Secret Evidence Reveals Premier's 2014 Fundraiser Query
A former New South Wales Labor staffer has provided confidential testimony to a parliamentary committee regarding a 2014 telephone conversation with Chris Minns, now the state's premier, about handling thousands of dollars in donations collected at a fundraising event.
David Latham, who served as a state ALP organiser at the time, submitted an affidavit claiming that Mr Minns, then Labor's candidate for Kogarah, contacted him to inquire about processing unreceipted money into his campaign fund following a dinner at Sunny Seafood restaurant.
Under Australian electoral laws, politicians must disclose all donor names and contribution amounts, creating potential compliance issues for unreported donations.
Previous Investigations and Current Scrutiny
The Sunny Seafood restaurant fundraiser initially emerged during the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Aero, which concluded its work in 2022. While the investigation collected evidence from Mr Latham, it did not interview Mr Minns directly.
Operation Aero primarily focused on whether the Labor Party had disguised donations, including $100,000 in cash delivered in an Aldi shopping bag allegedly originating from banned donor Huang Xiangmo, who subsequently had his visa revoked on security grounds.
The corruption watchdog found that former NSW Labor MP Ernest Wong had engaged in corrupt conduct by concealing illegal political donations and attempting to persuade a fake donor to provide false information.
Regarding the Sunny Seafood matter, authorities referred the case to the NSW Electoral Commission, which conducted its own investigation until 2023. Mr Minns participated in an interview as part of that process.
Political Reactions and Committee Actions
When questioned about Mr Latham's affidavit on Wednesday, Premier Minns firmly rejected any suggestion of improper conduct. "I absolutely reject any suggestion of wrongdoing comprehensively", he told reporters, adding that both ICAC and the Electoral Commission had already examined the specific allegations.
NSW independent MLC Mark Latham (no relation to David Latham) has proposed in parliament that the Sunny Seafood donations might have served as a trial run for the more extensive scheme uncovered in Operation Aero.
The parliamentary committee currently examining the matter has urged the NSW Electoral Commission to disclose details of its investigation into the Kogarah donations and to interview David Latham directly.
Committee chair Abigail Boyd emphasised that "the NSW Electoral Commission has a clear obligation in the public interest to keep the people of NSW informed of progress with any investigation into this matter".
Meanwhile, an unnamed Labor MP suggested that the reported phone call evidence might not constitute a "smoking gun", noting that Mr Minns could have simply been requesting that party headquarters complete necessary paperwork for legitimate donations.
