Redcliffe MP Scott Driscoll arrives at the LNP meeting. Queensland Liberal National Party meeting. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: The Courier-Mail
A LIBERAL National Party MP has been using his electorate office as a secret base to direct the operations of an industry lobby group that has been paying his wife's company $350,000 a year for management services.
Redcliffe MP Scott Driscoll installed dedicated phone lines and computer equipment in his electorate office last year that staff used to conduct the business of the Queensland Retail Traders and Shopkeepers Association.
Today's revelations follow The Courier-Mail's exposure yesterday of Mr Driscoll's secret control of a taxpayer-funded community association that paid almost $120,000 into Norsefire, a company owned by his wife Emma and directed until recently by Mr Driscoll, for consultancy work.
But Premier Campbell Newman yesterday said he had not seen anything to show Mr Driscoll had a case to answer.
The Courier-Mail has learnt media officers in Mr Newman's office provided help to Mr Driscoll to respond to media questions concerning allegations of impropriety.
RELATED COVERAGE
TODAY: Newman continues to defend Driscoll
TODAY: Premier's spin doctors massaged Driscoll's message
MONDAY: Newman says LNP have been looking at Driscoll "for some time"
MONDAY: Driscoll faced all-night grilling by LNP chiefs after The Courier-Mail report
The newspaper can also reveal details of the MP's triple life since being elected, secretly maintaining his old job as head of the retailers' body.
RETAIL ROLE: Liberal National Party MP for Redcliffe Scott Driscoll
In statements to the media last month Mr Driscoll said he had had "no operational involvement" in the QRTSA since he had been elected, declaring to Parliament only that he was a "member" of the "United Retail Federation" (URF) - a trading name used by the QRTSA.
Emails and other correspondence show Mr Driscoll has overseen all of the QRTSA's operations, even dictating the wording of a letter - issued by the body's auditor last month in response to media reports - that stated QRTSA financial records were in order.
The Courier-Mail has also established:
- Mr Driscoll and his former electorate officer Ben Scott had signatory powers over the QRTSA's bank accounts until three weeks ago.
- Mr Driscoll and Mr Scott obtained the powers on April 20, 2011 but there is no evidence of the QRTSA's executive committee having met that day.
- A Land Rover Discovery owned by the QRTSA was transferred to Mr Driscoll's wife last month, along with QRTSA mobile phones and fuel cards, to be offset against amounts said to be owing to Norsefire.
- A Honda CRV owned by QRTSA was transferred to Norsefire to offset money owed to Norsefire.
- Multiple drafts of minutes exist of a key meeting in April 2011 at which Mr Driscoll claims to have gained authority to sell the QRTSA's office building and a final version was only agreed two months ago.
- $110,000 given to the QRTSA by IGA store owners to represent them in a trading hours case and now in dispute was in fact used to pay debts owed to Norsefire without IGA's knowledge.
Mr Driscoll also routinely used his parliamentary email to direct QRTSA operations.
In one of these emails on July 29 last year to Mr Scott, he instructed him to "1 Finalise all documentation including accountant and auditor reports for URF for me to view and amend and/or sign off on Monday 6 August ... 2 Liaise re commencing and completing the de-amalgamation submission ... 3 Move any final items from URF and set up telephones and computers ... 4 Bring up URF alcohol bottles from your car".
Mr Driscoll told The Courier-Mail last month "the majority"' of the proceeds of the $550,000 sale of the QRTSA building on Brisbane's northside, organised by him in September 2011, were used to "pay down historical debts and a business overdraft".
Scott Driscoll's business world.
But documents show Bank of Queensland instructed lawyers this month to demand repayment by the QRTSA of a $110,000 overdraft, a debt that has been outstanding for years.
Mr Driscoll's wife Emma became "interim secretary" of the QRTSA in September and Bruce Mills, an associate of Mr Driscoll's, its president, in September, under an arrangement sanctioned by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. The QIRC also issued a ruling forgiving any previous "invalidities" in the QRTSA's governance.
The Courier-Mail understands Metcash, which owns the IGA brand, has handed a dossier detailing its dealings with Mr Driscoll to Brad Henderson, the State Director of the LNP. Metcash has declined to answer questions from The Courier-Mail.
Mr Driscoll and Mr Mills did not respond to requests for comment. Mrs Driscoll could not be reached.
RELATED COVERAGE
TODAY: Newman continues to defend Driscoll
TODAY: Premier's spin doctors massaged Driscoll's message
MONDAY: Newman says LNP have been looking at Driscoll "for some time"
MONDAY: Driscoll faced all-night grilling by LNP chiefs after The Courier-Mail report
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