Prime minister hosts magnates
In October 1984, 21 months after Brian Burke became the first of a line ofIt was the brainchild ofOthers were timber entrepreneur Denis Cullity, prominent Catholic businessman John Horgan, and bookmaker Rod Evans, who was also a publican and substantial Perth property owner.Laurie Connell Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell (died 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. As chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close rela ..., Labor strategist Jack Walsh and Burke, and named after Hawke's wartime political heroJohn Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few .... Alan Bond andLaurie Connell Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell (died 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. As chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close rela ...,] Hawke also mingled with John Roberts (Australian businessman), John Roberts, the hard-as-a-hammer builder who created the giant Brookfield Multiplex, Multiplex corporation, the philanthropic James McCusker, founder of the Town and Countrybuilding society A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingd ..., Ernest Lee-Steere, the pastoralist, racehorse owner and Perth lord mayor, prominent businessmanKevin Parry Kevin John Parry (1933 – 26 November 2010) was a businessman from Western Australia, most noted for his backing of the Taskforce '87 syndicate which unsuccessfully defended the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle, Western Australia. The defence c ...and Ric Stowe, Australia's most reclusive billionaire, ofGriffin Coal Griffin Coal is a large coal mine near the town of Collie in Western Australia, producing about of coal annually. In September 2022 its current owner, the Griffin Coal Mining Company, a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech, entered receivership. In D ...fame. The writer was a senior political reporter for ''The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...'' throughout the WA Inc era.
[In evidence to theWA Inc WA Inc was a political scandal in Western Australia. In the 1980s, the state government, which was led for much of the period by premier Brian Burke, engaged in business dealings with several prominent businessmen, including Alan Bond, Laurie ...Royal Commission,] Connell alleged that Hawke dropped a proposed gold tax after Connell and various Perth high-flyers donated $250,000 each to Labor during an infamous lunch in Brian Burke's office in 1987 – a claim the former PM vigorously denied. Burke's loyalty to those who had donated their efforts (and money) to Labor was no less fervent. Taking the John Curtin Foundation axiom to the next level, Burke created the West rnAustralian Development Corporation and installed fellow Catholic John Horgan (pictured second from left, top) on $800,000 a year, an extraordinary figure for a public servant not only then but now.
State government's corporate strategy
To become directly involved in large-scale business transactions, premier Burke had created in 1983 a state-financed holding company, the Western Australian Development Corporation, headed by John Horgan on a salary of $800,000 p.a., and subsidiaries including Exim Corporation which sought to create and exploit export markets for education and other products. Legislation was pushed through which removed these operations from parliamentary scrutiny and ministerial accountability.Parliament of Western Australia: Western Australian Development Corporation Act 1983 (No. 87 of 1983) The enabling Act provided that "(4.3) The Corporation is an agent of the Crown in right of the State and enjoys the status, immunities and privileges of the Crown..." while "(4.4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), the Corporation shall not be subject to direction by the Minister..."Large donations
Cumulative donations by individuals connected with the government's business involvements was a matter of concern to the royal commission, which published the following list to justify its concern: MrReferences
{{WA Inc Political scandals in Australia History of Western Australia 1980s in Australia