Qld Labor politics and murky wastewater contracts ...

A Qld Labor MP transfers control of a company into his wife's name. Company is a large shareholder of a business which then gains wastewater management contract from State Labor government following post-resignation 'to do' list by former State Labor Minister now charged with corruption.

Nothing unusual there ...

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Fenlon answers sent to CMC

16 March 2007

Embattled Labor MP Gary Fenlon has been forced to provide details about his knowledge and involvement in a company at the centre of a CMC investigation.

Premier Peter Beattie demanded detailed answers in a letter to Mr Fenlon recently and the MP's subsequent answers were this week sent to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.
...

Mr Fenlon has been drawn into the investigation of former Health Minister and close friend Gordon Nuttall through an intricate web of companies.

In 2004, Mr Fenlon transferred his private company, Rocksavage, into his wife's name.

Rocksavage owns a significant share of GBG Project Management, also owned by Labor figures Brendan McKennariey and Graham Doyle.

Former Queensland Health bureaucrat Geoff Stevenson, who was hired during Mr Nuttall's reign and left a short time after, is GBG's chief executive officer.

Mr McKennariey and Mr Stevenson have been raided by the CMC in relation to the watchdog's probe into health contracts awarded to Gowdie Project Management while Mr Nuttall was minister.

It is believed Gowdie may have subcontracted the work out to GBG.

In Parliament yesterday, the Opposition released a copy of GBG's February 2007 information memorandum which reveals Gowdie works as a consultant for the company.

The document, written by accountants Ernst & Young, states GBG received a $328,953 Queensland Health contract. It also claims it may receive a $1.2 million Brisbane Water contract, however a spokesman for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman last night rejected this.

Liberal leader Bruce Flegg said it was highly questionable for a Labor MP to stand to financially benefit from government contracts.

Mr Beattie said he was unaware of the Queensland Health contract GBG referred to in the memorandum but there was no evidence "at this time" that Mr Fenlon had done anything wrong.

The CMC would not comment on whether it was investigating the MP. Mr Fenlon would not return calls.

But GBG's lawyers denied the company received $1.6 million in government contracts. They claimed GBG was granted only one $376,000 contract for a wastewater management system at Greenbank State School, south of Brisbane.

"GBG has (also) not made any payments by way of salary, commissions, dividends or by any other means to Gary Fenlon, his wife or Rocksavage Pty Ltd."

See - Fenlon answers sent to CMC.