.

“Yes, he was doing factional work. I honestly believe that he was doing good work. He was a good community leader.”

Mr Garotti said he was “mid range level” in the faction hierarchy, acting as a go-between between branches, branch operatives and head office.

He said Mr Somyurek was at the top of the hierarchy.

When asked whether other branches were also covering the costs of memberships, Mr Garotti said he believed Legislative Council President Nazih Elasmar was, via his Darebin branch.

Mr Garotti was taken to an email he wrote to factional members, including Mr Somyurek, referring to branch stacking in the north as “my operations”.

But he said his role was co-ordinator, and he was simply “showboating” to boast his skills.

“Within the faction system, there’s a bit of showboating that happens. That’s me showboating. I own it 100 per cent. I wouldn’t say I owned the north or controlled it.”

Mr Garotti said he had discussed his ambitions with Mr Somyurek, whom he was keen to impress, about becoming an MP.

He said Mr Somyurek told him to build his CV but there was also an “expectation” to bring new members in.

“One time out of 10, there was always indications we had to grow the party, we had to grow the faction, we had to be active in those areas. It was an expectation, I felt anyway,” Mr Garotti said.

“You have to show you can demonstrate you can do the factional side of things … in order to be considered.”

Commissioner Robert Redlich said: “You were indicating to him you were prepared to play the party game?”

“You’ve summed it up, Commissioner,” Mr Garotti replied.

Mr Garotti told the inquiry he obtained pre-filed membership renewal forms, so they could be filled in for non-genuine members.

He also said parliamentary emails were generally not used to discuss factional activity because it’d be considered a “misuse of public resources”.

The inquiry will resume on Tuesday.

Originally published as Suburban mayor admits he paid thousands for Labor Party memberships

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