False Documents : how to Frustrate and Ultimately Bury a Legitimate Investigation

The NSW Police Commissioner has flicked the investigation into the forged Angus Taylor documents to the Australian Federal Police. Probably due to that fact that the commission of this unlawful act (i.e. forging the documents with the intention to deceive) appears to have taken place in the Australian Capital Territory – possibly in the office of the minister – and thus it’s a matter of jurisdiction so the AFP get the guernsey so to speak.

If you remember, Angus Taylor came into possession of some altered or forged documents which he stated came form the website of the Sydney City Council and he still maintains that even though it has been shown not to be the case on numerous occasions. Taylor’s documents showed that SCC had spent Millions ($15.9 million) on overseas travel for Councillors when, in fact, all of the published reports from SCC – including those online – showed that it was more like six thousand dollars.

When young Angus was originally provided with this fake information he couldn’t wait to do a hit job on the SCC and in particular Mayor Clover Moore. In his excitement, he wrote to Moore castigating her for the profligacy of her Council and he made sure he copied in the Daily Telegraph who ran with the story piling on to the Sydney Mayor : interestingly neither Taylor or the Tele bothered to check the accuracy of these figures or the authenticity of the documents – Rupert would you care to comment on journalistic standards within your media organisation ?

No ! I didn’t think so.

So, if this is a federal matter and thus coming under the jurisdiction of the AFP, it follows that it will probably be dealt with under the federal Criminal Code Act 1995. That being the case, it seems that section 144 would not be inappropriate :

144.1 Forgery

(1) A person commits an offence if:

(a) the person makes a false document with the intention that the person or another will use it:

(i) to dishonestly induce a third person in the third person’s capacity as a public official to accept it as genuine; and

(ii) if it is so accepted, to dishonestly obtain a gain, dishonestly cause a loss, or dishonestly influence the exercise of a public duty or function; and

(b) the capacity is a capacity as a Commonwealth public official.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.

So, you may say it should be reasonably simple to bring the culprit to justice – it has already been reported that the person responsible was a Liberal party political operative [not a public servant] within the minister’s office – and be done with this matter.

Under the Westminster system of ministerial accountability, you would normally expect that when the forgery and deception has been exposed and the culprit(s) dealt with under our judicial system, the minister responsible would resign. But there’s a snag which you may, as an alert follower of Australian conservative politics, have identified.

You got it in one !

The minister responsible for the Australian Federal Police just happens to be good mates with minister Taylor and whilst this should not in any way influence the outcome of this independent enquiry and I wouldn’t suggest that for a moment, I will wager London to a brick that this matter will be buried and that there will be no prosecutions and no resignations and no humble apologies.

Call me a cynic if you will and you may be right. So, I will give it until Easter and if there hasn’t been any movement at the station by then, it will be safe to say that the cover-up has been played out.

I’ll get back to you.