❓ Hon. Tjorn Sibma questions the Attorney General regarding claims that Jim Chown, a former Liberal MP, was under investigation by the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) and abused his position to block the reappointment of John McKechnie KC.
AnsweredQoN 91Legislative Council
Asked
12 March 2024
Member
Portfolio
parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney General
QuestionView source ↗
CORRUPTION, CRIME AND MISCONDUCT AMENDMENT BILL
2023 —ATTORNEY GENERAL'S COMMENTS
91. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the Attorney General's
29 August 2023 contribution during debate on the Corruption, Crime and
Misconduct Amendment Bill 2023, and I specifically draw his attention to his
claims that ''the reappointment of the Honourable John McKechnie, KC,
was stymied by a corrupt Liberal, Jim Chown'' and, further, his
insinuation that Mr Chown abused his
parliamentary committee membership to ''put the block on the
investigation into himself''.
(1) How did he
form the view that Mr Chown was the target of a Corruption and Crime Commission
investigation at the time the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and
Crime Commission blocked the reappointment of the Honourable John McKechnie,
KC?
(2) Where is the
evidence that Mr Chown was ''under investigation at the time'' by
the CCC, and can he table that evidence?
(3) Is it true
that Mr Chown was under investigation?
2023 —ATTORNEY GENERAL'S COMMENTS
91. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the Attorney General's
29 August 2023 contribution during debate on the Corruption, Crime and
Misconduct Amendment Bill 2023, and I specifically draw his attention to his
claims that ''the reappointment of the Honourable John McKechnie, KC,
was stymied by a corrupt Liberal, Jim Chown'' and, further, his
insinuation that Mr Chown abused his
parliamentary committee membership to ''put the block on the
investigation into himself''.
(1) How did he
form the view that Mr Chown was the target of a Corruption and Crime Commission
investigation at the time the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and
Crime Commission blocked the reappointment of the Honourable John McKechnie,
KC?
(2) Where is the
evidence that Mr Chown was ''under investigation at the time'' by
the CCC, and can he table that evidence?
(3) Is it true
that Mr Chown was under investigation?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided to me by the Attorney General. It is in the first person, but
it does refer to the Attorney General.
(1)–(3) I
formed the view that Mr Chown had been under investigation after being in the
presence of the notifier, when the notifier was advised by the CCC that the
allegation of serious misconduct or corruption against Mr Chown was under
active assessment. I was named in a disclosure notice as a person to whom this information may be disclosed in the public
interest. It is my understanding that, as Operation Betelgeuse had been concluded and Mr Chown had ceased to be a member
of Parliament, the matter was not pursued further.
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided to me by the Attorney General. It is in the first person, but
it does refer to the Attorney General.
(1)–(3) I
formed the view that Mr Chown had been under investigation after being in the
presence of the notifier, when the notifier was advised by the CCC that the
allegation of serious misconduct or corruption against Mr Chown was under
active assessment. I was named in a disclosure notice as a person to whom this information may be disclosed in the public
interest. It is my understanding that, as Operation Betelgeuse had been concluded and Mr Chown had ceased to be a member
of Parliament, the matter was not pursued further.
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