The NSW Government whip, his property-developer father and a Liberal Party campaign manager are due to appear in the witness box as Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) hearings resume.

The corruption watchdog is investigating alleged Liberal Party slush funds and donations for political favours.

Operation Spicer had adjourned for two months after three-and-a-half weeks of explosive public hearings in May rocked the Government and claimed several political scalps, including that of then-premier Barry O'Farrell.

This next phase of the inquiry, which is expected to run for at least three weeks, will largely focus on alleged dodgy dealings in the seat of Newcastle in the lead up to the 2011 election.

It will examine whether the campaign of Newcastle Liberal MP Tim Owen was secretly bankrolled by donations from banned donors, including Buildev and its majority shareholder Nathan Tinkler, Newcastle Lord Mayor and property developer Jeff McCloy and Hunter Land founder Hilton Grugeon.

Mr Owen announced during the last hearings he would not recontest his seat at next year's election because he now believed it was "highly likely" that prohibited donors had contributed to his campaign, although he insisted it was without his knowledge.

Among those scheduled to give evidence at the ICAC this week were Charlestown MP and Government whip Andrew Cornwell, who was the branch president of the Liberal Party in Newcastle before stepping aside to run for his seat in 2011.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/icac-inquiry-into-nsw-political-donations-liberals-resumes/5650350

If you needed businessman Nathan Tinkler’s support, former NSW Liberal police minister Mike Gallacher was the man to see, a corruption inquiry has heard.

Gallacher had the connections to Tinkler – known among central coast Liberals as the “Big Man” – that disgraced Newcastle MP Tim Owen and his campaign manager Hugh Thomson did not, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) was told .

While preparing for the 2011 NSW election, Owen and Thomson wanted to hire Luke Grant as a media strategist on a monthly wage of about $10,000 to $12,500.

Counsel assisting Icac Geoffrey Watson read from Thomson’s witness statement on Wednesday.

“’We found means to remunerate Luke Grant for Mr Owen’s campaign’. Who was in the ‘we’?” Watson asked. “You, presumably were one of the we.”

“Aaaah, yeah, [and] Mike Gallacher and Tim Owen,” Thomson replied. Thomson said he had spoken to Gallacher and Owen about “a large donation”, Icac heard.

Documents tendered at Icac show that in mid-December 2010 Thomson texted Gallacher asking, “How’s our Big Man going with the $120k”

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/icac-hears-mike-gallacher-ran-liberals-central-coast-deals-with-nathan-tinkler

The Member for Swansea, Garry Edwards, is the latest NSW Government MP to be implicated in the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into illegal campaign funding in the Hunter region.

Lord Mayor of Newcastle Jeff McCloy has told ICAC he gave Mr Edwards $10,000 in cash and another $1,500 for raffle tickets.

Mr McCloy said he felt like a "walking ATM", and confirmed he had also given $10,000 each to the former member for Charlestown, Andrew Cornwell, the former member for Newcastle, Tim Owen and Mr Owen's campaign manager, Hugh Thomson.

He said Mr Edwards had approached him for money at his home and that people came to him all the time for money.

Mr McCloy also said he thought he remembered something about giving money to the Liberal member for Maitland, Robyn Parker, but was vague about the details.

"I have a nagging thing in the back of my head about buying her husband some CDs," he said.

He said he could not remember all the donations he made at private hearing earlier this year at the ICAC because he gave away $6,500 a week.

"Jeff McCloy is an individual, not a property developer, because he doesn't make development applications," Mr McCloy said.

"I wished to remain anonymous and that little plan has not worked out too well."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-14/icac-swansea-mp-implicated-in-illegal-campaign-funding/5670408

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Note: Jeff McCloy is not a "developer" but a "builder" dealing with developers.

Although the article does not seem to mention it, Garry Edwards is a liberal (CONservative) member of parliament (NSW)... His website states:

The Swansea electorate spans from Jewells to Budgewoi and encompasses both the Hunter and Central Coast regions. The electorate is made up of many distinct local communities, each with its own unique character.

I am determined to continue fighting for our fair share of NSW Government funding and to stand up in Macquarie Street for the things that really matter.

This website is just one way of how I keep in touch with all of you. I am regularly out and about with my Mobile Office, listening to your concerns at local shopping centres, school fetes and market days. I will also keep you informed through my newsletter, The Swansea Review, my e-newsletter, community events and meetings with local residents.

http://www.garryedwards.com.au/

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will investigate whether a 10th state Liberal MP, Member for Port Stephens Craig Baumann, had questionable dealings with developers.

ICAC Commissioner Megan Latham said this morning that the watchdog was now looking at whether Mr Baumann and his accountant made false declarations to conceal benefits exchanged with developers Hilton Grugeon and Jeff McCloy.

Mr McCloy is also the former mayor of Newcastle.

All three men have been listed to give evidence at the ICAC inquiry alleged illegal political donations on Friday.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-12/icac-icac-to-probe-craig-baumann-10th-liberal-mp-developer-links/5738778

After 10 (ten) Liberal (CONservative) members of parliament have had their marching orders for having taken money from developers when such donations to political parties election fund was illegal, a good question emerges.

The Saturday Paper asks such a big question: ICAC poses one big question: why would a party buy an election it had already won? By Mike Seccombe.

One has to remember that Labor then had been rotting from the inside, despite the efforts of three past Labor premiers — Morris Iemma, Nathan Rees and Kristina Keneally — to stamp out the "corrupt" influence of Obeid and Tripodi (and others including Macdonald). I know they tried hard, quietly. The MMMM (mediocre mass media de mierda) led by the merde-och press wanted blood and the sacking of all the Labor people not to ever be seen again...

So basically the election was going to be a wipe-out of Labor and a resounding victory for the Liberals (CONservatives). So why on earth did many of the Libs candidates took illegal donations?

Well one can assume by the exchange of witnesses on the ICAC stand that some of these liberals are either stupid, devious, greedy or ready to do business with those developers who paid their "dues"....

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"Did you know that that was money coming from a property developer?"

"No, I didn't"

"What did the name of it, Elmslea Land Developments, tell you about it?"

"Ah, yeah..."

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Buy the Saturday Paper... Dump the murdoch drivel...

However, when the Liberal Party claimed no knowledge of the donation and a trace was put on the cheques it turned out that they had ended up in Doug Eaton’s company account of Eaton & Sons.

After all the tall stories, the final result was that Doug Eaton was kicked out of the Liberal Party, however he was not referred to police as many say he should have been.

It would seem once bitten twice not so shy in terms of the Liberal Party, who have once again embraced Doug Eaton as one of their own.

So who would be crazy enough to back someone like this in an electorate that has already bore the shame of having a member resign over evidence revealed at a corruption hearing?

Quite a few it would seem, but it is interesting to hear who some of those are.

Doug Eaton was part of the Berkley Vale branch, at which the current Federal member for Dobell was the Treasurer; sources allege she has been instrumental in seeing Eaton reinstated into the Party. McNamara’s husband is also known as a close friend of Greg Best, Eaton’s long term right hand man.

McNamara who has already been dragged into ICAC regarding the Liberals dodgy donations scandal was keen to distance herself from Doug Eaton now the wheels are falling off his campaign bus.

Read more: https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/eaton-away-at-the-heart-of-the-nsw-libs,7103

Apparently, the picture at top was taken at Catherine Hill Bay (Central Coast) where a hugely controversial HUGE development has been mooted on the land (formerly or still) held by a mining company... The development could be 10 times bigger than the village... 

''We are not ridiculous people - we have just tried to stop a developer developing on conservation land.''