By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An electorate officer for South-Eastern Metro MP Adem Somyurek didn’t even log into his computer while being paid for purportedly working at home for five days in mid-2020, an IBAC inquiry was told.
Dr Hussein Haraco – an alleged branch-stacking recruiter in Melbourne’s North – was “certainly” not doing “electorate office work” during the full-day shifts in May and June 2020, Counsel Assisting IBAC, Chris Carr asserted.
“The whole notion of working from home was going to be problematic for quiet offices,” Mr Somyurek responded.
“I can understand they’re probably thinking there’s not much work that’s going to come out of this, but they should have at least logged in.”
On a secret phone tap tabled at the inquiry, Mr Somyurek told his faction colleague and Banyule councillor Rick Garotti on 15 June 2020 that Dr Haraco needed to be “really careful”.
It was shortly after 60 Minutes had aired branch-stacking allegations against Mr Somyurek.
“I know he comes to work all the time. He just needs to log in … because my office is being investigated unfairly,” Mr Somyurek said to Cr Garotti.
At the inquiry, Mr Carr asserted that Mr Somyurek “at least apprehended, if not knew, that there was no way Dr Haraco was actually doing any real work”.
“You certainly didn’t want anyone knowing that there was no real electorate office work being done in your electorate office, did you?”
Mr Somyurek said he “can’t remember what I had in my mind at that point in time”.
He said he was “paranoid at that point where … I thought I didn’t do anything wrong so it was a problem for me.”
He denied Dr Haraco was helping him as a “factional operative”.
“No he was helping himself… They’ve got their own objectives in politics. I don’t own him.”
Dr Haraco, a Somali community leader, was an alleged branch-stacking recruiter for Mr Somyurek’s Moderate Labor faction in Melbourne’s North according to earlier IBAC evidence.
He had been scheduled to appear at the inquiry but was postponed due to a medical certificate.
A staffer’s review of the MP’s quiet office in 2019 reported staff “doing there (sic) ‘own’ thing”, which was “probably factional work”.
Dr Haraco’s duties were described in the review as “does his own work from the office. He answers the phone when required”.
Mr Somyurek told the inquiry that “hasn’t been sanctioned but it fits with someone being idle doing other things.
“Obviously he’s not paid to be doing other work.”
Mr Carr asserted that some bosses would treat it as a “sackable offence”.
Mr Somyurek said it depended on the nature of Dr Haraco’s work.
“If it was his business I certainly would have spoken to him.
“I would take offence to someone just sitting there not answering telephone calls and doing their own thing.
“Your number one priority has got to be doing electoral work.”
Mr Somyurek said he hadn’t seen the review, which was directly emailed to him by the author.
Dr Haraco received on average less than one email a day as Mr Somyurek’s electorate officer between 2017-’21, according to IBAC data.
“And he doesn’t seem to be replying to them,” Mr Carr asserted.
Mr Somyurek replied: “I would say that’s a commentary on safe Labor seat, Upper House MPs rather than just on Mr Haraco,”
He said he was “willing to accept” that his staff did “factional work” in the office.
“But… I just fail to see what they can do factionally on a day in, day out basis.”
In the review, the author Emma Walters described that “constituent enquiries are low” and “no walk ins in the last week”.
“The telephone has rung once in the last three days, and I answered it.”
There were just 18 incoming phone calls between April and June 2020, according to data tabled at IBAC.
“I’ve never claimed that it’s a really busy office,” Mr Somyurek told the inquiry.
