Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Farid Farid

Inquiry to probe Bankstown Council

NSW MP Tania Mihailuk used parliamentary privilege to accuse local mayor Khal Asfour of corruption. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Integrity issues at Canterbury-Bankstown Council in western Sydney raised by a former Labor frontbencher will be the subject of a NSW parliamentary inquiry.

Local Government minister Wendy Tuckerman has referred allegations of impropriety within the council to the Standing Committee on State Development.

The committee, chaired by Liberal MP Aileen MacDonald, has been tasked with inquiring into and reporting on "any matters relating to integrity, processes of Council, employees and elected officials of Council".

Sacked former NSW Labor frontbencher Tania Mihailuk used parliamentary privilege in September to air her concerns about the integrity of Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour.

The Bankstown MP linked the potential future upper house MP to disgraced former Labor minister and party powerbroker Eddie Obeid.

She announced her intention to join the crossbench in parliament days after the sacking saying the "NSW Labor party has not cleaned up its act".

Dominic Perrottet's government has used Ms Mihailuk's ejection from shadow cabinet as political ammunition against Labor leader Chris Minns

But Mr Minns says the Independent Commission Against Corruption looked into Ms Mihailuk's claims and found them to be "baseless".

Mr Minns said Ms Mihailuk was sacked because the allegations she raised under parliamentary privilege had already been investigated, and she did not present any new information.

"It was the fact she accused someone of corruption and information hasn't been provided," he said.

Ms Mihailuk accused Mr Minns of "spinning" the story, telling media there was nothing to see regarding the matter, which she alleges is ongoing.

Canterbury-Bankstown Council also appointed independent investigator Arthur Moses SC to look into Ms Mihailuk's "unsubstantiated" allegations.

Public hearings will be held in the week of 12 December 2022.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.