AG NSW Mark Speakman renewed Liberal donor Zhu Minshen's license to award law degrees despite publicly available information about Zhu's highly questionable academic standards - Speakman is seeking reelection in Cronulla
by Ganesh Sahathevan
Mark Speakman
As First Law Officer of the state, Mark oversees
the administration of almost 200 Acts of Parliament,
the most of any minister in the NSW Government.
In his 2018 book "Silent Invasion" Professor Clive Hamilton reported that Top Education Group's Zhu Minshen organised students , including students from his Top Education Institute to protest against Tibetans at the 2008 rally , which counted towards the Top students’ assessment. Zhu’s Top Institution is “perhaps the only accredited degree program in Australia that counts agitating for a foreign power towards its qualifications.”
Despite the publicity about Hamilton's book and his revelation that Zhu had awarded credits to his students for rioting in futhearance of China's interests, the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakmnan reaccreditated Zhu and his Top Group's license to award law degrees in June 2019. Top Group's law school has not enrolled any new students since.
Speakman's NSW Libs received donations of $44,275 from TOP Education Group just before after TOP was granted the "first & only" license issued a private company to award law degrees.
AG Speakman and his NSW LPAB have refused to disclose all details in the LPAB's Annual Reports.
NSW AG Mark Speakman defending his Cronulla seat
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.
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.
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