SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Labor staffer speaks to police over rorts

Victoria Police is looking at allegations Labor rorted electorate office funds to pay for its 2014 election campaign.

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

A Labor staffer who blew the whistle on alleged electorate office rorts has spoken to Victoria Police.

Jake Finnigan says the Victorian Parliament paid him two days a week for campaign work he did for Labor in 2014.

He said he was employed in Lara to do electorate work but actually worked in the electorate of Bellarine, campaigning five days a week for the party.

"When you're organising for people to come in and make phone calls on behalf of the party and get out there and get involved with street stalls or door knocks, you'd hardly regard that as electorate work," Mr Finnigan told AAP on Tuesday.

The money involved could be anywhere from $490,000 to $800,000.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Victoria Police says it has received allegations of misuse of parliamentary entitlements and will assess the information to see if further action is required.

Mr Finnigan was one of 26 campaign officers who ran Labor's Community Action Network, which was widely credited with targeting the marginal seats the party needed to win power in 2014.

He said he had lost friends since speaking to the media about the rorting.

"At the end of the day, I've got a clear conscience, I felt something was wrong and I've spoken up about it," he said.

Mr Finnigan came forward after his mother's private contact details were leaked to the media and Labor figures started telling campaigners to stay quiet.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had nothing to add to earlier statements his party's actions during the election campaign were within the rules.

"And it would be totally inappropriate for me to be discussing those matters - as you say, and as is reported today - Victoria Police is looking at those issues," he told reporters.

Mr Finnigan said the campaign officers were told on their first day of training that their pay arrangements were sailing close to the wind but should be legal.

The Victorian Speaker and President of the upper house are investigating the matter after the allegations were raised in media reports.

The opposition says Labor targeted Liberal-turned-independent MP Geoff Shaw over a rort totalling $3000 and the latest improper spending amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The issue would not go away because Labor whistleblowers were behind it, Liberal leader Matthew Guy said.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world