Chikarovski stirred, not shaken

By Robert Wainwright and Stephen Gibbs, Sydney Morning Herald 12 March 2002

There are times that a picture does not tell the entire story - just ask the Leader of the Opposition, Kerry Chikarovski.

Yesterday, the Government released photographs of Mrs Chikarovski, resplendent in pale pink, picking at a tasty smorgasbord in front of dozens of green-garbed prisoners at the Silverwater Remand Centre.

The picture was taken on January 10, 2000, when she attended a formal function to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the start of the Eid festival. It was released amid uproar during Question Time in an attempt to humiliate Mrs Chikarovski, who had been enjoying the Government's own embarrassment in the wake of the Phuong Ngo Chinese new year party at Long Bay jail.

The Minister for Corrective Services, Richard Amery, took delight in flashing the photographs around the chamber, accusing her of hypocrisy.

What Mr Amery failed to do was tell the House that the event was co-hosted by the then commissioner of corrective services, Leo Keliher. It was also formally approved by the then minister for corrective services, Bob Debus.

"She was an invited guest; she mixed with notorious criminals," Mr Amery said. "Last week she was denouncing such events in our prisons, the involvement of serious criminals, the fact that outsiders were invited into prison to help celebrate, and the fact that food was brought in from the outside. Now we find that she has been to one of the functions herself.

"I'm not suggesting that she did anything improper but that, never once during her tirades against the Government did she mention that she had been to a function herself."

Mr Amery, who conceded in Parliament that the Phuong Ngo event was an "appalling lack of judgement", announced that NSW prison officials had now been directed to forward details of all upcoming cultural and religious festivities to the department for approval.

An angry Mrs Chikarovski insisted her visit to Silverwater could not be compared to the Phuong Ngo event.

"For Labor to compare an official religious function that was approved by the minister and attended by no less than the commissioner himself to a party that was organised in part by a convicted political assassin is absolutely outrageous.

"No matter how hard Labor tries, the fact is that Phuong Ngo is Australia's first convicted political assassin, and he should not have so much influence that he can dictate the guest list for a party at Long Bay Jail.

The damage from Ngo's February 21 gathering, to which several Fairfield councillors were invited and at least two attended, continued on other fronts.

The Premier, Bob Carr, has said any councillors found to be under Ngo's influence would find themselves in a cell next to their former colleague.

Three Fairfield councillors - independents Maria Heggie and Peter Cork and the Unity Party's Thang Ngo - yesterday ridiculed a government inquiry into whether Ngo still influenced council decision-making.

"The NSW Government promised an inquiry with teeth but delivered something with no dentures and rotten gums," they said in a joint statement.

Despite the Minister for Local Government, Harry Woods, last week describing the allegations as "a very serious matter", Fair-field's 15 councillors do not have to talk to investigators, and those who do will not be under oath.

Fairfield's city manager, Alan Young, has told councillors they had been invited to voluntarily take part in an "informal" inquiry. Any resulting notes would be given to the director-general of the Department of Local Government.