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Brimbank Labor's oldest platform

News that former City of Brimbank mayor Charlie Apap has been convicted for indecent assault puts the spotlight once again on some of the more unsavoury history of the ALP in Melbourne's western suburbs, as a number of press reports show.

Labor Party identity Apap, 70 is known locally as a rent collector. He was found guilty in the Sunshine magistrate's court of putting his hand down the back of a 20 year old mother's jeans and underwear while collecting her rent.

Adding insult to injury, as the Leader reports "The landlord made a subsequent application for lost rent money due to the tenant giving insufficient notice before vacating the premises".

Apap is no stranger to the court, having previously been involved in a dispute over unpaid printing bills for Labor candidates at a Brimbank council election. At the last election five councillors did not declare any contributions to their electoral campaigns.

One of the councillors, Ken Capar, subsequently got into hot water at a New Zealand conference while on a council-funded junket for the Keilor Cemetery Trust. According to reports Capar remained drunk for the full three days of the conference, and was unfortunate enough on his return to wake up and see the headline "I was drunk" plastered on the front pages.

According to the local Star newspaper two women reported alleged sexual advances by Cr Capar. The story continues

"Cr Capar admitted being intoxicated on Thursday 10 October during the last day of the conference but in a letter to the Keilor Cemetery Trust he objected to allegations which included making inappropriate sexual advances to female and male delegates."

To cap it off hotel security staff later found him in possession of certain items that had been reported missing by other delegates.

Sexual harassment and theft by a councillor would not normally be rewarded. Capar resigned from the Cemetery Trust in disgrace but remains a sitting Brimbank councillor, no doubt grateful for the complexities of trans-Tasman litigation.

Chairwoman of the Trust at the time was Brimbank's Deputy Mayor Kathryn Eriksson, forced to endure the full three days of Capar's ratepayer-funded extravagance. With talk of police charges however she defended her colleague and in doing so submitted herself to public humiliation, saying

"It's a disgrace that we (the trust and council) can't communicate between ourselves. To have people turn around and say that we're going on junkets just because of one person behaved inappropriately, I find it really sad."

Indeed it is. Even more sadly Deputy Mayor Eriksson is also known as the wife of former Labor Minister Andrew Theophanous who became the first sitting member of parliament to be gaoled for bribery, conspiracy to defraud the Commonwealth and corruption.

Evidence submitted at his trial alleged that in rorting the immigration system he wasn't just seeking money, but also sexual gratification. An NCA tape recording has him saying "Maybe next week or towards the end of the week we might have a meeting, you know, see if I like her."

Channel 9's Sunday program quotes Theophanous from the secret recordings soliciting sexual favours. "…and she is prepared to have some times with me but keep her mouth shut completely then we will do it for $100 for a year." [A discount from the standard illegal fee he was asking for from clients].

Theophanous is still seen at Brimbank Council meetings, where he occasionally bumps into his close factional ally Hakki Suleyman. Suleyman is father of Brimbank councillor Natalie Suleyman; he runs the local migrant resource centre and in his spare time works as electoral officer for Planning Minister Justin Madden.

Suleyman was the subject of a formal complaint to the council in 2005, describing his behaviour toward a woman at a council meeting as "angry, rude, confrontational and abusive" to the point where she had to ask the CEO for protection and to be escorted to her car.

A number of metropolitan papers report an alleged assault by Suleyman on a woman handing out leaflets in the street. According to the Age

"He was pulling me and I was shaking back and forth at the force. I just saw his face and I thought, 'He's going to hit me'. I then started to panic and I screamed at the top of my voice, 'You leave me alone.' And he backed off."

The Herald Sun report of the incident mentions welts and cuts left by Suleyman on the victim's arm while "A day later, his son Mehmet Suleyman, who worked for former police minister Andre Haermeyer, allegedly attacked a young man with a screwdriver -- an incident police are now investigating." The report also mentions a fist fight between the younger Suleyman and Brimbank councillor Sam Tabban, but that's another story. Stay tuned for that one.

