‘Here you are, Gordon, is there anything else I can get you?’
‘Yes please, Marjorie, could you get the chief justice on the phone, please?’
‘Certainly, will that be all?’
Gordon looked at her, gnawing at his bottom lip, ‘There is much I must do, Marjorie, and I’m a little scared by it all. If I don’t act, then potentially a fraud could be committed and the Australian people will be the victims, but if I do take action, then the even greater crime of trashing the parliament’s history – its practice and its protocols, which I have proudly defended for many years – will have been committed against the parliament.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘And that, Marjorie, is the crux of my dilemma. Neither do I.’
Marjorie left Gordon in peace to get the chief justice, stepping aside as George Nikolaos entered carrying a large orange envelope. ‘I have the final report for you, Gordon.’
‘What have you got for me?’
‘I have been able to confirm that Bagshaw did visit Gerrard on Sunday evening, staying a few hours and leaving her car waiting for her. I have pictures of her arriving and timed pictures of her leaving through a secluded entrance, looking a little dishevelled, I must say.’ Nikolaos was a little reluctant to talk about his report. ‘I also have evidence of her visiting the prime minister on further occasions for what seems in most cases to be inappropriate behaviour.’
‘What do you suggest in your report?’
‘The photographs I have been able to take on these occasions don’t leave too much to the imagination, I’m afraid.’
‘Are these all you have?’
‘I have images within the PM’s suite that are a little too grainy because of the infrared, but what you can see is not complimentary of the speaker.’
‘What else?’
‘As I said, I have her at the prime minister’s suite on a further three occasions during the last few days, perhaps indicating that she is not as independent as she would have you believe.’
‘Were you able to find the clerk from the drafting office?’
‘Columbia is the latest recorded contact.’
‘Mrs Gerrard?’
‘Will leave on an Emirates flight to Dubai this afternoon, with a connection to Milan.’
‘Not Zurich?’ Gordon was disappointed.
‘A late change of schedule, apparently.’
‘Strange, I could have sworn she was off to Switzerland – I approved it.’
‘She is.’ George referred to his notes. ‘She has booked an overnight train ticket to Zurich, under her maiden name Swanson, returning to Milan next Tuesday, using her personal passport, the one she uses when travelling unofficially. She has a hotel booking in Milan until next Thursday.’
‘Nice one, George. Well done.’
‘Will that be all, sir?’
‘How graphic are the photographs from the PM’s office?’,
‘Enough to leave nothing to the imagination.’
‘Thanks, George, you have been fantastic this week. I appreciate the work you have done.’
‘It was a pleasure, sir. I haven’t done that sort of thing for quite a while.’
Gordon took the envelope from him – the weight surprised him – and led his confederate to the door. ‘Drop by later for a farewell drink, if you like.’
‘That would be a pleasure, sir. If you need me further, sir, please call.’
Gordon tossed the envelope on the coffee table after quickly checking the contents. His face fell into lines of distress as he walked to his desk to answer the phone. He had hoped others in the parliament would have been able to take the initiative and leave him out of the mess in which he was now embroiled. It seemed the opposition were powerless to stand up to Gerrard and Bagshaw.
‘O’Brien, speaking.’
‘Gordon, it’s Ben Hopetoun. Have you made a decision?’
‘Hello, Ben. Yes, I’m afraid to say I have.’
‘Did the speaker resign?’
‘No, it was awful.’ Gordon flopped into his chair. ‘The media had been advised the opposition would be calling for her resignation and she bluntly told them to go away.’
‘Do you have your evidence of collusion?’
‘Yes, I just got a report from my man adding to the preliminary photographic evidence, which I am sorry to say is much more graphic, and it confirms what I regrettably suspected to be true. There is a crime being perpetrated on the Australian people as we speak.’
‘Then you must act quickly, and with certainty. There is no time to waste.’
‘You’re right. When can you both get here?’
‘We’ll be there by 1.50 at the latest. Is that enough time?’
‘Gerrard has only fifteen minutes of his speech to go so that will make it 1.55. Make sure you do not delay otherwise we are sunk.’
‘Let’s meet at the chamber foyer to save time. Take care.’
‘See you soon then, Ben.’ Gordon replaced the receiver, and noted the time in his diary: 1.40 pm. As he closed the leather-bound book for possibly the last time, Gordon began writing a proclamation that he had hoped he would never have to deliver.
Anita Devlin heard the bells for the resumption of parliament and began to hurry, scooting along in her sneakers. She guessed there was about to be action in the house and wanted to watch it in her office. She hoped Peter Cleaver would welcome her analysis of the Indonesian funding dispersal, and the possibly fraudulent act that was about to take place in the chamber. She had nothing solid, just circumstantial evidence, but she knew a politically sensitive allegation like this would run hard in the media and gain enough publicity to warrant further investigation, possibly through a parliamentary inquiry, or even a judicial inquiry, like a royal commission.
