Chris Hartcher, the NSW Liberal MP for Terrigal, believes that the conviction of former Aboriginal Affairs Minister Milton Orkopoulos on 28 child s-x and drugs charges opens the way for a full-scale investigation into his other victims – the Darkinjung Aboriginal people of the Central Coast.
Orkopoulos placed the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council in the hands of an administrator, Peter Hillig, of Parramatta-based chartered accountant Smith Hancock, in May 2006 for a period of six months.
He reappointed him in November 2006 on more generous financial terms just a few hours before his arrest. The arrangements were conducted via a fax machine because Hillig was holidaying in Vietnam.
On April 3 Hartcher complained in parliament that three weeks before his arrest, Orkopoulos launched a vicious personal attack on two former members of the land council, Alan Vandenburg and David Pross.
The disgraced Orkopoulos referred to the two men as failed directors and thieves even though they are well known and well respected citizens on the Central Coast “who have given a lifetime of commitment to Aboriginal welfare and advancement in NSW”, according to Hartcher, cousin of Sydney Morning Herald senior writer Peter Hartcher.
Hartcher continued: “There was never any evidence of impropriety made or even alleged against Mr Vandenburg or Mr Pross. There was no evidence of their misappropriating a single cent of Darkinjung money.”
Hartcher startled MPs when he told them that he had asked Premier Morris Iemma a series of questions “about an alleged trip Mr Hillig may have made to Vietnam with Mr Orkopolous when Mr Orkopolous was Minister”.
The questions on notice are:
(1) Did the former Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Milton Orkopoulos travel overseas at any time when he was Minister?
(2) If so:
(a) Where?
(b) For how long?
(c) For what purpose?
(d) At what cost?
(3) Who accompanied the Minister on each overseas trip?
(4) (a) Did Peter Hillig ever accompany the Minister on an overseas trip?
(b) If so when and where and at what cost?
Hillig’s appointment ends next month and there is great interest in whether he will be asked to continue as administrator or whether he will finalise his work. Of even greater interest will be the presentation of the council’s statement of affairs following his two-year custodianship.
Much is at stake in this political/financial/cultural stoush, not least the $40 million due to the Darkinjung people for the 2002 sale of a prime site at North Entrance to Mirvac Projects Pty Ltd.
No problem here with tipping them out on their ear Tom. Let Chris Hartcher onto the government benches-he can only do better. If’ it’s true that Aboriginal communities have placed full faith in the ALP only to be burned then they deserve both barrels. The real problem seems to be though that it’s being left to the Greens and the media to unearth the shocking state of the NSW ALP.
If Harcher believes there have been shenanigans with Orkopoulos’s dealings with the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council by all means he should be calling for an investigation but this shows how slow off the mark he is if it takes a tawdry s*x scandal written with all the tabloid sensationalisn possible for it to be drawn to his attention. With the NSW AG’s wacky announcement yesterday that convicted p**dos will not be allowed to have plastic surgery ( this guy has seen one too many Hollywood films) to change their identity, maybe the Liberals will discover another Labor scandal. Politicians do amaze sometimes.
No John it doesn’t actually. What it shows is just how loyal to the ALP the black community have been forever versus the Coalition, until now, and even then they often don’t want to deal outside their own people, that is the gubbas. But by talking with Chris Hartcher MP, one expects it shows just another segment of society that is learning up the legitimate role of the Coalition even with their corporate and establishment history in playing their oppositional role in a democracy. Not to trust the Coalition, or be their mates, but to put them to the work they are elected in the Big House to do. And it would be, and will be, the same vice versa when the ALP are turfed out on their ear. Put them to work as loyal opposition. It also shows just what a malicious grip by any number of related pecking orders, drip feeds , food chains and emotional violence that the ALP can sustain for so long a grip on their NSW hostages all over the place.
Between the Liberals letterboxing Penrith, the Woolongong Council shenanigans and the Orkopoulos scandal, NSW political culture is looking very sick indeed. Re-examining Orkopoulos’ ministerial decisions is a good, albeit small, first step. The man’s disregard for his position while engaging in appallingly abusive behaviour demands close investigation of this matter.