The press reports taken together paint the ALP in the west as a party of misfits and sexual predators using intimidation in the exercise of their power: the power of the rent collector over the young tenant, the power of the drunken councillor, the power to grant or deny a visa, and the power of sheer physical force.

Suleyman daughter Natalie shares with Charlie Apap the dubious distinction of being a former mayor of Brimbank council. Along with her current duties as councillor, she works as electoral officer for the now-discredited former Police Minister and MP Andre Haermeyer. For a time she worked alongside convicted criminal Craig Otte in the same office.

Haermeyer came to prominence again more recently when the Herald Sun reported police sources alleging he tried to influence the outcome of a rape investigation by using his influence over "top cop" Noel Ashby.

Ashby for his part said it was appropriate to keep Mr Haermeyer "informed" because Mr Haermeyer had a professional relationship with the woman. Perhaps you can work that one out.

The story makes allegations about the role of the Victorian ombudsman in the case and concludes by stating the obvious - there is no crime and corruption commission in Victoria capable of investigating the misdeeds of our elected representatives.

And don't they know it.

Brimbank Labor's oldest platform

News that former City of Brimbank mayor, Charlie Apap has been convicted for indecent assault puts the spotlight once again on some of the more unsavoury history of the ALP in Melbourne's western suburbs, as a number of press reports show.

Labor Party identity Apap, 70 is known locally as a rent collector. He was found guilty in the Sunshine magistrate's court of putting his hand down the back of a 20 year old mother's jeans and underwear while collecting her rent.

Adding insult to injury, as the Leader reports "The landlord made a subsequent application for lost rent money due to the tenant giving insufficient notice before vacating the premises".

Apap is no stranger to the court, having previously been involved in a dispute over unpaid printing bills for Labor candidates at a Brimbank council election. At the last election five councillors did not declare any contributions to their electoral campaigns.

One of the councillors, Ken Capar, subsequently got into hot water at a New Zealand conference while on a council-funded junket for the Keilor Cemetery Trust. According to reports Capar remained drunk for the full three days of the conference, and was unfortunate enough on his return to wake up and see the headline "I was drunk" plastered on the front pages.

According to the local Star newspaper two women reported alleged sexual advances by Cr Capar. The story continues

"Cr Capar admitted being intoxicated on Thursday 10 October during the last day of the conference but in a letter to the Keilor Cemetery Trust he objected to allegations which included making inappropriate sexual advances to female and male delegates."

To cap it off hotel security staff later found him in possession of certain items that had been reported missing by other delegates.

Sexual harassment and theft by a councillor would not normally be rewarded. Capar resigned from the Cemetery Trust in disgrace but remains a sitting Brimbank councillor, no doubt grateful for the complexities of trans-Tasman litigation.

Chairwoman of the Trust at the time was Brimbank's Deputy Mayor, Kathryn Eriksson, forced to endure the full three days of Capar's ratepayer-funded extravagance. With talk of police charges however she defended her colleague and in doing so submitted herself to public humiliation, saying

"It's a disgrace that we (the trust and council) can't communicate between ourselves. To have people turn around and say that we're going on junkets just because of one person behaved inappropriately, I find it really sad."

Indeed it is. Even more sadly Deputy Mayor Eriksson is also known as the wife of former Labor Minister Andrew Theophanous who became the first sitting member of parliament to be gaoled for bribery, conspiracy to defraud the Commonwealth and corruption.

Evidence submitted at his trial alleged that in rorting the immigration system he wasn't just seeking money, but also sexual gratification. An NCA tape recording has him saying "Maybe next week or towards the end of the week we might have a meeting, you know, see if I like her."

Channel 9's Sunday program quotes Theophanous from the secret recordings soliciting sexual favours. "…and she is prepared to have some times with me but keep her mouth shut completely then we will do it for $100 for a year." [A discount from the standard illegal fee he was asking for from clients].

