Party official on charge of enrolment fraud

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

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COMMENT: This newsitem, arising from Queensland electoral enrolment fraud convictions and the ensuing inquiries, was discreetly tucked away on a left-hand page of the newspaper's Information Technology, i.e., Computers etc., liftout section, under a heading that said nothing about elections or politics -- "Executive in court".
   The newspaper evidently doesn't see it as amazing that a charge of cheating has been made 15 years after the alleged events occurred! Nor thought it worth telling readers that late in 2000 Queensland's Deputy Premier had resigned his post, and another parliamentarian resigned his seat, over similar allegations. Nor did the paper seek a comment from someone expressing surprise that the Labor Party, the party whose members were carrying out these practices, is still in power in Queensland!
   It says a lot about politicians that the W.A. Minister for Electoral Affairs is still stoutly maintaining (25 September 2001) that "there has been no evidence of widespread fraud in electoral enrolment in Australia." See McGinty 2.
   But, Mr Barbagallo who has to face committal proceedings (see above) had already admitted to the Criminal Justice Commission, Queensland, Shepherdson Inquiry, that he organised a false enrolment scheme. The April 2001 summary says:

   The original terms of reference were further extended when information was received that a number of electoral enrolments for the 1986 plebiscite in South Brisbane were false. Two of the enrolments related to two Members of the Legislative Assembly -- Michael Hans Kaiser and Paul Thomas Lucas. The former resigned as the Member for Woodridge shortly afterwards; the latter is still an MLA.
   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.
Enrolment of Michael Kaiser
   In 1986 Michael Kaiser was a young member of the Party. He admitted to the Inquiry that he signed an electoral enrolment form dated 7 January 1986 enrolling him at 11 Seventh Avenue, Coorparoo, even though he never lived there. He resigned as the Member for Woodridge immediately after making this admission. However, as the time limitation for prosecuting a false enrolment offence had passed no recommendation to the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions could be made.
-- Criminal Justice Commission, Queensland, http://www.cjc.qld.gov.au/shepinquiry/executivesummary.shtml

And what do you think the Labor Government of Queensland is planning for the Criminal Justice Commission? Well, "restructuring" and "cost-saving" would be one way of putting it. It will be amalgamated with another government agency, it was announced around October 2001. In other words, its independence will be destroyed. Are you surprised? -- END OF COMMENT

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