Howdy dear availees...I know it's been a month since our last post, but I've been absolutely exhausted, traumatised, and altogether 'over' dragging myself back into that trauma-space by doin' this 'ere blog...but in the very best traditions of "don't give the bastards the satisfaction" I'm gunna' pick myself up and go again now that I feel able...(are we doin' the 'The Journey's Over' post today then?-Ed)...no, but that's one I do intend to get to before Xmas...basically, due to a close family member's chronic health issues, which included them moving to Adelaide (450kms away) for 6-7 months, I've done that drive a dozen+ times in the past year...(once 3 times in one month-Ed)...indeed...(and slept on the floor whilst up there-Ed)...yep...(and been through the stress/trauma of leaving your home unattended for those times-Ed)...yeah, and then there's the expense of car hire and especially fuel, etc, etc...and always in my peripherals, the memory of my own Cancer/Chemo experience in 2004/05...and if I thought I was exhausted this time last year, then I've got news for me...but what it's ultimately taught/reminded me is just how good I do have it, in material terms, relative to many others, and that's why I want to post about it...but I digress...
Today's post is constructed and presented in a context where I'm listening to the ABC News Radio broadcasting from the Federal Parliament in Canberra...and the no.1 topic up for discussion, take a wild guess...(ummm, well given we're doin' ICAC stuff today, I'm gunna' guess that it's stuff about the implementation of a Federal ICAC?-Ed)...bingo, and that takes us directly to the South Australian ICAC as introduced by SA Labor back in 2012/13...(albeit under extreme duress, 'cos initially the Rann/Weatherill Labor government refused to do it, but finally relented, and then concocted a farcically corrupt, inept, and secret ICAC model-Ed)...right, right, and correct...(an ICAC that proceeded to protect multiple corrupt Labor politicians, eg, all those involved in the definably corrupt Gillman Land Sale debasco (debacle tail-ending a fiasco)-Ed)...indeed, and we've covered Gillman and other issues in previous posts years ago...
And then early last year (2021) the SA Parliament passed new 'legislation' to hack-back ICAC's powers, effectively gutting it...(no great loss really given how corruptly it was operating anyway, protecting real crooks in positions of 'Authority' and/or influence, and instead attacking mid-level nobodies and a certain Whistleblower-Ed)...indeed, and that Whistleblower is of course me...but I will make one specific observation here...we've used the term "nobodies" as a catch-all to quantify the corruption of SA ICAC, but I acknowledge the terrible loss and trauma experienced by the family of the SAPol (police) officer who was 'secretly' investigated and harassed, etc, by his own 'colleagues' until he took his own life...
Last week MLC (Member of Legislative Council - Upper House of SA Parliament) Frank Pangallo used Parliamentary Privilege to rip into the former ICAC Commissioner Bruce Lander about the corruption evident in the functioning of SA ICAC...here's the ABC's report on that effort...***
SA Best MP Frank Pangallo accuses ICAC of corruption in speech under parliamentary privilege
By Patrick Martin and Rory McClarenA South Australian MP has launched an attack under parliamentary privilege on the state's anti-corruption watchdog, saying he has never seen more corruption within a government agency.
Key points:
- A corruption case was dropped against a high-ranking public servant last week
- MP Frank Pangallo says evidence against him was doctored and other evidence was ignored
- He says the media has ignored the stories of victims of the ICAC
Upper House SA Best MP Frank Pangallo accused the state's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of abuse of power and corruption itself, in its handling of several high-profile investigations.
Mr Pangallo — a former Today Tonight journalist — also alleged ICAC knowingly pursued a high-profile public servant, despite holding evidence that supported his claims that he had done nothing wrong.
He also told parliament the document was doctored before being submitted as evidence.
"If I was still a journalist, this scandalous abuse of power and public money would easily top the stories I've done spanning 46 years. It's that bad," he told the Legislative Council under parliamentary privilege.
"I have not seen this level of dishonest and corrupt activity within a government agency, let alone one dealing with corruption.
"They [ICAC] think they're untouchable. Protected — or so they thought — by the secrecy clauses that were built into the Act designed to protect the integrity of their investigations. Not for them to also be abused, as we now know has occurred."
Call for inquiry into ICAC and DPP
Mr Pangallo wants parliament to establish a special inquiry into ICAC and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
On his feet for more than an hour before the dinner break, and under the protection of parliamentary privilege, he focused on two high-profile ICAC probes, into former police officer Doug Barr and former Renewal SA boss, John Hanlon.
Mr Hanlon was charged with abuse of office when the commission was headed by Bruce Lander. Mr Hanlon always maintained his innocence.
His prosecution, handled by the DPP, was dropped last week after a District Court judge dismissed evidence against him.
Mr Barr took his own life amid an ICAC investigation.
Data 'doctored' against Hanlon
Under privilege, the crossbench MP detailed significant amounts of information from what he said were affidavits, memos and documents linked to the ICAC probe into Mr Hanlon.
Mr Hanlon was accused of using taxpayer funds to go to Germany to visit his family.
