AG NSW Mark Speakman, two Sydney University appointments by former USYD General Counsel Richard Fisher, the NSW LPAB, and Sydney Water- Speakman has even more election funding questions to answer as he defends his NSW seat of Cronulla

by Ganesh Sahathevan


       NSW AG Mark Speakman defending his Cronulla seat

In 2013 the then NSW Minister for Finance Greg Pearce was sacked by the then  NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell for not disclosing a conflict of interest when he appointed the former  Sydney University General Counsel Richard Fisher to the board of Sydney Water. 

Fairfax Media reported the details: 

Fairfax Media has been told the lawyer Richard Fisher ''picked up the tab'' for the party to celebrate Mr Pearce's marriage to Shauna Jarrett, which was held a year before the Coalition took power in NSW and Mr Pearce became minister for finance and services.
It has emerged that Ms Jarrett reports to Mr Fisher at the University of Sydney, where he is the general counsel.
This was not disclosed to cabinet before it endorsed Mr Fisher's appointment in what Mr O'Farrell described as a ''clear breach'' of the ministerial code of conduct.
Mr O'Farrell said he dismissed Mr Pearce after being made aware of the conflict of interest via an inquiry from the media. '

In 2019 The Australian reported that Louise Pritchard, Executive Officer of the NSW LPAB had resigned. The Australian story concerned Ms Pritchard's conduct in her work at the NSW LPAB.

It was then discovered from NSW Law Society records that Pritchard had moved to the Office Of General Counsel, Sydney University,where she still works as a policy solicitor. Fisher was still General Counsel when the move occurred and is likely to have been involved in Pritchard's appointment. 

The NSW LPAB is part of  the NSW Department Of Justice, for which the minister responsible is the Attorney General, Mark Speakman. Speakman will be defending  his  seat of Cronulla  in the coming NSW Election on 25 March 2023.

In 2014 NSW ICAC was informed that Sydney Water's funds had flowed to Liberal Party  , without its knowledge.

In 2014 and 2015 the NSW Liberal Party received donations from the Communist Party China linked Zhu Minshen and his Top Education Group.  In 2015 Zhu and Top were granted a "first and only" license issued to a private company to award law degrees that would allow recipients to be admitted to practise law in NSW and Australia. In 2019 that license was renewed for another five years despite the political scandal surrounding Zhu's political donations and apparent influencing activities. The Minister who oversaw that renewal is Mark Speakman, and the NSW LPAB Executive Officer who oversaw part of that process was Louise Pritchard.

Speakman has never provided an explanation for the Zhu Minshen affair. Sydney University has never explained why Pritchard was hired and why she remains where she is despite her conduct at the NSW LPAB being a matter of national news.

Voters are entitled to an explanation from Speakman, and he should immediately disclose his funding. 

To Be Read With

Minister sacked: how links to prominent lawyer brought Pearce down


BySean Nicholls and Anna Patty

August 2, 2013 — 3.00am
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A senior lawyer appointed to the board of Sydney Water by sacked finance minister Greg Pearce held a lavish cocktail party at his Darling Point home in March 2010 to celebrate Mr Pearce's coming wedding.

Fairfax Media has been told the lawyer Richard Fisher ''picked up the tab'' for the party to celebrate Mr Pearce's marriage to Shauna Jarrett, which was held a year before the Coalition took power in NSW and Mr Pearce became minister for finance and services.


On Thursday, Barry O'Farrell announced he had sacked Mr Pearce for failing to disclose a perceived conflict of interest over the appointment of Mr Fisher to the Sydney Water board in December 2011, nine months after the election.

It has emerged that Ms Jarrett reports to Mr Fisher at the University of Sydney, where he is the general counsel.


This was not disclosed to cabinet before it endorsed Mr Fisher's appointment in what Mr O'Farrell described as a ''clear breach'' of the ministerial code of conduct.

Mr O'Farrell said he dismissed Mr Pearce after being made aware of the conflict of interest via an inquiry from the media. ''No one ever wants to lose a member of a team. But this is another reminder of the need to maintain the best and highest possible standards in government.'' Mr O'Farrell said Mr Fisher's appointment was ''meritorious'' as he had previously been appointed by both sides of politics to positions including the Australian Law Reform Commission and the Library Council of NSW.

''What's clear is where there are apparent, or possible, or actual conflicts of interest, those interests either have to be avoided or, if they're apparent or perceived, declared to cabinet and the premier,'' he said. ''That did not happen.''

Mr O'Farrell and Ms Jarrett declined to comment on the cocktail party hosted by Mr Fisher.

Mr Pearce had been under pressure since being accused of being drunk in Parliament and wrongly claiming travel entitlements.

In mid-June he took a month of stress leave after a government investigation found he had breached his travel expense claims for a trip.

The head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Chris Eccles, found bookings for a flight and hotel breached the requirements for the use of the government's travel contractor.

After the investigation found he had gained a personal benefit of less than $200, Mr Pearce admitted he had made a mistake, for which Mr O'Farrell had admonished him.

Mr Pearce is also to be referred to the privileges committee of Parliament after Fairfax Media raised questions about his non-disclosure of property interests to Parliament. Mr Pearce denies that he was obligated to disclose his interest in the properties.


Andrew Constance will become minister for finance. John Ajaka will take over from Mr Constance as minister for disability services and will take on Mr Pearce's portfolio of the Illawarra.

Pearce sacked as NSW IT boss
NSW Finance Minister Greg Pearce has been sacked after failing to declare a conflict of interest in a board appointment to Sydney Water.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today announced Pearce would be immediately stood down from his role. Pearce did not disclose that his wife was employed by a person appointed to the board of Sydney Water last year, O'Farrell said.

Pearce's wife Shauna Jarrett is the assistant group secretary for Sydney University's general counsel Richard Fisher. Fisher was appointed to the Sydney Water board in January last year until December 2014.

O’Farrell said Pearce, who through the Finance portfolio held responsibility for state government IT, had been advised of the decision to remove him today.

"I made clear what I was proposing to do. Mr Pearce was clearly disappointed and unhappy and accepted my decision."


Pearce will be replaced by current Minister for Ageing and Disability Services Andrew Constance (below), who will be sworn in as the new minister for Finance and Services tomorrow.

Constance was a member of the Standing Committee on Broadband in Rural and Regional Communities in 2007 but his background is mainly in the areas of disability and ageing.

The move represents a clean slate for IT in NSW after O'Farrell recently replaced former state CIO Michael Coutts-Trotter with former director-general of the Attorney General's department Laurie Glanfield.

Coutts-Trotter was moved to head up the Department of Family and Community Services.