THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1984. Snap poll amid tapes tangle

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 12

THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1984. Snap poll amid tapes tangle

By calling an election early, and by allowing only 20 days for the campaign, the Premier of New South Wales, Mr Wran, has probably already gone a long way to ensuring that the Labour Party will be re-elected as the state government. Mr Wran has called an election early once before. He was first elected in 1976 and called an election a year early in 1978. Then he allowed the term of that Legislative Assembly to run until 1981, but has called the 1984 election for March instead of September or October when it was due.

With each election he has improved his position. In 1976 the Labour Party took 50 seats, in 1978 it took 63, and in 1981 it took 69. The Opposition has been progressively reduced. The Liberal-Country Party coalition held 48 seats in the state Parliament between 1976 and 1978, when that year’s election reduced it to 35. In 1981 the coalition gained 26 seats and the Country Party, by then called the National Party, made a bid to become the main Opposition party. Both the Liberals and the National Party held 13 seats each and the parties no longer regarded themselves as a coalition. It would take a swing of 11 per cent for the Opposition parties to win another 22 seats and change the state government. That would be a major undertaking at the best or times; having to conduct the campaign in 20 days makes the task almost impossible. Mr Wran has said that the early election is not in any sense a “referendum on corruption and that he is sure the public will soon focus on issues such as health, transport, and education. However Mr Wran may not be too alarmed if public ’ disquiet about administrative irregularities plays a large part in the election campaign. By announcing a proposal to appoint a Judicial Commissioner of Public Complaints — someone with wide statutory powers to receive and scrutinise complaints against people in public office — Mr Wran is hoping that hisJStfvernment will be seen to be doing something about the accusations of corruption which have surfaced in New South Wales during the last few months. By ensuring that the commissioner’s inquiries are conducted in secrecy, the proposal will limit some of the damage which might be done to the administrative arm of the New South Wales Government.

One of the scandals touched Mr Wran himself, though he was cleared of any wrongdoing in a Court case. The latest assertion of corruption concerns what have become known as “The Age” tapes. These were said to be four

tapes made from 11 recorded telephone conversations between a Sydney solicitor and other people. These tapes and 524 bundles of what were said to be transcripts of 3000 conversations among a number of people, were handed to the Federal Attorney-General, Senator Evans. Material said to come from the tapes and transcripts was published in a number of newspapers, particularly “The Age” and the “National Times” in Melbourne. The material in the tapes and the transcripts was said to involve the magistracy, the public service, the judiciary and the police, among others. The tapes were reported to have come from the New South Wales police. That raised questions about the authorisation of the taping of telephone conversations. Senator Evans has spoken out strongly against the invasion of privacy. However, the matter cannot stop there because one of the conversations is between a solicitor and a judge; other conversations relate to crimes of prostitution, of tax evasion, of possible “fixing” of a court case in the Australian Capital Territory, and to an immigration racket that has already been the subject of a successful prosecution. The solicitor involved in an immigration case is Mr Morgan Ryan, and attempts have been made to link the names of Mr Ryan and Mr Wran. Mr Wran maintains that “The Age” the “National Times,” and the “Sydney Morning Herald,” all newspapers in the Fairfax group, are conducting a campaign against him and have become voices for the Liberal Party. This appears a somewhat exaggerated view. It seems more likely that the discussion of corruption in New South Wales is an issue that the newspapers consider they cannot ignore. For the period before the election it is unlikely that the subject will be left alone. Mr Wran, privately, may not be averse to this outcome. Assertions of irregularities in the Courts and the administration might then be the central issue of the election — even the sole issue in the eyes of much of the electorate. By giving the electors an early opportunity to pass judgment on his government, Mr Wran probably hopes to demonstrate that he and his colleagues have nothing to hide. The ramifications of the latest allegations of corruption are big enough to make Mr Wran believe that an act of atonement, through the holding of an election, is necessary. The Premier will be able to deal with allegations more easily when he has a fresh mandate — which he is almost certain to get.