Mr Pangallo said phone data that showed Mr Hanlon was working and not visiting his family was held by an investigator before they left for Germany to interview people for the case.
He then said that data was doctored and used as evidence against Mr Hanlon.
"It was only discovered late in the piece, on November 4, after a subpoena had to be issued," Mr Pangallo said
"Why was it not discovered earlier? It was doctored evidence."
Review into investigation underway
Current Commissioner Ann Vanstone had already committed to a review of the investigation into Mr Hanlon, which occurred before she took the role.
Mr Maher refused to back Ms Vanstone on Wednesday.
"We've received an initial report, we'll decide what further information we need and that will inform what we do going forward," Mr Maher said.
On Thursday morning, Ms Vanstone said she was "still in the midst of a thorough examination of all the allegations in relation to the Hanlon matter".
"As I have previously made clear this investigation occurred in 2019, well before I took up my position," she said.
Ms Vanstone said she will "have something more to say" once she has finished the examination and discussed her findings with the ICAC reviewer, the Honourable John Sulan KC.
"Meanwhile, if Mr Pangallo has evidence that persons within ICAC are guilty of corruption then he should report that to Mr Sulan immediately," Ms Vanstone said.
"I understand that Mr Pangallo is tabling evidence from the Hanlon brief in the parliament.
"Parliamentary privilege is there for good reason. It can shine light on darkness."
"But I hope that in using it Mr Pangallo will table the entire brief so that the public will be able to have the whole context of this matter."
Mr Pangallo criticised the ABC, InDaily and the Australian Financial Review for their coverage of the cases and his bill that curtailed the powers of ICAC last year.
He argued each turned a blind eye to what he called the "unethical manner in which ICAC had conducted their investigations".
"Voracious media like the ABC and InDaily lapped it all up and amplified the public pile-on. They showed little interest in hearing the stories of the victims of ICAC," he told parliament.
***As regular availees will be aware, in October 2021 I drove that 450kms to Adelaide to give approx 90 minutes of document-supported testimony to the South Australian Parliament's Inquiry into the Damage, Harm or Adverse Outcomes Resulting from ICAC Investigations...as per our current series of posts about that, I remind dear availees that not one word of my extensive testimony appeared in the Inquiry's Final Report...I am named as a witness, but not a single word from/about me...
I was therefore somewhat shocked but hardly surprised to see Mr Pangallo quoted as saying "the media has ignored the stories of victims of the ICAC" 'cos in my experience of them, the Committee/Inquiry ignored me and the irrefutable evidence I provided them of the gross corruption of ICAC as it relates to the 2014-2018 ICAC/SAPol/Courts persecution of me...(but ironically he's also correct, for example, the way the rancidly complicit Mt Gambier ABC South East Radio corruptly 'reported' against you with a massively biased hyperbolic version of your "bizarre trial" whilst steadfastly refusing to acknowledge the litany of gross legal improprieties committed against you!-Ed)...yeah, fair point, but also remember that the ABC and The Border Watch were willing prosecution witnesses against me, so their deeply skewed/corrupted reportage of the actual goings-on in Court, that's hardly a surprise is it...(never said it was a surprise-Ed)...so anyhoos, having seen Mr Pangallo's effort, I wrote to him requesting that he again use Parliamentary Privilege to call-out the corruption of ICAC a second time, but this time to present what he knows about my rancidly corrupt ICAC/SAPol/Court persecution...and it goes a li'l somethin' like this...***
Mr Frank Pangallo
SA-BEST
14D/169 Unley Road
UNLEY SA 5061
Email: pangallo.office@parliament.sa.gov.au
Dear Mr Pangallo,
I refer to your speech in State Parliament yesterday (Wednesday 16th November 2022) about the corruption of SA's ICAC, and how that speech relates to my evidence and testimony to 'your' Inquiry into Adverse Outcomes and Harms of ICAC Investigations.
I was very disappointed to see that none of my extensive documented evidence and/or testimony was included in that ICAC Inquiry Final Report tabled earlier this year.
For the record, and directly related to your speech yesterday, I provided to the Inquiry a document-supported timeline proving irrefutably that;
in response to my reports/complaints about multiple 'corruption issues' with Mt Gambier City Council, ICAC conducted an 'investigation' (October 2013) that involved an un-recorded chat with me in a cafe, a similar chat with the then MGCC CEO Mark McShane, but no other interviews or any formal hearings, etc;
the then ICAC Commissioner Bruce Lander personally referred me to SAPol Anti-Corruption Branch in February 2014 for blogging about that alleged ICAC investigation;
then ACB raided my home on 7th-8th May 2014, but never charged me with anything;
leading to my lawyer writing twice to Comm Lander (July-August 2014) seeking many answers about the vagueness of the extremely powerful ICAC Act 2012 Sec56 legislation, including asking specifically about the un-defined term 'to be published';
Comm Lander then liaised with (then) Labor Attorney-General John Rau to have ICAC legislation altered via the Parliament (September-November 2014) to have a specific definition of 'to be published' added to the ICAC Act 2012;
I was then prosecuted retrospectively (February 2015-April 2018), but without having ever been formally charged or even Summonsed to my own trial;
resulting in me being 'Convicted' and fined a total of $540,000 (commuted to Community Service).
