Minns unapologetic over decision to sack frontbencher

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has placed his shadow cabinet on notice with the swift sacking of frontbencher Tania Mihailuk,insisting he would not abide senior members using parliamentary privilege to launch “unsubstantiated” political attacks.

It followed an extraordinary late-night speech to parliament on Tuesday,in which the Bankstown MP made serious corruption claims against a party colleague six months from the state election.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said he would not abide shadow cabinet members using parliamentary privilege to raise allegations of impropriety.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said he would not abide shadow cabinet members using parliamentary privilege to raise allegations of impropriety.Dominic Lorrimer

Minns was unapologetic about his decision to dump Mihailuk on Friday,which he announced on radio after she did not return his calls or messages,insisting “most people” would regard it as fair.

“I said to her,‘If I don’t hear from you via text message ... it’s my understanding that you don’t want to be a member of the shadow cabinet team,’ ” he said.

“I cannot obviously run the NSW opposition from a position where a member of my team is still considering whether to agree to what I regard as a fair settlement.”

Less than 24 hours earlier,Minns had warned Mihailuk she would be stripped of her shadow cabinet position if she used parliamentary privilege to attack party colleagues,instead of agreeing to use official channels.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour and Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour and Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk.James Brickwood for The Sydney Morning Herald and taniamihailuk.com.au

“I spoke with her on Thursday to talk through what,I thought,was the appropriate way of dealing with this issue. I gave her a couple of hours to come back to me with an answer. I didn’t receive an answer,” he said on Friday.

“If you’re a member of the executive of the NSW opposition,and you’re acknowledging that we’ve got a difficult road ahead of us in terms of the next election ... you need to provide information in relation to[the allegations] or agree to this settlement.”

Minns added:“No answer,is no answer at all.”

A senior Labor source,who requested anonymity to speak freely,said Minns’ hardline approach would send a clear message to the party about “discipline and unity”.

“We need to focus on March next year and keep our eye on the prize,” they said.

Mihailuk was dumped as the opposition spokeswoman for natural resources after she delivered a stinging attack on Labor Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour,linking him to corrupt former minister Eddie Obeid.

Asfour is a Labor candidate on the party’s upper house ticket for the March election.

In a speech to parliament this week,the Bankstown MP claimed there were “significant discrepancies in planning controls” in Canterbury-Bankstown Council’s 2021 Bankstown City Centre master plan that had left land “virtually worthless”,warning against Asfour remaining on the ticket.

“Candidacy for such a privileged position you would expect warrants comprehensive scrutiny,particularly because Labor’s recent ICAC woes,and well-documented ICAC findings,against former ministers,which marred the last NSW Labor government,” Mihailuk told parliament.

The allegations relate,in part,to a 25-storey development proposed for a Bankstown property owned once by the Obeids and now owned by Eddie’s friend and business partner Wally Wehbe.

Asfour has since hit back,describing the speech as “gutless and a slur on his good reputation”,adding that it “reeks of sour grapes at being overlooked on Labor’s upper house ticket”.

Minns said Asfour had referred the allegations to the Independent Commission Against Corruption,while Canterbury-Bankstown Council has engaged high-profile barrister Arthur Moses,SC,to
review the claims in an independent inquiry.

Minns on Friday said it was an “unsubstantiated but extraordinary” attack on an elected Labor Party mayor and a potential candidate for public office,adding that parliament was not an appropriate forum to raise allegations of impropriety.

“Parliamentary privilege does not provide due process for Khal Asfour. It doesn’t provide him with the civil rights ... to pursue legal action if he believes that imputations have been made against him,” he said.

“It’s not at the discretion of a member of parliament. You must go to corruption agencies or the NSW Police if you suspect corruption has taken place,or a crime has taken place.”

Mihailuk did not respond to a request for comment.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet earlier said,by sacking Mihailuk from shadow cabinet,Minns was attempting to silence someone from speaking out about corruption.

“I don’t believe that you should silence and sack a strong woman for speaking out about alleged corruption in the NSW Labor Party,” Perrottet said.

The premier added that sacking Mihailuk was the “type of behaviour” that allowed Obeid to “flourish”.

“This just shows that this is the same old Labor – see no evil,hear no evil,and silence people who are willing to stand up.”

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Lucy Cormack is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,based in Dubai.

Tom Rabe is the WA political correspondent,based in Perth.

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