Payne orders ‘ sales’ probe
IN a significant backflip, Defence Minister Marise Payne has ordered her department to investigate whether senior members of the military allowed an investment property spruiker on to an army base to pitch to soldiers preparing to head to the Middle East.
Initially Senator Payne said there was “no evidence” Gold Coast- based Hugh Ochremienko ran seminars at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, contrary to soldiers’ claims.
Mr Ochremienko first came to public attention last year when News Corp Australia revealed war heroes had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after being convinced by the smooth- talking ex- military man to invest in a legal property scheme that flopped.
Soldiers then contacted News Corp Australia and reported that battle groups preparing to deploy to Iraq in 2009 and 2010 were told to assemble at Lavaracks’ 2RAR unit training facility for what turned out to be a 45- minute address by pamphlet- wielding Mr Ochremienko. The soldiers said Mr Ochremienko suggested they should invest their $ 60- 80,000 tax- free deployment payments via his company, Hugh Element.
Some did, and the properties purchased turned out to be duds.
One soldier reported being introduced to Mr Ochremienko by Officer Commanding Major Nigel Earnshaw, who later went to work for Hugh Element and still lists it as his current job on LinkedIn.
After News Corp Australia published the soldiers’ claims, Labor senator for Queensland Chris Ketter put formal questions on notice to Senator Payne asking whether “the Department of Defence investigated allegations … Hugh Ochremienko was granted permission to attend Defence barracks, including Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, to spruik property investment to soldiers” and “under what government protocols this was allowed to occur”.
The first response was “there is no evidence to indicate that Mr Ochremienko provided financial advice to soldiers prior to, or following operational deployments”.
News Corp Australia then asked Senator Payne’s office if she was suggesting the soldiers had made up their claims.
In response, a Defence Department spokesman said “the Minister has directed Defence to conduct further investigations into whether there was any social access to the base facilitated by senior personnel that may have been used to provide financial advice”.
Mr Ochremienko and Mr Earnshaw did not respond to requests for comment.