Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar says allegations aired by 60 Minutes and The Age were 'false and malicious'. North Providence won at home against Juanita Sanchez, 73-51, on Feb. 2. So not only did Michael Sukkar, a lawyer, shoot his mouth off about a matter before the courts - but he did so out of complete ignorance. [13] Labor MP Tim Watts said in response that the remarks showed the Coalition was "back to where Joe Hockey started on housing affordability". Mr Sukkar on Monday apologised to Senator Hume. Nothing better than a Saturday afternoon at the cricket. There's more to come about what Michael Sukkar has been up to. I have never authorised my staff to undertake activities contrary to applicable policies and guidelines when they are being paid to serve the constituents of the Deakin electorate.. (These messages) were unfair and incorrect comments that I should not have made, and I regret doing so, he said. Taxpayer resources are not meant to be used by MPs to pay for the political campaigns of other candidates. Whether it's Sukkar refusing to meet with charities addressing homelessness, or other attempts by charities to advocate for causes that you might believe in - and donate money to supporting - the so-called "champions of free speech" sure don't want public debate. My online community survey takes just a few minutes to complete and you can also sign up to my e-newsletter to receive regular updates. With flashy Facebook announcements - that have since been deleted. The brother of federal minister Michael Sukkar recruited 58 members to the Liberal Party over two months as part of an allegedly corrupt scheme that boosted the MP's . Why would Sukkar appoint such an inappropriate person to be the head of the ACNC? minister sukkar: Well, no because the point of lowering the instalment rate, Pete, is to make sure that that instalment rate better reflects the reality of the situation. Deakin returned a 66% Yes result for the Marriage Law Postal Survey yet when the bill was to be voted on, Michael Sukkar abstained. Charlie Lewis Nov 08, 2021 3 Share [9], At the 2016 federal election, Sukkar increased his margin by 2.5 points, the Liberal Party's largest swing in Victoria. The Yarra 3 were talking about a court case, which was being considered by the Victorian Court of Appeals. The court hadn't yet reached a decision on the case. Keeping in touch with your views and opinions helps me to represent you, and I encourage you to provide me with your regular feedback. The three were then ordered to appear before the Victorian Supreme Court to explain why they shouldn't be charged with contempt of court. Enjoying a Friday afternoon beer at the Croydon RSL with Ken who does a great job looking after the bar. [10] On 24 January 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, appointed Sukkar to the ministry as Assistant Minister to the Treasurer. As the electorate neighbouring Aston, I have a lot to do with the Aston community as well and I can say with Roshena Campbell, she is going to work day and night to earn their trust between now and the election day., Roshena Campbell is an outstanding candidate for Aston: Michael Sukkar. Michael Sukkar however went on the record to say that he would put his personal views aside and vote in Parliament "in accordance with the majority view of Australians" following the announcement of the postal survey results. It's the news you need to know, with Charlie Lewis. This is how Shady Sukkar likes to work, behind the scenes and not in your interests. In text messages sent by Mr Sukkar, he savaged Senator Hume over a Facebook post about juggling politics and parenthood. [11] Turnbull gave Sukkar responsibility for addressing housing affordability. Shadow Social Services Minister Michael Sukkar says Roshena Campbell will be an "outstanding" candidate for Aston. Michael Sukkar is not sorry, he just thinks he can get away with ignoring the law when it suits him. Even the "First Home Whatever" grants that Sukkar is touting is an insult to the people of Deakin. Party Liberal Party of Australia Chamber House of Representatives. Michael Sven Sukkar (born 11 September 1981) is an Australian politician who served as the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing from 2019, and as the Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing from 2020. While he and his donors care about their multiple investment properties, it does nothing for the people of Deakin who want to buy their castle and who have been forced to swallow a bitter pill. . Minister Sukkar: Today I want to speak about a couple of things. Were working to restore it. He credited his Catholic religion as being one of the two most significant influences in his life, in addition to his family. Other