‘Ned will guide his donors’: Liberal mayor questioned over independent campaign funds

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Liverpool’s Liberal Mayor Ned Mannoun has denied he encouraged his supporters to donate thousands of dollars to the doomed election campaign of the council’s current chief executive, Jason Breton, who ran as an independent in the 2021 local government poll.

The Office of Local Government inquiry into allegations of dysfunction and maladministration at Liverpool City Council on Friday zeroed in on Mannoun’s alleged involvement in Breton’s campaign.

Mayor Ned Mannoun was among the final witnesses to provide evidence at the inquiry, which ran for more than 50 days.

Breton previously told the inquiry he considered himself an “absolute novice” when another Liberal councillor, Matthew Harte, had encouraged him to run as a candidate in Liverpool’s south ward in the poll four years ago, when he had been between jobs. He had also denied suggestions he ran on a “dummy ticket” devised to funnel votes to Liberal Party candidates.

Text messages aired at the inquiry on Friday revealed an exchange between Harte and Breton, in which they had discussed the cost of the nomination fee for the council election, in October 2021.

Harte had told Breton: “From my understanding, at this stage, Ned will guide his donors towards you if you decide to nominate. The cost [of the nomination fee] can be offset from that.”

Breton had replied: “All good – I am in”.

The long-running inquiry into the south-west Sydney council has scrutinised councillors’ conduct, as well as the organisation’s handling of its finances, property purchases and staff employment.

On Friday, the inquiry heard Breton had written in an earlier message to Harte: “Am I running? As Ned suggested this once but nothing since. I am happy too [sic] – send me the form mate.”

Harte replied he was “pretty sure [Mannoun] wants you to – we’re just flat chat with getting the campaign moving. Reach out to Ned to set a time for a meeting to discuss tactic, signing forms, etc.”

Questioning Mannoun about his alleged links to Breton’s campaign on Friday, counsel assisting the commission, Trish McDonald, SC, said Mannoun “took issue with the use of the word donors” and had said he didn’t “have donors, they’re donors to the Liberal Party”.

Liverpool Council chief executive Jason Breton, a former NSW Police detective chief inspector.

She said, however, that Harte understood Mannoun “had a strong network of people [he knew] would be willing to donate”.

One of the alleged donations to come under the microscope of the inquiry was $1000 allegedly donated to Breton’s campaign by Joseph Cannavo of Icon Property Investments Pty Ltd. Mannoun denied he had suggested Cannavo, or a company of his, should provide funds for the election bid.

Asked whether he suggested Squashlands Gym and Fitness in Liverpool should donate funds, Mannoun said he had described Breton as a “good candidate” during a conversation with staff about the council campaign at the gym. He said he was “not aware” the business had chipped in $1000.

Mannoun also told the inquiry he was unaware of an alleged donation of envelopes to Breton’s campaign from a company, SA Emerald Pty Ltd, of which his brother is a director. Mannoun said he knew the pair had met, but that he had “no involvement or understanding” of any donations.

McDonald queried whether Mannoun was “acting as a conduit” for the donations to Breton, saying: “You suggested to some of those people who were supporting you that they should financially contribute to Mr Breton’s campaign. That’s what you did, didn’t you?”

Mannoun said he did not.

Breton, under questions by his lawyer, Daniel Tynan, SC, denied there had been a “grand conspiracy” or “some kind of quid pro quo” between himself and the Liberal Party, or Mannoun.

The inquiry heard he “did a little bit of work” putting up an organisational chart for Mannoun’s council campaign, but Breton denied he tried in his evidence to limit the extent of his involvement.

“I have, to the point of embarrassment, detailed my involvement in 2021 as a civilian, in an election I didn’t win. Much has been made of the word ‘novice’, as if we can leverage off this term.

“The fact is, no-one’s an expert in everything, I certainly wasn’t an expert in local government.

“In retrospect, it’s a period of my life where, if I had my time again, I might not have made that decision [to run], but I gave it no thought until these proceedings occurred,” Breton said.

Breton said he had “never” been promised a job at the council.

A former NSW Police detective chief inspector, Breton started work at the council in 2022.

He was appointed acting chief executive last year after his predecessor, former Liberal MP John Ajaka, was ousted following a falling out with Mannoun.

The inquiry has run for more than 50 days in front of Commissioner Ross Glover.