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Joel Fitzgibbon fails to declare payment for China trips

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Joel Fitzgibbon fails to declare payment for China trips

2014

Joel Fitzgibbon failed to declare two trips he took to China in 2002 and 2005, which were paid for by Chinese-born businesswoman Helen Liu. Fitzgibbon’s brother Mark also held meetings with Defence officials and a US health company over business opportunities with Joel Fitzgibbon’s staff, including in his office.

Joel Fitzgibbon admitted breaching the ministerial code of conduct after it was revealed that his brother Mark, the head of health fund NIB, held meetings with Defence officials and the US health company Humana over business opportunities that also involved members of Mr Fitzgibbon’s staff. One meeting was also held in his office.

Mr Fitzgibbon also failed to declare two trips he took to China in 2002 and 2005, which were paid for by Chinese-born businesswoman Helen Liu.

What's a rort?

Conflicts of Interest

Redirecting funding to pet hobbies; offering jobs to the boys without a proper tender process; secretly bankrolling candidates in elections; taking up private sector jobs in apparent breach of parliament’s code of ethics, the list goes on.

Deceptive Conduct

Claiming that greenhouse gas emissions have gone down when the facts clearly show otherwise; breaking the law on responding to FoI requests; reneging on promised legislation; claiming credit for legislation that doesn’t exist; accepting donations that breach rules. You get the drift of what behaviour this category captures.

Election Rorts

In the months before the last election, the Government spent hundreds of millions of dollars of Australian taxpayers’ money on grants for sports, community safety, rural development programs and more. Many of these grants were disproportionally awarded to marginal seats, with limited oversight and even less accountability.

Dubious Travel Claims

Ministerial business that just happens to coincide with a grand final or a concert; electorate business that must be conducted in prime tourist locations, or at the same time as party fundraisers. All above board, maybe, but does it really pass the pub test? Or does it just reinforce the fact that politicians take the public for mugs?

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