leaked emails are reported to outline how Mr Sukkar sought work from a friend to design flyers to solicit donations to Sukkar's shady looking Deakin 200 club. Michael Sukkar (@MichaelSukkarMP) November 7, 2021. The finance department said the terms and conditions of the panel known as the legal services panel and the commonwealth procurement rules both require firms to identify conflicts of interest and disclose them. Electorate Office (Principal Office) 5/602 Whitehorse Road Mitcham, VIC, 3132 Postal address. [37], In his maiden speech, Sukkar categorised himself as an "economic liberal" and with "strong conservative foundations". To add insult to injury, taxpayers are footing the bill to have Sukkar defend against a defamation action; but we don't know who is suing him or why. The Hon Michael Sukkar MP was sworn in to the roles of Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing on 22 December 2020. Mr Sukkar told factional allies he had read through the very long, indulgent and quite frankly bizarre post. As "the numbers man", Sukkar's job was to convince and corral members of the Liberal party room to vote for Dutton. A spokesman for Senator Cash said it was inappropriate to speculate on whether the proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission would be able to investigate a particular scenario. The member for the east Melbourne seat of Deakin is facing calls from Labor to resign from federal cabinet, scrutiny from an internal Liberal Party probe as well as a departmental audit. Under the Abbott government the Liberals restarted attacking charities. Mitchell Woods (Canterbury) 8. 7. The seat of Deakin was considered a key seat for the 2019 election. "Mr Pham's primary responsibility was to design and oversee the production of newsletters, brochures and other communication collateral sent to constituents. "There was a facilitation [by Mr Sukkar's office]," Ms Speers said, before saying that she was "really not sure" about who paid for her printing. Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar. Deakin taxpayers haven't even gotten value for our money with barely any work done, cost blowouts and Sukkar handing $42 million up front with no proper assessments of the works of what our money was paying for. Please signup or follow on social media below to be notified of updates. Sukkar has been a member of the House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Deakin in Victoria for the Liberal Party. Electorate officers are funded by the taxpayer, and are not allowed to engage in party political activities in the office. Whenever housing is brought up he just likes to talk about "taxes". ", "Behind the scenes of the Liberal Party leadership spill", "Scott Morrison's reshuffle suitably vengeful", "Michael Sukkar faces backlash over role in Liberal leadership crisis", "Deakin (Key Seat) - Federal Election 2019 Electorate, Candidates, Results | Australia Votes - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)", "Michael Sukkar, Kevin Andrews implicated in Liberal Party branch-stacking scandal", "Federal Government MPs cleared of wrongdoing and misusing public funds", "Inquiry that cleared Liberal MPs did not hear from key witnesses", "Allegations of Liberal Party branch stacking involving Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar aired in defamation case - ABC News", "Michael Sukkar's brother Paul recruited 58 Liberal members in two months", "Michael Sukkar engulfed in branch-stacking scandal: Court documents", "ASIO red-flags Liberal Party donor Huifeng 'Haha' Liu over foreign interference risks", "Deakin (Key Seat) - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results", "Peter Dutton sidelines Scott Morrison allies in shadow cabinet as Nationals take six spots", "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions? Graphic designer Matt Pham, who chose Mr Sukkar as one of the groomsmen at his 2014 wedding and has been a close personal friend of the minister for more than a decade, was paid from Mr Sukkar's electorate office budget between 2016 and 2018. I think the party is very enthusiastic about our candidate in Aston and very pleased with someone whos going to be a great champion for that community, he told Sky News Austalia. Deakin deserves a local member who is focused on representing them. He is leading the faction trying to drive the Liberal Party further towards the "right". Perhaps not out of any genuine remorse - as they would have apologised straight away. Michael Sukkar, left, with his good friend and sometime employee, Matt Pham. Assistant minister Tim Wilson suggested the governments revised version of the legislation, yet to be made public, was stronger than previously proposed. Liberal party branch-stacking: fears push for virtual state council