Arthur Sinodinos must explain himself over Icac inquiry or go, says Labor
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Version 0 of 1. Labor are calling for Arthur Sinodinos to stand aside if he does not explain in the Senate his dealings with Australian Water Holdings (AWH) from which he would have made up to $20m if it won a lucrative state government contract. The assistant treasurer is being asked by the opposition to “explain” himself in the Senate at 9.30am on Wednesday, according to the manager of opposition business, Tony Burke. “He will get a chance today to push his case to the Senate and If he can explain things properly then so be it. If he can’t, at that point, it is right and proper the prime minister ask him to stand aside,” he told ABC Radio. Sinodinos has been called as a witness to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) hearing into the allegedly Obeid family-backed AWH. Icac has heard this week Sinodinos was made a director of the company in 2008 when he was the treasurer of the state New South Wales Liberal party to open lines of communication with the party. Icac heard Sinodinos was paid $200,000 for 100 hours’ work a year and stood to make between $10m and $20m if the company obtained a NSW government water contract, which did not eventuate. When asked if it was fair for Labor to attack Sinodinos when it had stood by Craig Thomson for so long, Burke said: “We’re talking about someone who is the minister for this government who is in charge of changes that will remove transparency for superannuation holders who will remove a whole series of accountabilities that matter. The integrity of someone in that role matters a lot.” Labor has increased the pressure on Sinodinos after most of the opposition members’ public statements on Tuesday held back from calling for his resignation, instead saying it was a serious matter. “What are the benchmarks Tony Abbott set in the last term? If Tony Abbott argues that something happened before parliament it doesn’t count, is the exact opposite of everything he said for three years during the last term,” Burke said. Sinodinos made a statement to the senate during question time on Tuesday, saying he would be vindicated by Icac, at which he is due to appear in the next two weeks. “The only statement I can make as the commission of inquiry is under way is I will be attending as a witness and watch this space. I will be vindicated in terms of what I’ve said to the Senate,” he said, referring to previous statements to the Senate that he had divested himself of all AWH interests before entering the Senate in 2011. “And if I need any tutoring on what to say before Icac I can ask Greg Combet or minister [Doug] Cameron,” Sinodinos said. Labor asked three questions and six supplementary questions relating to Icac in Tuesday’s question time but five were ruled out of order. The leader of opposition in the Senate, Penny Wong, accused the government of colluding in a “cover-up” with Sinodinos in a statement at the end of the hour. Sinodinos’s colleagues have closed ranks around him with various government frontbenchers and backbenchers praising Sinodinos and saying it was a matter for Icac. The prime minister has said it is a matter for Icac. |