Minister Accused Again Over Office Expenses

Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday December 31, 2008

Andrew Clennell State Political Editor

THE NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, had the Department of Agriculture spend $4430 on office furniture for his two homes, leaked documents reveal, putting further pressure on the minister, who is already the subject of an investigation into the purchase of a $1299 television set.

The NSW Opposition will refer the minister's purchases to the Independent Commission Against Corruption and has written to the Premier's Department to ask for the furniture's inclusion in an investigation already set up into the 2005 purchase of the TV.

Mr Macdonald has offices in Governor Macquarie Tower in the city, in Parliament and in his electorate, and said yesterday that he also needed the offices in his homes in the city and in the country.

Two Oregon desks ($800 and $785 apiece), a bookcase ($550), a filing cabinet ($580), and two cabinets ($950 and $900), cost $4430 after discount.

When the Herald telephoned the number on the receipt from Yang Country Furniture, a Department of Primary Industries officer, Bill Anquetil, answered. He said he was seconded to the minister's office in 2003, where his tasks included setting up the home offices at Mr Macdonald's then homes at Carcoar, near Orange, and Northbridge.

The Opposition called yesterday for Mr Macdonald to be sacked. It was outrageous that he was using departmental funds to buy such furniture, said the shadow leader of the Legislative Assembly, Adrian Piccoli.

"Ian Macdonald has got more taxpayer-funded offices than the Governor-General," Mr Piccoli said. "Why a NSW Minister needs five offices simply makes no sense.

"Ian Macdonald gets paid more than $250,000 a year, he pays his wife [who works for the department] more than $110,000 a year and like every other Australian they should use their own income to buy home furniture - not taxpayers' money.

"He is acting like he thinks he is royalty and the most bewildering thing is that he doesn't see the problem with it."

Mr Macdonald said the department had bought what he was entitled to but he could not name other ministers who had had two home offices paid for from their departments.

"People do have the home offices, no question they have the home offices, and I'm perfectly entitled to it.

"It's classic American circa about 1750 - beautiful stuff, absolutely beautiful," the minister said ironically, before adding: "These are cheap and nasty bits of furniture - not much better than Ikea."

"I'm totally entitled to have my office set up. I live in the bush, Premier's [office] is a long way away from here, mate. I have to stay in contact with the department and the ministry."

"You go and price something now - a couple of desks and cabinets. They'd be dearer than what's sitting here."

Mr Macdonald said he did not have to use his own MP allowances in 2003 to buy the furniture because "in those days" the department used to pay for it and it was the quickest to "set me up".

"Obviously someone's been [unhappy] with the mini budget [department cuts] and has [leaked] these very old receipts."

Mr Macdonald said the television set, which became the subject of the internal investigation after media reports, had only ever been in his office and never been used at his home.

A spokeswoman for the Premier, Nathan Rees, said: "The Department of Premier and Cabinet has been asked to make inquiries into the matter and as such it would be inappropriate to make any further comment."

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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