Milton Orkopoulos

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The Orkopoulos story remained front-page news for many days, such as the above for the Sydney Morning Herald

Milton Orkopoulos (born 22 July 1957) is an Australian politician. In November 2006, New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma sacked him as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship after he was charged with child sex and other offences. The following week, he resigned as MP for the state electorate of Swansea.

Orkopoulos studied economics at the University of Newcastle and worked as an electorate officer for MPs Peter Morris, Don Bowman and Jill Hall. He briefly trained as a nurse and also worked for BHP.

Orkopoulos resides in Belmont, near Lake Macquarie, with his wife. They have three children.[1]

Contents

[edit] Political career

From 1995 until 1999, Orkopoulos represented Labor on Lake Macquarie City Council. In March 1999, he was elected to represent Swansea in the Legislative Assembly for Labor. In August 2005 he was promoted to the front bench, serving in the generally low-profile portfolios of Aboriginal Affairs and Citizenship.

Orkopoulos was a member of the Socialist Left faction of the Australian Labor Party before his sacking.

[edit] Child sex scandal

On November 7, 2006 Orkopoulos was arrested and charged with 30 offences including involvement in child prostitution, sexual assault and supplying illegal drugs. He was later released on bail. Orkopoulos was immediately sacked by Premier Morris Iemma as both a minister and member of the parliamentary Labor Party. Orkopoulos denied the charges but indicated that he would not contest his Swansea electorate at the 2007 state election.

On November 13, 2006 Orkopoulos handed in his resignation from Parliament to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly after pressure from the Premier.[2][3] He reportedly attempted to commit suicide on November 14, 2006.[4]

Earlier in the day, Iemma had announced that the Government would introduce a bill to suspend superannuation entitlements for Parliamentarians who resign when charged with serious crimes prior to the resolution of charges. It is not clear if the proposed law would be retrospective and thus apply to Orkopoulos.[5]

The charges relate to crimes allegedly committed between 1997 and 2005 and include:

  • six counts of homosexual intercourse involving boys aged between 10 and 18 years
  • 12 counts of supplying a prohibited drug
  • two counts of sexual assault without consent
  • three counts of aggravated indecent assault
  • four counts of procuring by drug for prostitution
  • one count of indecent assault
  • one count of act of indecency
  • one count of engaging in an act of child prostitution.[6][7]

[edit] Political ramifications

According to media reports, Orkopoulos had been the subject of speculation among party members for up to nine years before the arrest. More concrete allegations against the politician surfaced in October 2005, but were not pursued by the party at the time.

Police Minister John Watkins was informed by police commissioner Ken Moroney, via New South Wales Ministry for Police Director-General Les Tree, that Orkopoulos would likely be charged in the days leading up to the arrest. Moroney later explained that the Orkopolous case "is an issue that would be discussed in the normal course of events between us."[8] The call, which resulted in the Premier's office knowing that the arrest of a senior colleague was imminent two days before it happened, raised questions as to the political independence of the New South Wales Police. Legal commentator Richard Ackland wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that "I can't think of a solid reason why third parties should be told by the police that they are about to nab someone important."[9]

[edit] Context

The sacking of Orkopoulos came at an awkward time for Iemma's government. Police Minister Carl Scully was sacked after misleading Parliament on October 25. Attorney-General and Environment Minister Bob Debus, one of the most experienced state ministers, announced on October 30 he would step down at the next election. Presumptive Blue Mountains candidate and star party recruit Phil Koperberg was tarnished by allegations of domestic violence on November 5. Port Stephens candidate Aaron Beasley withdrew his nomination after being caught drink-driving on November 6. Local Government Minister Kerry Hickey admitted to four speeding offences on November 6 and 7. What the Sydney Morning Herald called "Iemma's two weeks of hell" contributed to a perception that the state government, which was due to face the voters in March 2007, was in crisis.[10]

The crisis took attention away from Hickey, who before the arrest had faced repeated calls for his sacking. His position on the front bench remained secure until the election.

Shortly afterwards, Macquarie Fields Labor MP Steven Chaytor was charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend. Chaytor was convicted in January 2007.

The Orkopolous affair co-incided with legal problems for current and former ALP ministers in other states, contributing to a fall in support for federal Labor. "The explanation appears to be that the Labor brand has suffered somewhat as a result of a number of difficulties at the state level," Federal frontbencher Stephen Smith said. In Western Australia, minister Norm Marlborough was sacked after lying to a corruption inquiry; in Tasmania deputy premier Bryan Green was sacked after being charged with conspiracy and in Queensland former ministers Merri Rose and Gordon Nuttall were facing extortion charges and corruption allegations respectively.[11]

Labor's problems at a state level were thought to have contributed to low poll ratings for the party federally. Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley was dumped by his colleagues in December 2006.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Milton Orkopoulos", Members of Parliament, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 8 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  2. ^ Frew, Wendy. "Orkopoulos quits parliament", The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  3. ^ "Milton Orkopoulos resigns", News.com.au; AAP, 11 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  4. ^ "Family holds vigil at Orkopoulos's bedside", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 14 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  5. ^ "Sex-case politician may lose his pension", Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  6. ^ "MP 'bought teen sex using public funds'", The Australian, 8 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  7. ^ "Teen sex on the taxpayers", Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  8. ^ Clennell, Andrew. "Briefing was appropriate: Moroney", The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  9. ^ Ackland, Richard. "Premier cast as both goose and gander", Sydney Morning Herald, 10 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
  10. ^ Sydney Morning Herald. "Government in crisis: Iemma's two weeks of hell", Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November, 2006, p. 4-5.
  11. ^ AAP. "Beazley not fazed by dip in Labor support", The Courier-Mail, 14 November, 2006. Retrieved on November 15, 2006.
Persondata
NAME Orkopoulos, Milton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH 22 July 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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