sometimes they take it personally
Every time I think the Howard government has gone too far, the whole creaky ship sails through the roiling ocean of political outrage into some lagoon of public indifference.
But this incident might be different, because it involves lawyers, it is neatly contained, it touches the public service, it affects Labor loyalists directly, and it has an untidy trail into Asian crime.
Trent Smith has now been sacked from DFAT, after three years on full pay with no work. Originally, he was suspected of the Lackey Leak late in 2002.
“JOHN HIGHFIELD: In an atmosphere of damage control from the Howard Government, the Opposition is pressing its claim the Prime Minister has misled the Australia people, committing to an American-led attack on Iraq regardless of what decisions are taken by the United Nations.
In nearly a dozen special media appearances since last night, the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has been attempting to counter allegations from a leaked conversation he had with the New Zealand High Commissioner in Canberra three months ago.
During the conversation, Mr Downer said that if the United Nations processes failed to stop military action against Iraq, the Australian Government would not be able to pull its ships out of the Gulf.
Mr Downer is adamant though that he was speaking only about our contribution to the Multinational Interception Force, which has been enforcing sanctions for nearly 10 years now. He was not speaking about Defence personnel and military craft recently sent for pre-positioning in the vicinity of Iraq for the other action.”
Smith had been an ALP advisor between 1997 and 1999. However, he was not the leaker, who has never been identified.
“Although an Australian Federal Police investigation found Mr Smith was not behind the “Lackey leak”, the department went on to spend $700,000 investigating Mr Smith, including hiring two external consultants.”
After trawling through 8000 emails, they found one exchange, which he wrote on holiday, and on his own computer. He was corresponding with Ashley Wells, an advisor to Kevin Rudd, who wanted to know where he could find some information.
You might think this was none of the government’s business, and part of a citizen’s rights to discuss the body politic. But the Libs thought it was enough reason to sack him.
One Matthew Hyndes, said by Senator Robert Ray to have “National Party connections” made some allegations against Smith, which are unknown to the public. This is how The Age describes him:
“Mr Hyndes is serving as Australia’s deputy high commissioner in Sri Lanka after volunteering information about Mr Smith. The senator said Mr Hyndes had been found guilty of breaching the public service code and demoted after preparing a report for a private company using information obtained in the course of his work at the Australian embassy in Bangkok in the mid 1990s.
Australia’s National Personal Insolvency Index shows Mr Hyndes was declared bankrupt in 1999 after he got involved with Australian entrepreneur Tim Gatland’s business dealings in Thailand. Mr Gatland went missing in Thailand in 1996 and is presumed murdered. Mr Hyndes’ bankruptcy was annulled in 2001.
Documents from Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission show Mr Hyndes breached the country’s financial laws in 1996 by acquiring shares of Thai Tanakorn Finance — a company subject to a hostile takeover bid by Mr Gatland — without filing proper reports.
In 1998, the NSW Supreme Court heard how $46 million passed through a bank account in Mr Hyndes’ name. Senator Ray said that money had not been recovered.”
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Trent Smith’s wrongful dismissal case starts in February.
UPDATE: The ALP is reminding people that the government failed to find the leaker who sent a top-secret report about the invasion of Iraq written by Andrew Wilkie to our favourite reactionary troll, Andrew Bolt.
“Both Labor and Mr Wilkie accuse the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer of leaking the report to Mr Bolt. Mr Wilkie claims ONA sources informed him that a single request for his report was made on June 20, 2003 by someone from Mr Downer’s office.
Three days later, Mr Bolt appeared to quote the report in a column that attacked Mr Wilkie’s stance on Iraq.”
This controlled pro-government fragment of crime was never seriously investigated.
December 13th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
“the whole creaky ship sails through the roiling ocean of political outrage into some lagoon of public indifference.”
that something so quintessentially lamentable should be described so poetically is sad, and beautiful David.
a Sargasso Sea thick with tax-free tentacles….
December 13th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
[...] Sometimes they take it personally – David Tiley Every time I think the Howard government has gone too far, the whole creaky ship sails through the roiling ocean of political outrage into some lagoon of public indifference. [...]
December 17th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
David,
When Paul Keating used the term Banana Republic in relation to Australia, he was right.
Here we have a government being run on whims and fancies, on favours and spite ….. just like a Banana Republic.
This has nothing to do with Left or Right (whatever those terms are supposed to mean in late 2006) and everything to do with efficient government or sloppy government.
Like the David Hicks case, this one stinks of vanity, viciousness, inefficiency and dishonesty on the government side.
March 16th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
$46 million missing, outstanding criminal charges and his boss possibly murdered? This Matthew Hyndes has interesting credentials for one our diplomats!
May 24th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Dr. Hyndes’ connection to blackmail, suicide, bribery (both AWB and Thai police), theft and murder, not to mention sexual harrassment and drug dealings – whew, I wish I’d been at the IR Commission’s hearing!
What is going on here? This man obviously has plenty of inside knowledge potentially damaging to the government, otherwise why wasn’t he given short shift when he threatened to damage Thai- Australian relations. Now here is a diplomat whi really puts his country first! And what exactly does this knowledge consist of?
I would have expected a much stronger media reaction to this story.
May 28th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
The case smacks of thuggery on the inside. Embarassed about a 3 1/2 year long $1million investigation that led no where they had to get their “pound of flesh” somehow but it just goes to show was the Govt really thinks of fairness in Industrial Relations. The case will cost a considerable amount in legal fees and someone who’s done nothing serious has to incur this cost. Justice is only for the wealthy and healty and I hope Mr Smith survives the ordeal. They should disclose what the cost for the Australian Government Solicitor’s fees are for this court case (courtesy of the taxpayers), the crooked govt officials get taxpayer funded legal services and for what? They’ve exposed themselves for the thugs they are. Phenomenal.