Secret recordings would often be inadmissible, but the corruption watchdog is getting new powers as it investigates the Sydney developer Toplace and its links to the Liberal party.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 Toplace developments dominate the Hillshire skyline in Sydney's northwest.
00:07 The company's alleged links to the local council and the Liberal Party are under investigation by the corruption watchdog.
00:14 Now the ICAC itself is in the spotlight.
00:18 This is a massive power grab by and on behalf of ICAC.
00:22 Claims Toplace was paying Liberal Party members to install certain councillors on the Hillshire council were aired under parliamentary privilege last year.
00:32 The ICAC is making inquiries into this very serious matter.
00:37 This month the ICAC wrote to the government saying it had received illegally recorded conversations which the ABC can confirm relate to Toplace.
00:46 The commission's been granted the right to use them.
00:49 The ICAC can make use of the material that is created by third parties in contravention of the Surveillance Devices Act.
00:56 The opposition says that's too much power.
00:59 Providing for private citizens without warrants to illegally record conversations and then give them to ICAC and ICAC can then use them.
01:09 The opposition was asked whether its objection to the ICAC's new powers is because it's investigating allegations against the Liberal Party.
01:18 But the opposition leader insists he doesn't know what the investigation is about.
01:23 The Attorney General and the Special Minister have not identified what the investigation is.
01:27 ICAC has not identified what the investigation is.
01:30 Liberal Democrat MP John Ruddock says he'll lodge a disallowance motion to try to overturn the new powers which the opposition will support.
01:38 The corruption watchdog says it believes it's acted appropriately and alerted the ICAC oversight body before it wrote to the government.
01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]