Newcastle carpet seller Paul Murphy appeared to have the rug pulled out from under him at a corruption inquiry.
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Mr Murphy repeatedly denied at the Independent Commission Against Corruption yesterday that a local business group, the Newcastle Alliance, funded the Fed Up campaign against Labor MP Jodi McKay at the 2011 NSW election.
The inquiry has heard the campaign was partly funded by businessman Nathan Tinkler, who is banned from donating to political parties under NSW law.
Mr Murphy said it was a coincidence that a $50,000 deposit from Mr Tinkler’s company Buildev was sent to the Newcastle Alliance the day before the Fed Up campaign started.
Counsel assisting Geoffrey Watson SC told Mr Murphy it looked like he had used the money to destroy Ms McKay’s career.
“Not from my perspective,” said Mr Murphy, who was the alliance’s chairman at the time.
Mr Murphy said the money was being used to fund various projects and reports for the business group.
He said the Newcastle Alliance funded the Vote for Real Change Campaign and that he had told Fed Up campaigners he wanted nothing to do with them.
However, Mr Watson said Mr Murphy’s reluctance to work with Fed Up was “just rubbish” and showed a leaflet bearing the words “authorised by Paul Murphy”.
Mr Watson also showed a Fed Up media release called “change is in the air”, which invited reporters to call Mr Murphy for questions.
In May, the inquiry was shown text messages from Tinkler associate Darren Williams to an unknown recipient, whom Mr Watson SC named as Mr Tinkler.
“You ok mate if we get some more carpet?” Mr Williams wrote on March 11, 2011.
“Gees how much?” Mr Tinkler replied, to which Mr Williams responded: “You want her gone don’t you? 50”.