Premier Attracts Flak On Hay Vote

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday April 10, 2008

By MARIO CHRISTODOULOU

NSW Premier Morris Iemma was attacked in Parliament yesterday for allowing Wollongong MP Noreen Hay to decide the fate of five former colleagues named in Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings.

South Coast MP Shelley Hancock used question time to criticise Mr Iemma after Ms Hay represented him on the ALP's administrative committee.

The Mercury revealed yesterday that Ms Hay represented Mr Iemma on the Labor Party committee which decided to expel former Wollongong council officer Joe Scimone and former Wollongong councillors Frank Gigliotti, Kiril Jonovski, Zeki Esen and Val Zanotto from the party after they were named in ICAC hearings.

The five have less than two weeks to appeal the expulsion.

Ms Hay represented Mr Iemma on the committee despite her links with the five accused and despite the fact that she was mentioned in the ICAC hearings.

The ICAC inquiry heard a recording of a conversation between Ms Hay and controversial developer Frank Vellar during which Ms Hay agreed to lobby Labor councillors on Mr Vellar's behalf.

It was revealed that she accepted free office space in Crown St from Mr Vellar.

As a result Ms Hay was stood down as Parliamentary Secretary for Health by Mr Iemma on February 29, only to be reinstated two days later when ICAC Commissioner Jerrold Cripps, QC, said she was not a person of interest.

Ms Hay said her appointment to the committee was not inappropriate and that she was representing Mr Iemma, not her constituents.

Ms Hancock said yesterday Ms Hay was closely linked to the five expelled members and should not have been on the committee.

She said Mr Iemma's failure to stand down Ms Hay was unacceptable.

Ms Hancock went on to criticise Mr Iemma's handling of Wollongong council's corruption scandal.

"The Premier needs to start to get serious about stamping out corruption within Wollongong and the Australian Labor Party and bring democracy back to Wollongong," she said.

She demanded that local government elections be held in Wollongong by September next year.

"If Morris Iemma refuses to allow the people of Wollongong to elect a new council by September 2009, it will be clear he is protecting Labor's political interests rather than simply responding to ICAC's recommendations," she said.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

Back to News Index | Back to Home