UPDATE 24/6/15: Lorraine Wreford subsequently issued the following statement on 31 May 2015 via her Facebook page. Read more here.
“Some remarks attributed to me publicly have been taken as reflecting adversely on David Eden. I want to make it clear that I had no intention of reflecting adversely on the integrity of David Eden and I know of no basis for any such reflection. I am glad to say that Cr Eden enjoys a fine reputation and represents his community in a fine manner and I apologise if ever I said anything that suggests to the contrary.”
VICTORIA’S Parliamentary Privileges Committee has published four replies on the Parliament of Victoria’s website to accusations made by Liberal Mordialloc MP Lorraine Wreford late last year over the alleged misuse of ratepayers’ money.
Responses by Cr David Eden, his father Nick Eden, Cr Rosemary West and Kingston Residents Association president Maureen Lim were tabled on 14 October.
In December last year, Ms Wreford claimed the Kingston Residents Association “is a closed shopfront for local Labor campaign activities fuelled by Kingston ratepayers money” (KRA ‘a Labor front’, The News 18/12/13).
The MP said: “Kingston Labor councillors have propped up this front with $2500 in ratepayer-funded councillor ward funds”.
Cr David Eden was criticised by Ms Wreford in parliament.
“This [the $2500] includes sums of ratepayers money funnelled into the group by Cr David Eden, who has not declared a conflict in supplying this group with funny money, despite the fact that his father is one of the faceless men running this group,” Ms Wreford said.
Cr Eden gave $1500 in councillor ward funds to the KRA.
At the time, Cr Eden told The News Ms Wreford’s comments were “a cheap shot”. He said the attack was the “start of a dirt campaign” ahead of the state election “against people who are trying to build a public profile”.
The KRA was founded by Nick Eden in June 2012 and subsequently transferred to Ms Lim’s stewardship in February last year.
In his submission to the Privileges Committee, Cr David Eden stated: “At no point in time have I had a conflict of interest with respect to voting on allocating ward grants to the Kingston Residents Association.”
He said he “felt persecuted by the remarks made by Ms Wreford”.
The first-term councillor has launched legal action against Ms Wreford. The News understands Cr Eden is seeking more than $300,000 in damages for defamation.
In his submission to the committee, Cr Eden’s father, Nick Eden, said “neighbours have questioned me about the allegations” and “they do not seem as friendly to me as they used to be”.
“In fact some of the neighbours have recently been overly agitated in their dealings with me and my family,” Mr Eden stated.
Mr Eden also said he felt “victimised and persecuted” by Ms Wreford’s “attacks”.
Nick Eden unsuccessfully sought preselection to contest Carrum as Labor’s state election candidate, missing out to Sonya Kilkenny.
In October last year, he issued a media release as a potential Labor candidate which in part stated: “I… have close links to organisations such as the Kingston Residents Association”.
In his parliamentary submission, Mr Eden said “I am not a ‘faceless man’ secretly ‘running’ the KRA”.
“Due to work commitments I attend few meetings and my involvement generally comes in the form of assisting at activities such as sausage sizzles (cooking the sausages and preparing them for customers).”
In her submission, Ms Lim said “Ms Wreford’s comments have successfully made people think twice before being aligned with myself as they know I am president of KRA”.
“Whereas my phone rang daily with requests from groups and individuals I now hardly hear from anyone,” Ms Lim stated.
Cr Rosemary West’s submission stated “Ms Wreford’s allegations are damaging”.
Cr West said she had never been a member of the Labor Party.
“I have four times been elected as an independent candidate who has never belonged to a political party,” her statement read in part.
Cr West told The News: “I gather it is unusual for an MP to incur even one right of reply and four might just be a record” and branded Ms Wreford’s comments “a disgraceful episode”.
Ms Wreford did not respond to a request from The News for comment on the four replies published on the Parliament of Victoria website.
See www.parliament.vic.gov.au/la-privileges/article/1931 for the full replies by Cr David Eden, Nick Eden, Cr Rosemary West and KRA president Maureen Lim.
