https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ne...y/news-story/67686dd3baf78563d8cb8cab9bce21d9
ICAC raids NSW Labor Party offices in Sydney
The NSW Labor Party’s head office in Sydney has been raided by the Independent Commission Against Corruption today as part of an investigation into ALP donations.
Officials of the NSW ICAC are believed to have searched the ALP’s Sussex Street office for financial documents linked to an annual party fundraising event called the Chinese Friends of Labor.
The ICAC declined to comment on the raid with a spokeswoman saying the corruption investigator did not provide detail on operational matters.
While the precise nature of the investigation remains unclear at this stage, it is known that the NSW Labor Party has fostered close ties with prominent wealthy businessmen from the Chinese community in Sydney.
Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari quit politics because of a scandal over his relationship with one businessman and large party donor, Huang Xiangmo.
In 2016, it was reported that another Chinese-born businessman with links to Mr Dastyari, Minshen Zhu, had written a $2000 cheque for NSW Labor candidate Chris Minns as a donation for the 2015 election — yet Mr Zhu had apparently never met Mr Minns. The cheque was not cashed.
Other Labor MPs with close ties to the Chinese community include federal MPs Chris Bowen. One key link between the NSW ALP and the Chinese community over the years has been Upper House MP Ernest Wong, a Burwood councillor before he was given the seat of retiring MP and former Labor treasurer Eric Roozendaal. Mr Roozendaal then went on to work for Mr Huang afterwards.
The ICAC raid earlier today occurred while all senior officials including NSW ALP boss Kaila Murnain were in Adelaide at the party’s national conference.
NSW federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite said today that NSW Labor staff were co-operating with ICAC and that the anti-corruption watchdog does “great work.”
“The officials and the staff and the branch officers of NSW are co-operating to ensure ICAC can conduct their investigation,” he told Sky News.
“They are a body that’s done great work in NSW and has the support of the broad populace. It’s one of the reasons why Labor has moved to establish a National Integrity Commission. We’ve based it on the work of ICACs like the one in NSW.”
When asked if it would be unfair if ICAC held hearings before a federal election on their current investigation, Mr Thistlethwaite said he would not “second-guess” the anti-corruption watchdog.
“You can’t second guess the work of ICAC ... they should be given the opportunity to conduct this investigation and any investigation,” he said.
Additional reporting: Richard Ferguson
