Police move on rogue balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw

    Matt Johnston, Peter Rolfe and David Hurley
    Herald Sun
    September 17, 2013


POLICE have hit balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw with a string of deception charges that could plunge his political future into doubt and land him in jail.

Mr Shaw has been charged with 23 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception, and one count of misconduct in public office.      

Each offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Last night the rogue MP said he would fight the "incorrect" charges - but if he is found guilty or convicted he would be ineligible to sit in State Parliament. This would spark a by-election in Frankston and imperil the Napthine Government's future.

The charges resulted from allegations in the Sunday Herald Sun thatMr Shaw broke parliamentary rules by using, and allowing others to use, his parliamentary car in conducting his hardware business.      




Mr Shaw has been summoned to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on October 8.

Premier Denis Napthine ducked for cover, refusing to comment on the issue.      

His spokesman, Martin Barr, said "the Government is aware that Mr Shaw has been charged. As this is before the court, the Government is unable to comment on this matter".

In Parliament, Dr Napthine said Mr Shaw was now an independent MP, after he resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party earlier this year. That move helped trigger the resignation of premier Ted Baillieu.

Constituents outside Mr Shaw's Frankston electorate office yesterday said if the maverick MP was found guilty he should be hit with the full force of the law.

Frankston university student Ever Daniels said, "if he has committed a crime he should be stripped of his political status straight away".      

Frankston resident Sheila Widish said Mr Shaw deserved the presumption of innocence "but if he is guilty throw the book at him".


Last night, the Coalition was backed by Mr Shaw on a vote about the government's business program, to the jeers of Labor MPs.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said the government was relying on support from an MP who had been charged by police. 

"Denis Napthine is the Premier of this state because of Geoff Shaw," he said.

"The Liberal and National parties are in power in this state because of Geoff Shaw."

Mr Andrews said a parliamentary privileges committee should seek advice on whether it should continue its probe of the matter while it was before the courts.

Chair of the committee, Water Minister Peter Walsh, said he could not discuss the status of any investigation, and that a report would ultimately be handed to the parliament.

"The discussions of the committee remain private," he said.


In a statement yesterday, Mr Shaw confirmed he had "received a summons from Victoria Police" and that he had given his full co-operation to all investigations.

"I am entitled as a Member of Parliament to due process," he said.

"In the meantime, I restate that it is a privilege to represent the Frankston community and the Victorian Parliament and I want to assure the people of Frankston that I continue to work hard in their interests."

In an interview with the ABC Mr Shaw said he was frustrated the investigation had taken so long as this was a "waste of taxpayer money".

He also vowed to fight the charges.

"They are incorrect charges, and I'm going to fight them," he said.

It is believed several people who used to work for Mr Shaw's private businesses were interviewed by police about the use of his parliamentary car.

It is understood police have seized documents, phone records and credit card transactions as part of the probe.

HAVENT WE ALREADY GOT A THREAD ON THIS?

MP they call 'loaded dog of Spring St'

He has been described as a lightning-rod for controversy, a journalist-hater and the ''loaded dog of Spring Street''.

For a man who claims not to read newspapers, independent Frankston MP Geoff Shaw has certainly attracted a lot of unfavourable headlines.



His two-and-a-half years in state Parliament have been dogged with controversy and Tuesday was no exception...




In his maiden speech in State Parliament the evangelical Christian acknowledged God - rather than Aborigines - as ''the original owner of the land''.

In 2011 Mr Shaw sent an offensive letter to a young gay man, suggesting his desire to love whomever he wanted was akin to a dangerous driver's urge to speed or a sex offender's desire to molest children.

He hung a hand-drawn sign on a local road, pleading for his ex-wife and the mother of his four children, Sally, to forgive him.

''Please forgive me. I love you Sally,'' the sign read.

But the real damage emerged when it was alleged that Mr Shaw had inappropriately used his taxpayer-funded car.

An investigation by Ombudsman George Brouwer released in October found that Mr Shaw used his parliamentary Ford Territory to run his hardware business.

The MP and his employees allegedly used the car and $1250 of taxpayer funded petrol, to make deliveries in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

He cropped up in headlines again when he made a lewd gesture, simulating masturbation, in State Parliament and shouted ''wanker'' at the opposition.

His decision to quit the parliamentary Liberal Party in March and become an independent triggered the demise of Ted Baillieu.

The unpredictable MP holds the balance of power and has raised the prospect of quitting politics before next year's election, fuelling anxiety about the Napthine government's feeble grip on power.

The Frankston accountant has also expressed a desire to return to the parliamentary Liberal Party after he is exonerated from the ''bullcrap inquiries''.

It was revealed in The Age last week that Mr Shaw had also been in talks with Clive Palmer about his fledgling party.

He is not a fan of the media, and calls many journalists ''vultures''.

''We will win the seat of Frankston again no matter how much rubbish you guys want to throw at me personally,'' he told Fairfax Media almost a year ago, when he was still a Liberal MP.

He holds the seat of Frankston by a slender margin of 2.1 per cent, beating Labor's Alistair Harkness at the 2010 election.

The state opposition has repeatedly said that the Napthine government is beholden to Mr Shaw and relies on his tainted vote.

Labor MP Martin Pakula has described Mr Shaw as the ''loaded dog of Spring Street'', referring to Henry Lawson's short story...

August 2011 Becomes involved in scuff le with a driver who had been pulled over by police and was arguing with the police officer.

May 2012 Then premier Ted Baillieu orders an investigation into Shaw's use of taxpayer-funded car and fuel cards, with allegations the car and fuel cards were used repeatedly for Shaw's private hardware business.

October 12, 2012 Ombudsman finds Shaw inappropriately used his parliamentary vehicle for commercial purposes.

October 24, 2012 Calls Labor MPs wankers

March 6, 2013 Quits Liberal Party, triggering premier Ted Baillieu's downfall. May 2013 Repays $1250 to Parliament as "a gesture of goodwill".

August 16, 2013 Tells the Australian Financial Review that he wants to rejoin Liberal Party

September 2013 Meets Clive Palmer and “indicates interest” in his Palmer United Party.

September 11, 2013 Fronts privileges committee.

September 17, 2013 Charged by police on 23 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and one count of misconduct in public office.




http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mp-they-call-loaded-dog-of-spring-st-20130917-2txdb.html

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine will accept Geoff Shaw's vote despite charges
Quote:

This is very similar to the Thomson affair of Federal Parliament when the Liberals went to extraordinary lengths to cancel out Thomson's vote in Federal Parliament. It remains to be seen if the Victorian ALP will resort to the puerile tactics of Abbott and Pyne or if they behave like adults and just get on with the job.

On the issue itself, I do not agree with the premise of "tainted votes" or refusing to accept the vote. Shaw and Thomson are both entitled to the presumption of innocence.

cods wrote on Sep 18^th, 2013 at 8:34am:


you were happy with hundreds of threads on thommo, all in the name of justice   ... not really concerned about justice after all are you? it's just another convenient excuse for you