Union’s big spend on Toland bus ads
A UNION giant spent thousands on Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland’s election campaign, but she claims she did not know about key elements until after they happened, a court has been told.
Toland, who ran for mayor in 2016, is accused of misleading a Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) hearing about what she knew about her campaign bus advertisements. They were paid for by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
Toland pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane District Court yesterday to one count of perjury.
Crown prosecutor Sarah Farndon said the CCC began Operation Belcarra after a number of complaints about local government elections in 2016.
She said as a part of those investigations the CCC held a number of public hearings in June 2017, at which Toland gave evidence.
Ms Farndon said during the CCC hearings Toland claimed she only knew about the advertising after the pictures were on a bus.
The CFMEU claimed on disclosure forms to the Electoral Commission of Queensland that the union had provided more than $38,000 in funding to Toland, the court was told.
Toland did not disclose any donation from the CFMEU, it was alleged.
“She said she was aware that the CFMEU had what she called a ‘pro-Penny campaign’ and ran it outside of her campaign,” Ms Farndon said.
CFMEU organiser Andrew Sutherland told the court yesterday he had met with Toland during the campaign to speak about what was needed.
“Basically Penny’s campaign was running and I was in charge of how that could be looking to run better,” he said.
The CFMEU spent more than $38,000 on Toland’s campaign, about $14,000 of which was on bus advertisements, the court was told.
Mr Sutherland said he became aware Toland’s campaign staff had tried to organise bus advertisements but did not have enough funding.
He said he took the suggestion to the CFMEU secretary who approved 10 advertisements on the back of Gold Coast buses.
But he may not have told Toland, the court was told.
“I don’t specifically recall having a conversation with her but I would have,” he said.
“The process was that if we were going to form any support to Penny that once I got the OK I would have relayed it to Penny.”
Mr Sutherland said that in July 2016 – months after the election – he sent Toland an itemised list of what the CFMEU had spent on her campaign to help with disclosures.
“Hey mate, is my understanding correct that the CFMEU ran a pro-Penny Toland for mayor campaign as opposed to giving me $40,000,” Toland wrote to Mr Sutherland in a message shown to the court.
In another message Toland claimed she never saw invoices from the CFMEU.
The court was told the CFMEU spent more than $118,700 on local government election campaigns across the state.
Electrician James Mifsud, who worked on Toland’s campaign, told the court he had approached Mr Sutherland about getting funding for the bus advertising. He said he did not hear back before he left the campaign in February 2016.
Mr Mifsud said he sent an email about the bus advertisements, including a picture of one, to Toland.
Toland replied in the email: “I have heard of having an ass like the back of a bus haha … looks really good.
“Awesome work with the lights, James.”
Another campaign staff member Janine Aitken told the court she had spoken to Toland about bus advertising and had gotten some “costings”.
Ms Aitken said she had also left the campaign before the bus advertising was put up.
The trial continues.