Iemma challenges Debnam over `serious smear’: [U WA Metro Edition]
Imre Salusinszky, John Stapleton. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 16 Nov 2006: 7.
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Abstract
In parliament, Mr [Debnam] had asked if any minister other than former Aboriginal affairs minister Milton Orkopoulos — who apparently attempted suicide on Tuesday after being charged with sex offences against minors — was being investigated by any law- enforcement authority. He also asked if Mr [Morris Iemma] would “seek a briefing from the Police Integrity Commission”.
As Mr Orkopoulos recovered in the intensive care ward of Newcastle’s Mater hospital yesterday, the scandal around him widened with the charging of Patrick Roughan, 62 — a close friend and volunteer worker with Mr Orkopoulos — with child-sex offences. Mr Roughan was freed on bail after being charged with twice raping a girl, aged between nine and 10, between November last year and February this year.
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NSW Premier Morris Iemma last night challenged Opposition Leader Peter Debnam to back up a “serious smear” against an unnamed cabinet minister, or resign.
Mr Iemma said a question put by Mr Debnam in the state parliamentary yesterday “was one of the grubbiest, dirtiest smears I have ever seen in my time in the NSW parliament”.
“He’s got to come down here, he’s got to front the people of NSW, he’s got to back up what he says, or he resigns,” Mr Iemma said.
Mr Debnam refused the challenge.
In parliament, Mr Debnam had asked if any minister other than former Aboriginal affairs minister Milton Orkopoulos — who apparently attempted suicide on Tuesday after being charged with sex offences against minors — was being investigated by any law- enforcement authority. He also asked if Mr Iemma would “seek a briefing from the Police Integrity Commission”.
A spokesman for Mr Debnam refused to say last night whether the Opposition had evidence against any minister.
The extraordinary scenes in parliament follow the charging of Mr Orkopoulos with 30 sex and drug offences involving minors and theOpposition’s claims of a government cover-up.
As Mr Orkopoulos recovered in the intensive care ward of Newcastle’s Mater hospital yesterday, the scandal around him widened with the charging of Patrick Roughan, 62 — a close friend and volunteer worker with Mr Orkopoulos — with child-sex offences. Mr Roughan was freed on bail after being charged with twice raping a girl, aged between nine and 10, between November last year and February this year.
Mr Orkopoulos thanked Mr Roughan in his maiden speech in 1999, and in a 2003 speech paid tribute to him and other staff members as “my eyes and ears”.
Mr Roughan, who resigned from the Labor Party, fled Newcastle Local Court yesterday with his face concealed. While Mr Roughan refused to answer his door, people yelled abuse as they drove past.
A Newcastle mother of two girls said last week she had made a complaint about a man to Mr Orkopoulos, but he had done nothing. No one was home at the alleged victim’s residence yesterday. A note on the door read: “No comment, holidaying with family.”
Late yesterday NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca said he had received a telephone voice message and an SMS from Mr Orkopoulos on Tuesday. He said the call disturbed him enough to call police.