Inquiry call into council assassin link
Independent councillor Maria Heggie faxed the request to the Minister for Local Government, Harry Woods, late yesterday and called on the council's planning powers to be suspended during an investigation.
"As a matter of urgency, I call on you to conduct an immediate inquiry into Fairfield City Council to assure residents ... that there are no proven linkages between the administration and decision-making of Fairfield Council and Mr Phuong Ngo," Cr Heggie wrote.
Cr Heggie, a two-time mayor who has been on the council since 1980, is supported by the Unity Party's Thang Ngo, and independent Peter Cork.
Cr Ngo, who does not want to go as far as suspending planning powers, said: "If it takes a public inquiry by the Minister for Local Government to clear Fairfield councillors of linkages to Mr Phuong Ngo and end this witch hunt, then I will support it".
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A spokeswoman for Mr Woods acknowledged the request had been received and said it had been forwarded to the Department of Local Government for consideration. In further fallout following revelations that Ngo helped prepare a guest list for a Chinese New Year party at Long Bay jail last month, Fairfield's deputy mayor has apologised to fellow Labor councillors for labelling them all friends of Ngo in yesterday's Herald. "I wish to clarify that of the Labor councillors, four have not even met Phuong Ngo," Dennis Huynh said. "I apologise to each of the Labor councillors for my comments. I had no right to speak on their behalf. I apologise for the hurt I have caused." Those four councillors are Sarah Trapla, Lilly Stepanovich, Albert Mooshi and Del Bennett, all of whom came to council well after Ngo was charged with organising the 1994 assassination of Cabramatta MP John Newman. A report released by Corrective Services on Tuesday said three councillors had attended the February 21 gathering in Long Bay's Metropolitan Medical Transit Centre and that those councillors had previously visited Ngo a total of 14 times. Two of those councillors were Labor's Nick Lalich, who has so far declined to discuss his attendance, and former Liberal, now independent, Frank Oliveri who said he had visited Ngo on "closer to two than 10 occasions". It is believed there was no third serving councillor at the gathering. Chris Bowen, chief of staff to Transport Minister, Carl Scully, said he was not invited, did not attend and had not visited Ngo. Labor councillor Bob Watkins said he has never visited Ngo and only ever considered him a colleague. And Cr Louie Costa said he never had, nor would, visit Ngo and considered him "neither friend nor foe". The Mayor, Anwar Khoshaba, was invited and did not attend but has visited Ngo about three times, once as mayor and once in a personal capacity. |