Theophanous is still seen at Brimbank Council meetings, where he occasionally bumps into his close factional ally Hakki Suleyman. Suleyman is father of Brimbank councillor Natalie Suleyman; he runs the local migrant resource centre and in his spare time works as electoral officer for Planning Minister Justin Madden.

Suleyman was the subject of a formal complaint to the council in 2005, describing his behaviour toward a woman at a council meeting as "angry, rude, confrontational and abusive" to the point where she had to ask the CEO for protection and to be escorted to her car.

A number of metropolitan papers report an alleged assault by Suleyman on a woman handing out leaflets in the street. According to the Age

"He was pulling me and I was shaking back and forth at the force. I just saw his face and I thought, 'He's going to hit me'. I then started to panic and I screamed at the top of my voice, 'You leave me alone.' And he backed off."

The Herald Sun report of the incident mentions welts and cuts left by Suleyman on the victim's arm while "A day later, his son Mehmet Suleyman, who worked for former police minister Andre Haermeyer, allegedly attacked a young man with a screwdriver -- an incident police are now investigating." The report also mentions a fist fight between the younger Suleyman and Brimbank councillor Sam Tabban, but that's another story. Stay tuned for that one.

The press reports taken together paint the ALP in the west as a party of misfits and sexual predators using intimidation in the exercise of their power: the power of the rent collector over the young tenant, the power of the drunken councillor, the power to grant or deny a visa, and the power of sheer physical force.

Suleyman daughter Natalie shares with Charlie Apap the dubious distinction of being a former mayor of Brimbank council. Along with her current duties as councillor, she works as electoral officer for the now-discredited former Police Minister and MP Andre Haermeyer. For a time she worked alongside convicted criminal Craig Otte in the same office.

Haermeyer came to prominence again more recently when the Herald Sun reported police sources alleging he tried to influence the outcome of a rape investigation by using his influence over "top cop" Noel Ashby.

Ashby for his part said it was appropriate to keep Mr Haermeyer "informed" because Mr Haermeyer had a professional relationship with the woman. Perhaps you can work that one out.

The story makes allegations about the role of the Victorian ombudsman in the case and concludes by stating the obvious - there is no crime and corruption commission in Victoria capable of investigating the misdeeds of our elected representatives.

And don't they know it.

Most Victorians support the Police Association's recent call for a Crime and Corruption Commission to be established in Victoria.

A GPS Research survey on behalf of the Police Association has found that nearly nine in ten Victorians support the call for an independent commission, on learning that "the most powerful anti-corruption watchdog" - the ombudsman and Office of Police Integrity - has no power to investigate elected officials.

The Police Association has accused the Brumby government of having something to hide. "Why else do you stop the only anti-corruption body in the state at the politicians' front door?" asks Police Association Legal manager Sen-Sgt Greg Davies. (Herald Sun April 1 2008)

Take for example the City of Brimbank 20 kilometres North-West of the Melbourne CBD.

A number of governance and probity issues have been raised in this Labor-held stronghold whence it was discovered that no public insitution in Victoria is able to investigate decisions made by elected politicians.

A growing list of questions about Brimbank Council's governance remain unanswered, including:

The role of Crs Zukalski and Suleyman in the Sydenham Community Centre collapse. One councillor was manager, the other chairperson of the council-owned asset. Apart from an apparent conflict of interest, both councillors have connections to MP Justin Madden's office, the minister charged with investigating the failure. The disappearance of $50,000 from the centre was raised in the Vic parliament but never investigated.

How Councillor Suleyman's father, a local ALP branch stacker, had rent-free use of a council building for more than 4 years.

Cr Suleyman's role in Brimbank Council's decision to build a $1 million dollar sporting pavillion for the Albion Rovers Soccer club, while her brother was an office holder of the club.

The dominant faction's secret caucus before public council meetings. This practice is described as corrupt, and one of the reasons given for sacking the Wollongong Council (NSW has an Independent crime commission where this is possible).

