Chris Minns, the new Premier of New South Wales, is currently facing a firestorm. This follows news that a 2014 Labor fundraiser recently re-emerged to implicate him. The second half of the event took place at the Sunny Seafood restaurant, located in Hurstville, Sydney and it’s undercut state laws against foreign donations. Minns conceded that he doesn’t recall the specifics of that multibillion-dollar fundraiser from 10 years back. Investigators are now investigating it after allegations arose that it was actually a conspiracy to circumvent state donation restrictions.
Earlier last month, worries about the fundraiser were raised. This news comes on the heels of a former Labor staffer releasing an affidavit to a parliamentary inquiry on. This development raised alarms regarding the event’s past fundraising. Despite attracting nearly 200 supporters, it was able to report raising less than $6,000 total from just ten donors.
Inquiry into Fundraising Practices
At a recent press conference, Premier Minns faced tough questions about the disparity between reported attendance versus real numbers. He was in the hot seat over the large sums raised. When pressed on how so much money could be unaccounted for from an event of that magnitude, he was unable to provide an answer. His consternation was evident as he fumbled for a response.
“I can’t remember the fundraiser. It was 11 years ago,” – Chris Minns
He understood that people would want to purchase more than one table. This may have fueled the confusion over the actual fundraising totals. Though he can’t now remember, Minns did pledge to uphold transparency and integrity in his campaign operations.
“In fairness I would have gone to hundreds of fundraisers between then and now, and probably before that as well,” – Chris Minns
Denial of Wrongdoing
Confronted with charges that he had colluded to circumvent contribution limits, Minns adamantly refuted the charges against him. He stressed that he never intended to use undocumented contributions to his campaign-related expenditures.
“I completely and emphatically deny it, as well as any ancillary conversations that people may be alleging that took place in relation to that,” – Chris Minns
Minns took particular aim at the investigations by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC). His nonprofit asserted that they conducted an extensive investigation into his 2014 fundraiser and his 2015 fundraising report.
“But I do know that the [NSWEC] has thoroughly investigated not just that fundraiser, but the 2015 fundraising report supplied by myself, by the New South Wales Labor Party, many years ago,” – Chris Minns
Ongoing Discussions and Next Steps
Our investigation of the issue is ongoing as officials try to sort out just what happened with the fundraiser. John Graham, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, urged more consultation between MPs and political parties. He thinks that this is crucial if we’re really going to deal with the legacy problems that persist.
“There’s more work to do to consult with MPs, with parties and inside the government about the exact contents of that,” – John Graham
Only time will tell if Premier Minns doubles down while the IBAC investigation plays out. Nonetheless, he is now facing considerable pressure to more clearly define the dot-connecting allegations against him.
