WA Labor Minister's electoral fraud denials re-rebutted

4 October 2001

The Hon. Jim McGinty, MLA,
Attorney-General, and Minister for Electoral Affairs,
30th Floor, Allendale Square,
77 St George's Ter,
Perth WA 6000.

Dear Mr McGinty,

Re: ELECTORAL FRAUD

  Thanks for your 25 September letter, in which you stand by your 4 September statement that there has been no evidence of widespread fraud in electoral enrolment in Australia. Impartial people, in a better position than I am to learn some of the facts, are quite worried by what they have learned of the long-term and widespread nature of the cheating.

  2. Re-reading the section of the Shepherdson Inquiry executive summary that you quoted, I have noticed that it was written as a good lawyer or scientist ought to write it. "No evidence, however, was revealed indicating that the tactic had been generally used to influence the outcome of public elections" says just that -- the inquiry didn't get such evidence. To have got any evidence at all about the 1986 and other cheating was good fortune for the authorities.

  3. The Western Australia evidence from the 1989 State electoral fraud was, quite properly, not presented to the Queensland inquiry. However, some evidence at that time in W.A. was brought before a Judge, but the Liberal hierarchy at the time squashed the cases.

  4. This current Queensland newsitem was discreetly tucked away in the Information Technology section of a national newspaper!

28 THE AUSTRALIAN --Tuesday October 2 2001

Executive in court

QUEENSLAND's Distributed Systems Technology Centre chief executive David Barbagallo will face a committal hearing next February to answer electoral fraud charges.
The former Queensland Labor Government adviser faces charges of uttering and forging electoral enrolment forms in 1986.
A committal hearing has been set for February 5.

Jennifer Foreshew
AAP

  5. A David Barbagallo was mentioned in the executive summary of the Shepherdson Inquiry of the Criminal Justice Commission, Queensland, April 2001 report, as follows:

David Barbagallo, who at the time of the plebiscite was Secretary of the East Brisbane branch of the ALP, admitted to the Inquiry that he organised a scheme to enrol people in the South Brisbane electorate for the purposes of the 1986 plebiscite. He admitted that, as part of his scheme, some people (associated with the AWU faction) with their knowledge and consent, were falsely enrolled at an address in the South Brisbane electorate.

  6. Later in the CJC summary it was stated:

Recommendations that forgery charges against Barbagallo be considered

While admitting organising consensual false enrolments, David Barbagallo did not admit forging electoral enrolment forms in the names of four people -- Brown, Heeremans, Kynaston and Crowley.

It is considered that the admissible evidence was sufficient to recommend that the matter be referred to the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration as to whether Barbagallo should be charged with forgery of all or any of these four application forms.

For similar reasons as related to Kaiser, it is not recommended that consideration be given to any conspiracy charge.

-- Source: http://www.cjc.qld.gov.au/shepinquiry/executivesummary.shtml

  7. You state that "the requirement for first-time enrolees to provide proof of identity and the requirement for all people enrolling or changing enrolment details to obtain the signature of a qualified witness will be a deterrent to enrolment". I disagree -- no courageous "dinkum Aussie" will be put off enrolling just because there is some red tape. Nearly everyone manages to open a bank account and get a driver's licence, in spite of the security measures that have been in place for some years now. Security measures are, since the 11 September terrorist attacks in the U.S.A., more important than ever.

  8. Until the Federal Parliament changed federal enrolment laws, to enrol was about as easy as buying a train ticket. False enrolments are used for Social Security and similar frauds, and the more such frauds are exposed, the more that certain sections of the community harden their hearts against the poor and the aged, and the harder it is for social reformers to improve their condition through legislative means. And, don't you think that the right to affect the future of the State and nation is more important than the bit of inconvenience in taking proof of identity when enrolling to vote?

  9. The Federal laws were changed after an inquiry into the 1996 elections, and passed through both Houses in 1999. The Senate included Democrats, Greens, and One Nation. Don't you think that those minor parties heard some worrying facts, and weighed up the pros and cons? Isn't it most likely that the electoral fraud is advantageous to only one political party? How else can you explain this:

The federal ALP ignored warnings in the early 1990s about electoral rorting, former Queensland Labor president Ian McLean said yesterday.
-- The Age, Melbourne, November 27 2000, Greg Roberts, "ALP 'ignored' warnings on electoral fraud", http://www.theage.com.au/news/20001127/A39256-2000Nov26.html

The "well-known scheme" (Karen Ehrmann) is a wonderful help in marginal seats -- and there are more and more of these nowadays.

  10. The Federal Parliament's laws will change federal roll practices, so if this State does not agree more taxpayers' funds will have to be spent on re-establishing a State electoral roll. Wasting money on an electoral roll is not the way to convince voters that the Gallop Government needs more taxes!

  11. Here's hoping that the latest Queensland news is checked carefully for your department's files!

                                                          Yours faithfully,

                                                          John Massam

McGintyJimElectFraud 04Oct01.doc Typed on Word 2000

Mr J Massam
46 Cobine Way
GREENWOOD WA 6024

Dear Mr Massam

Your further correspondence dated 4 October 2001 is acknowledged.

I have read your letter and noted your additional comments about electoral fraud throughout Australia, including the excerpt from The Australian of 2 October last.

I appreciate you informing me of your views on this subject and would like to thank you for taking an interest in Australia's electoral process.

Yours sincerely

JIM McGINTY MLA
ATTORNEY GENERAL
MINISTER FOR ELECTORAL AFFAIRS

19 OCT 2001

30th Floor Allendale Square 77 St George's Terrace Perth WA 6000 Tel: +61 8 9220 5000   Fax +61 8 9221 2068 ABN: 61313082730