Illicit trade in native wildlife - witnesses Ando, Plant, Dawson, Green

t17/kr
CCC
MR HAMMOND: - - - these officers operated and it also needs
to be acknowledged and recognised that my client is but a
junior officer of CALM operating under the guidance, either
appropriate or inappropriate guidance, of much senior
officers. And there are a number of allegations of this type
which will certainly reflect, probably adversely, on senior
officers of CALM. We really do not think that it's good
enough for all the allegations to be levelled at Mr Ando in
this vacuum, who is one of the most senior - - who's one of
the most junior officers.
COMMISSIONER: Mr Hall?
MR HALL: None of those matters self-evidently relate to
conduct which is in any way similar to that, that you are
examining here, Commissioner. If there are allegations of the
sort that Mr Hammond raises, the appropriate thing to do, in
fact, the necessary, the lawful thing to do, is to make proper
complaint to the Commission so that they can be investigated.
This is not a forum for every matter which Mr Hammond thinks
is somehow relevant under this broad heading of "culture" to
be ventilated. If there were some conduct that in a
meaningful way impacted upon the allegations made about Mr
Ando, then there might be some merit in his suggestion, but it
is difficult to see how, even if it were true, engaging in the
sale of fish for cash payment could somehow condone or make
proper what is alleged against Mr Ando. So with respect, the
matters raised by Mr Hammond could not possibly, on any view,
be relevant to the matters being investigated here, but I
would urge him to do the appropriate thing which is to put
those matters in writing with the appropriate evidential
indications and submit them to the Commission so that they can
be properly and thoroughly investigated.
COMMISSIONER: Mr Hammond?
MR HAMMOND: Yes. Maybe if I could respond to one part of
that, and that is, Mr Ando has the opportunity to raise, in my
respectful submission, these allegations now and this is
indeed the appropriate forum. Counsel in his opening address
aid that corruption in the Public Service is an insidious
matter and it can manifest itself in many ways. Now, it's not
appropriate, in my respectful submission, just to confine the
climate in which Mr Ando operated to one or two allegations
without seeing the whole picture. Otherwise, in my respectful
submission, the investigation is jaundiced. I mean, it may,
Mr Commissioner - and this is indeed the thrust of my response
to counsel assisting - it may explain why Mr Ando thought it
was appropriate to continue his liaisons with people who were
persons of interest, that there was such a culture that
permeated at CALM that indeed it wasn't inappropriate for that
23.11.04 R.D. DAWSON 163
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