GOVERNMENT MEDIA MONITORING UNIT

DATE: FEBRUARY 28TH, 2007

TIME: 8.53AM

STATION: 6PR MORNINGS (BEAUMONT)

SUBJECT: OMODEI – CCC INQUIRY FALLOUT

This transcript is produced for information purposes only. Although all care is taken, no warranty as to its accuracy or completeness is given. It is your responsibility to ensure by independent verification that all information is correct before placing any reliance on it.

SIMON BEAUMONT

Let’s go now to Paul Omodei, the member for Warren-Blackwood and the leader of the State Opposition. Paul, good morning.

Firstly, you heard this morning, would you like to make any response?

PAUL OMODEI

Look, I was astounded. I thought to myself what a con artist. You know, the facts of the matter are he finished off by saying that everybody had been putting a lid on it. He was the fellow that opened the door to Brian Burke and to Julian Grill. He was the fellow that appointed to the resources portfolio when he knew he was a very good friend of Julian Grill’s.

But it gets worse than that, Simon. We found out yesterday that the commissioner had made a statement in the CCC at 11.36 saying that there’d actually been three meetings… three private meetings with the Government, including the Premier’s chief-of-staff, the Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and also the Solicitor General. There was a meeting on the … Wednesday the 14th, Wednesday the 21st and Friday the 23rd, where the information that was going to the CCC was given to those officers with authority to report to the Premier.

Three meetings, Simon. Three meetings where all of the information that was going to the CCC were given to these officers. Obvisouly the Premier knew back then what was going to the CCC. So what did he do about it? Instead of allowing it to go out into the public, he tried to suppress that.

SIMON BEAUMONT

- 2 –

So those meetings were essentially about trying… not only receiving the information, but attempting to have it suppressed, were they?

PAUL OMODEI

They then moved… the Government of Western Australia then moved to try and have that information suppressed. And the commissioner overruled them.

They had the option of going to the Supreme Court to appeal against the commissioner’s decision, but chose not to. You’d have to ask yourself why. Of course, if it went to the Supreme Court, all of that information would be out in the open.

But this Premier, who is talking about people putting a lid on it, he knew all the time. He’s been exposed as a fraud. He said in Parliament yesterday that he was going to root out corruption. He makes himself out to be the saviour that’s going to stamp out corruption. Most of the Labor Party members owe their … owe their survival, owe their existence in Parliament to Brian Burke and Julian Grill. And I suspect he’s one of them.

SIMON BEAUMONT

Paul, what about his argument, Paul, that he… it was his Government that initiated the CCC, the Corruption and Crime Commission, and if he hadn’t done that, this … none of this would have been exposed because it would of just kept going on? He said it’s been going on even while Gallop was premier and it was the CCC that has rooted it out.

PAUL OMODEI

Certainly the CCC is doing its job, and it was supported by the Opposition. But that’s not the point, Simon, the point is this, is that the Labor Party in Western Australia are a morally and ethically bankrupt mob. The corruption in this Government goes right to the core of Government. There are senior public servants that are now implicated. Brian Burke used to boast that when he was premier that he had laced the public service with so many people that it would take 25 years to root them out.

Now Alan Carpenter’s got no alternative. He is pretending … he’s pretending that he wanted to sack these people… he never intended to sack these people, he tried to suppress information from the public of Western Australia. Talk about morally bankrupt.

SIMON BEAUMONT

On a day to day basis, Carpenter also made the point that he inherited some aspects of the ministry, he had an opportunity for a reshuffle last year. But the situation is not dissimilar to yours. You inherit a frontbench, you have the opportunity to review that frontbench, but you still make decisions on who’s on that frontbench based on … based on influences and based on friendships and alliances and strategic partnerships.

Do you sympathise that … with him at all that he hasn’t been able to remove some factions from his frontbench as he would of liked? - 3 –

PAUL OMODEI

Totally different, Simon. In the Liberal Party the leader has the total say as to who goes on his frontbench. I select my people on ability and on honesty and integrity.

What happens in the Labor Party is that the factions and the union movement deliver people to the Premier, he has no alternative who he puts on the bench… on the frontbench. He can object, he can say no, but he’s chosen not to.

Now he was the person … when he came in as Premier, he decided to give Norm Marlborough a job, he decided to give Tony McRae a job and he promoted John Bowler to the resources portfolio, the most important portfolio in the state.

So what has happened, yesterday he came into the Parliament, he pledged in the Parliament to root out corruption in Government and now he’s attempted to cover up the activities of his ministers. It is just absolutely disgraceful.

I think it’s a massive revelation by the commissioner. If the commissioner hadn’t released this information, we wouldn’t have known. And if they had of suppressed it, we could have still had McRae and Bowler in the ministry.

SIMON BEAUMONT

Paul, just finally - we are running out of time somewhat - our state and the problems with the CCC and with our Cabinet and our Government have featured on the 7.30 Report, the national program, this week, we’re on the front cover of The Australian today, the national paper, we’re making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

PAUL OMODEI

Look it’s… it’s devastating for people who are members of Parliament who do their job properly and it’s damaging the credibility of the state of Western Australia, whether it be the credibility of the Parliament or the credibility of our state. So it is tarnishing our state.

This Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry has opened up a Pandora’s box. You have to ask the question now can … how valid are those decisions? What is the integrity of the decisions of the Cabinet? Has it opened up the state to litigation from private people who have been obviously disaffected by the decisions and the manipulations of these corrupt ministers?

SIMON BEAUMONT

Alright, Paul, we’ll have to leave it there.

Ends… dr