Meddick may have breached conflict laws: Opposition
An independent MP's failure to disclose that his son had a paid job with the firefighters' union before he voted on a contentious bill to overhaul the state's fire services may have breached parliamentary laws.
The Age has revealed that the son of Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick was given a two-week paid placement at the United Firefighters Union while the union and the government were lobbying upper house crossbench MPs to pass legislation to restructure the Country Fire Authority.
Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick.Credit:Morgan Hancock
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said the union job was a conflict of interest and Mr Meddick should have disclosed the information ahead of Premier Daniel Andrews' signature overhaul.
"I think there's a very strong suggestion that it breaches parliamentary laws. Members of Parliament are required to disclose if they have a conflict of interest on a piece of legislation before them, I think is certainly arguably qualifies as a conflict of interest," he said on Thursday morning.
"This is extraordinary stuff."
Victorian Opposition Leader, Michael O'Brien.Credit:Darrian Traynor
Mr Meddick did not answer specific questions but said his son had taken a job at the UFU in 2019.
"Last year, my son accepted a casual two-week assignment with the United Firefighters Union – a job that he was tertiary-qualified and had the relevant experience for," Mr Meddick said.
"He was paid the sum total of $2035. As a long-term unionist, I am so proud of him and the work that he did. My son got the job on his own merits and received a job he deserved."
But Mr O'Brien said: "Why Meddick did not feel the need to disclose this to the chamber before he voted is beyond me.
"Andy Meddick and [UFU boss] Peter Marshall have got a lot of explaining to do given these revelations."
"I think ... if a close family member has suddenly got a very short-term paying role with the union at the same time as a piece of legislation directly benefiting that union is before the Parliament, there's an obligation to disclose it."
Police Minister Lisa Neville denied suggestions the Labor government gave the union job to Mr Meddick's son as they tried to secure crossbench votes: "Absolutely not," she said.
"Andy Meddick actually ran in the upper house in my region, so I spent a bit of time on the polling booth with him, and I knew from day one he was going to vote for that legislation," Ms Neville said.
"I didn't think he was going to win the seat, but we talked about it ... and three weeks after the election he stood in front of firefighters committing to vote for that legislation.
"I always had him in the 'yes' column."
United Firefighters Union Secretary Peter Marshall.Credit:AAP
The anti-corruption commission IBAC is separately investigating the UFU over whether it sought to corruptly influence state government figures, all the way up to the Premier, in its enterprise bargaining dispute and other dealings linked to Victoria’s fire services.
The fire services reform bill was one of Mr Andrews’ key drives, taking 4½ years to pass the Parliament and claiming the scalps of one minister, Jane Garrett, and two fire chiefs, Lucinda Nolan and Joe Buffone. The Andrews government also sacked the entire Country Fire Authority board in 2016 at the height of tensions.
The legislation enabled the CFA’s 1220 brigades to become volunteer-only and stations with career firefighters to merge with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, to become known as Fire Rescue Victoria. The move was seen by volunteer firefighters and the Victorian opposition as a union power grab.
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