could kill off audit, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Sukkar was seeking to install Peter Dutton as PM. Is it any wonder that Michael Sukkar has voted against a Federal ICAC? A former Judge has even labelled the fund as "corruption". Nor did he apologise for his misdeeds. Where is the justice for the taxpayers of Deakin? What if your family doesn't own their own home? Are you someone who is sick of the daily grind who is watching Sukkar and his mates get richer? [1], Sukkar was born in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, to a father who was born in Lebanon. Sign up to get our new Explainer newsletter here. Sukkar claimed in Parliament that work had started, and that they were fully funded - which may have been a porkie. Thanks to an investigation by The Age and Nine's 60 Minutes, we now know of further attempts by Sukkar to gain more power within the party. It is alleged the scheme began in mid-2017. Taxpayer funds are not meant to be used to pay for any work done to facilitate donations for a political party. Michael Sukkar Stephen Brook is deputy editor of The Sunday Age. And I understand that a bill will be presented to the Parliament very shortly which outlines a strong anti-corruption commission.. Money was abruptly pulled from programs that funded community legal centres and womens shelters. 2022 Australian federal election: Deakin; Party Candidate Votes % % Liberal: Michael Sukkar: 41,626 41.51 6.21 Labor: Matt Gregg 32,844 32.76 +0.40 Greens: Rob Humphreys 13,904 13.87 +4.58 United Australia: Bianca Gidley 2,836 2.83 . Hes quietly confident of getting Dr Haines bill passed through the Senate in the next sitting, which may then force a vote in the lower house. I was excited and honoured to congratulate a local legend, Julia Mosley OAM, for recently receiving an Order of Australia []. Party president Robert Clark chaired the meeting in which members agreed to an audit of all members signed up in the past five years as part of a wide-ranging investigation. [34], At the 2022 Australian federal election, Sukkar held his seat by fewer than 500 votes, making it the most marginal Liberal seat in the nation. Sukkar attended primary school at Sacred Heart in Croydon and then secondary school at Aquinas College in Ringwood. Housing Minister Michael Sukkar says the Coalition's housing policies have got first home buyers to their highest levels in 15 years. The department has refused multiple freedom of information requests to release the entire review report after Mr Sukkar made strong representations that release is not authorised. The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act ("TCHRA") was enacted to "provide for the execution of the policies of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent amendments." Key points: Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar used his taxpayer-funded electorate office budget to pay one of his best friends, who was also tasked with designing Mr Sukkar's political smear files and materials to solicit party donations, in potential breach of parliamentary rules. BREAKING NEWS: Officials have let the cat out of the bag - there is no difference between the Cashless Debit Card and the Government's new 'SmartCard'. This work was alleged to have been paid out of Sukkar's taxpayer funded office budget. Unsurprisingly Sukkar's word is worth no more than a press release. Not playing power games in party politics to gain more power for his own aggrandisement. What's the solution to housing affordability from the Minister for Housing Michael Sukkar? [33], In December 2020, Sukkar was given further responsibilities, being sworn in to the roles of Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing. Please try again later. Chris Woods Aug 25, 2020 Share Someone in his own branch leaked to the media the now infamous "termite crushing" audio in 2018 allowing us to see the real "behind the scenes" Michael Sukkar. A minister is a position of real power and thus real trust and you cannot have it in the hands of people who abuse it.". Did you know about what was going on with charities and the ACNC? Lorraine Finlay, Murdoch University and Joshua Forrester, Murdoch University, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra, Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Screenshot from Labor Party advertisement linking Peter Dutton to Liberal candidates. Senior ministers have dug in behind Mr Sukkar after The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes revealed personal correspondence showing he was aware of a scheme where his brother, best friend and factional allies were paid by taxpayers for political work. Were working to restore it. R v Joshua Michael Phillips. 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