The employment of convicted criminal in local MPs Andre Haermeyer and Telmo Languiller's electoral offices. Politicians' connections to corrupt police and underworld drug figures are openly reported in the metropolitan newspapers.

John Brumby is telling Victorians that the OPI is a powerful anti-corruption watchdog but the Ombudsman and OPI are powerless to investigate these questions since they involve elected officials.

Until someone has the independent authority to investigate these kinds of things, there will be growing concern in the community leading to unrest. "You just don't know what's going on. You only know your rates keep going up and there's nothing to show for it."

The accountability of every elected official in Victoria and the secrecy and intrigue, the incompetence and corruption that afflicts Local Government in Victoria can only be redressed by a independent, well resourced organisation such as ICAC in New South Wales.

The sudden sacking of the new Brimbank Council, after only 9 months in operation, is being viewed in the Victorian press as a State government election tactic. Time to clear the decks, contain the damage and neutralise the fallout from this epic, ongoing Labor saga before it's too late.

The surprise afternoon announcement by Local Government minister Richard Wynne coincided with the long awaited sacking of ALP state secretary Stephen Newnham, following intervention from Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard in yet another epic, ongoing Labor saga. Co incidence? You can decide. Anyhow Newnham was finally replaced by the Premier's own candidate Nick Reece, who is a former bankrupt.

The fallout from the Ombudsman's "Investigation into the alleged improper conduct of councillors at Brimbank City Council" is wide ranging. It includes controversial new laws to ban councillors from working as electoral officers for state or federal MPs, after "conflict of duty" remarks in the Ombudsman's report.

Changes to the equal opportunity act were needed to allow this.

There are recommended changes to electoral laws after a VEC investigation.

Veteran MP George Seitz lost his ALP preselection for the safe seat of Keilor after being named by the Ombudsman as an outside influence on the council.

Planning Minister Justin Madden lost a no-confidence motion against him in the upper house - the first in a quarter of a century - based on his culpability in the Brimbank affair.

Since May there has hardly been a week where Brimbank Council has not been in the news with some new scandal or other. And not just the old council.

An Ombudsman's recommendation to keep an eye on the new council (elections were held in November 2008) resulted in a municipal inspector, Bill Scales AO being appointed to monitor its activities. It was Scales' second report that led to the council sacking.

"I have concluded that the problems identified by the Ombudsman in his report are deep seated and are still sustained within the Brimbank City Council", he wrote. [The sacking will] "...send a very clear message to those wishing to inappropriately influence Councillors in the conduct of their duties that placing undue influence on Councillors will not be tolerated".

In other words, he observed the same corrupt ALP culture at work despite the ombudsman's findings, and even though the faces on the council had mostly changed. State and Federal politicians were still corruptly influencing elected officals.

Scales found a majority of the new councillors had already behaved corruptly, finding an entrenched inability among them to understand codes of good governance. Examples include a councillor persecuting staff over a parking ticket received for a business vehicle; a councillor masquerading as a council delegate in private business dealings; a councillor inappropriately contacting staff over a planning matter; and the leaking of confidential information to the local press.

His example of an "outside organisation" attempting to influence council decisions is perhaps the most interesting. In his announcement and during questioning, Minister Wynne would not deviate from the term, as if to say this "outside organisation" wasn't, in fact, the St Albans branch of the ALP. Yes, the St Albans branch, arguably stacked with phanotms and controlled by George Seitz.

An Age editorial on the 16th Sept 09 put it thus: "Local Government Minister Richard Wynne, while accepting the recommendation to sack the council, has denied any connection between councillors' behaviour and the ALP. His inability to admit a matter of fact demonstrates how compromised the Government is by a culture of influence peddling that is deeply embedded in the ALP."

So this is how George Seitz was able to avoid being outed in the Scales report. Which in turn saved the government from having to respond once again to the findings presented in the ombudsman's report.

In Victorian local government, ALP culture is as entrenched as it is rotten to the core. Will the Brimbank controversy die down before the state elections and save the Brumby government? Stay tuned to find out.