The mayor, the developer’s $2000 donation, and the failed election campaign

2 weeks ago 3

Liverpool’s Liberal mayor Ned Mannoun allegedly solicited a $2000 donation from a property developer to help fund the failed election campaign of the council’s current chief executive, Jason Breton, who ran as an independent in the 2021 local government poll, a public inquiry has heard.

In explosive evidence on Monday, Breton rejected allegations he was aware of the donation, and that he had been urged to run on a “dummy ticket” devised to funnel votes to Liberal Party candidates.

Liverpool Council chief executive Jason Breton.

“Not everything that’s brown and wiggles in the grass is a snake. In retrospect, you can put these pieces together and they look fantastic as evidence. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” Breton told the inquiry into alleged dysfunction and maladministration at the south-west Sydney council.

Breton, a former NSW Police detective chief inspector who was previously the council’s director of operations, started work at the council in late 2022. He was appointed acting chief executive after his predecessor, former Liberal MP John Ajaka, was sensationally ousted last year following a falling out with Mannoun. Breton was formally appointed to the permanent CEO role in April this year.

The inquiry has previously heard Breton considered himself an “absolute novice” when current Liberal councillor Matthew Harte encouraged him to run as an independent candidate in Liverpool’s south ward in the local council elections held in December 2021, when he had been between jobs.

On Monday, counsel assisting the inquiry Trish McDonald, SC, questioned Breton about a “trace document” showing a $1000 transfer, dubbed “election contribution”, into Breton’s bank account.

McDonald then referred to an email from Breton thanking Mannoun that was “in substance referring to … the $1000 that was transferred into your account”.

Breton told the inquiry he had “no recollection whatsoever of that contribution amount”.

“I do not recall that transaction, but I retrospectively thank Mr Mannoun [in the email] for doing so. I thought I had one donation … of $5000 and I ran the rest of the failed campaign on my own coin – did miserably – and moved on.

“I’ve got records in front of me, exhibits in front of me, that indicate my name, my bank account, and a number, looks like $1000, and a thank you email. So I think the evidence is clear, that $1000 was donated. I don’t recall it whatsoever.”

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun is yet to give evidence in the inquiry.

Breton said, given he didn’t remember receiving the donation, it was “impossible to recall” whether he had discussed with Mannoun from where the funds might have originated.

The inquiry was shown an email, dated January 9 this year, sent to Breton and Mannoun from lawyers acting for Joseph Cannavo of Icon Property Investments Pty Ltd, which read in part:

“It is noted that at the request of Mayor Mannoun, our client in 2021 donated $2000 to your campaign to be elected to a seat in the South Ward of Liverpool local government area.”

Breton said he didn’t recall ever seeing that correspondence. Breton gave evidence he also didn’t recall hearing about Icon Property Investments, or Cannavo, before the email in January this year, or possibly late last year, as he said the company had been involved in a dispute with the council.

“There’s no evidence at all that I received that email. I think if I had received this email, I would have done something about it,” Breton said.

Breton told the inquiry he was “very” naive and didn’t know the other candidates, who included two family members of councillor Harte, who ran on the independent ticket in the 2021 council poll.

Under questions from McDonald, he said he was unaware of the strategy, used by major political parties, of a “dummy group” of independent candidates who would “immediately channel their preferences off to one of the established parties” in an election.

Breton said he “had no idea of that concept” and “no idea what I was doing” in the campaign.

“Ego probably got the better of me. I thought it was a good idea. I had a crack. Didn’t do very well, and that’s, as far as I was aware, where it ends.”

The hearing continues in front of Commissioner Ross Glover. Mannoun is yet to give evidence.

Liverpool Council and Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig, who is due to appear at budget estimates on Tuesday, declined to comment while the inquiry into the council was ongoing.

The weeks-long hearing is examining councillors’ conduct, as well as the council’s handling of finances, property purchases, staff employment, and $150 million in state government grants.

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