Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 28 February, the Australian newspaper published an exclusive investigation including a secret tape-recording, a $2.3 million lawsuit, a failed blackmail sting which included the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, internal party stoushes and the use of taxpayer funds and agencies. What follows is not commentary or opinion; it's based on court records and matters that are currently before the courts. With a state election in South Australia just days away, these facts warrant careful consideration.

In 2022, while serving as Labor's opposition leader, Peter Malinauskas met with a former Labor MP, Annabel Digance, and her husband, and a recording of that meeting was later provided to police, prompting an investigation into an alleged blackmail attempt. As part of that investigation, police used the recording devices in subsequent interactions, including at Labor headquarters. In 2021 Ms Digance and her husband were arrested and charged with blackmail, but in 2023 prosecutors withdrew those charges under an agreement that the accused would stay away from Mr Malinauskas and his family. No court ever made a finding of guilt. The same court documents state that in December 2020 the now premier, Peter Malinauskas, asked police to not proceed with the investigation until after the 2022 state election. The investigation was suspended at that time. The facts raised in this investigation are unquestionable for South Australian taxpayers. Why were publicly funded police resources drawn into an internal Labor Party dispute, why should taxpayers be left to carry the legal costs of this matter, and why was the investigation delayed until after an election?