As you are aware, this is literally just the tip of a very large and unpleasant iceberg of questionable and even outright corrupt conduct by ICAC Comm Bruce Lander.
Aside from the defined litany of other questionable conduct by Comm Lander, I provided the ICAC Inquiry with irrefutable documented evidence that the ICAC Comm conspired, with or without the AG's knowledge, to change ICAC legislation so that I, a private citizen, could be prosecuted.
I do not wish to dismiss or diminish the trauma related to the cases you referred to yesterday, but could there possibly be a more directly corrupt mis-use of his powers by Comm Lander than what he has done to me?
I also respectfully remind you of the crux of my testimony, that my prosecution and 'Conviction' shows that the ICAC Act 2012 applies to every private citizen in South Australia, which contrasts sharply with the ICAC's own literature about ICAC dealing with 'corruption in public office', etc.
I re-iterate my original request to the Inquiry that my case be publicly explained so that every SA citizen may have an understanding of the massive metaphoric blade hanging over their heads as it relates to the as yet still undefined secrecy provisions of the ICAC Act 2012 Sec56.
This is particularly relevant given the extraordinary 4 year-long prosecution I was subjected to, described by local media as a “bizarre trial”.
To that end, to inform the public as to the realities of ICAC legislation, I request that you return to the Parliament and use your platform there to expose and explain what has happened to me.
I further note the recent extraordinarily disingenuous statements by former SAPol Comm Mal Hyde regarding the disastrous state of 'Child Protection' in South Australia.
As you are also aware, I and other parents have fought for 'Child Protection' reform since the abuse of our children in 2002, and that 'The System', including Mal Hyde, fully supported the “text-book grooming paedophile” teacher involved, and denigrated and dismissed and threatened us parents.
As I explained to 'your' ICAC Inquiry, it was this abuse issue that 1) eventually led to me starting my blog, and 2) ultimately it was the genuine reason I was persecuted so viciously and relentlessly by ICAC Comm Lander and SAPol.
However, my specific request today is that you speak in Parliament to the direct actions of Comm Lander as described here-in and explained/defined to 'your' ICAC inquiry.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Yours,
***That was emailed Thursday 17th November 2022, and other than an automated 'email received', Mr Pangallo has not responded...(well he's left you out of that Final Report, he's hardly gunna' suddenly about-face and pick-up that poisoned chalice that is Nick Fletcher, now is he?-Ed)...indeed, and in that context I also remind dear availees, as I did remind Mr Pangallo himself, that he and I spoke several times about the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up during his previous employ as producer of Ch7's Today Tonight (Adelaide version)...(did you remind him that he was effectively complicit in the St Martins Cover-up by refusing to act?-Ed)...no, it didn't need saying, he knows exactly what he has and/or hasn't done...and in that context he's no more or less complicit than the ABC, especially ABC South East, The Border Watch, The Advertiser (Murdoch), etc, etc...(in the context that they all know and they've all acted to ignore, deny, and/or protect the "text-book grooming paedophile teacher Glyn Dorling-Ed)...exactly...they all know, they are all complicit...
As unlikely as it is, there's a miniscule possibility that Mr Pangallo did talk about my experience/persecution, but that it was not reported...(you don't honestly believe that?-Ed)...no, I don't, but it's a remote possibility that must be acknowledged...(fair enough-Ed)...at some point I'll burrow into the Hansard and get back t' y'all...
So good luck y'all with this 'secretive' model of ICAC that Federal Labor is proposing, 'cos this is the rancidly corrupt joke that SA Labor unleashed on us the long-suffering citizenry...(so will the Federal ICAC have similar wholesale 'secrecy prosecution' legislation attached?-Ed)...that's the question, and the move toward 'secret hearings' indicates the answer...I hope to be proven wholly incorrect...
But closer to home, ICAC Corruption aside, as always and in all ways, there is one genuinely bipartisan issue in South Australian politics, and that's protect the long and full history of SA's Institutionalised Pro-Paedophile Corruption at all costs...
Tomorrow: Latest Corruption From Mt Gambier City Council
And I say 'corruption' with absolute confidence, 'cos that's what MGCC does, and literally very little else...(and will we point directly to the corrupt ICAC Comm Lander's protection/exoneration of the definably corrupt MGCC from 2013 on-through your rancidly corrupt ICAC/SAPol/Courts persecution, etc, and how that likely emboldened MGCC to launch into the unmitigated disaster and rort-fest that is the $80+million FARC (Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre)?-Ed)...that's exactly what we're gunna' do, with a brief stop at the iconic Old Rail Station, and whilst there ask 'which Councillor's relative/mate is MGCC moving in there given all the renovations they've been doin'?...(sounds like a cavalcade of fun-Ed)...well I'm certainly gunna' enjoy it...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
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