‘What have you got?’ Cleaver asked, as Anita hurried into his office, having dropped files and papers on her desk.
‘It was hard to find, but within the antiquated Indonesian company registrations, I found the president is a director of a company that is a shareholder of the construction company … no wait … a major silent shareholder of a construction company, owned and managed by a childhood friend from central Java.’ Anita paced the floor numbering off her points on her left hand.
‘Big deal, what politician in Asia doesn’t have a construction company?’
‘Two. This construction company, Yogyakarta, won the tender for all the immigration centres funded by the Australian government.’ Anita smiled. ‘Plus, you are going to love this, the original budget estimates from the government were four billion, and the actual funding is now forty million extra.’ Anita sat and kicked her feet on to the desk.
‘So what?’
‘Failed arithmetic at school, did we?’
‘Stop playing with me, Anita.’
‘It just happens to be exactly one per cent of the total deal.’
‘Exactly?’ Cleaver scratched his head roughly.
‘Sounds like it could be a clip to me,’ he said.
‘And me. The question is, who is taking the clip?’
‘How strong is the relationship between Surriento and Gerrard? Is it stronger than just heads of state?’
‘I couldn’t find much, but his wife went to Melbourne University and studied the same science degree as one Margaret Swanson, now Gerrard.’
‘You’re kidding me. Seriously?’
‘You know those old-school connection sites on the web? Well, if you put in a name you can get a lot of information. I went searching for the president and found a link, then I also noticed his wife went to Melbourne University.’
‘This is the reason I don’t use social media.’
‘You are a dinosaur, Cleave.’
‘What else have you got?’
Anita was once more counting on her fingers. ‘I have Margaret Gerrard, a dear friend of the president’s wife.’
‘Assumed.’
‘All right, assumed friend.’ Anita scribbled in her notes.
‘I have a story about the prime minister resigning and, incomprehensibly, no response from his press officer. I have Margaret Gerrard flying to Zurich. I have forty million dollars added within the last few days to the original tender price, which is unaccounted for and for which no explanation is given, which could be a secret commission.’
‘That is the most interesting so far.’
‘I have amended legislation approved by the senate late at night, breaching all previous parliamentary conventions. I have a house of reps about to agree to this shonky Indonesian money deal …’
‘Alleged shonky deal.’
‘Okay, alleged shonky deal without any proper parliamentary scrutiny, which I think is the most controversial.’
‘It does seem strange.’
‘Plus, I have a parliament seemingly out of control, because the speaker is refusing to take a formal vote.’
‘Which all adds up to what?’ Cleaver asked.
‘The prime minister is about to rip off the taxpayers with a forty-million-dollar superannuation retirement gift.’ Anita smiled broadly.
‘You’re only guessing. You can’t confirm anything.’
‘That’s true, but I get the feeling Gerrard is up to something shonky, and I would like to run with it.’
‘I think I could be persuaded to agree with you.’ Cleaver stood at his desk and Anita jumped to her feet. ‘It’s flimsy and very risky, but write it. I’ll get the legal boys in Sydney to check it over before we publish. Try and emphasise the deliberate lack of parliamentary scrutiny. Good work.’
‘Thanks, Cleave.’
‘Will it get front page?’
‘Maybe, but I can’t promise it because parliament is out of control. Just get it done as quick as you can.’
‘Marjorie, I just sent you an email with a document that needs to be printed on parchment. Can you get it done as quickly as possible for me, please?’ Gordon called to his assistant.
‘We don’t have any. Will any paper do?’
‘We what?’ Gordon gasped. ‘Why don’t we have any? Christ, it needs to be on parchment, the governor-general is required to sign it.’
‘We’ve been waiting for some, but they are yet to deliver. We can expect some tomorrow.’
‘But I need it now. Jeezus!’ Gordon rushed into Marjorie’s office. ‘What can we do? I’m running out of time.’
‘The speaker may have some. I’ll go and check.’ Paige Alexander bolted from the room.
‘You are kidding me, the speaker?’ Gordon suddenly bent over, his hands on his knees, panting and shaking his head. ‘What’s the time? This is unbelievable?’
‘It’s 1.45,’ said Marjorie, reading the proclamation. ‘This is serious … and we’re using her parchment?’
‘What a day. It’s killing me.’ Gordon straightened up and walked back into his office to put on his gown and pick up the security report and photographs in the yellow envelope. ‘I need it within five minutes, no more.’
‘Relax, Gordon, it’ll be okay,’ Marjorie said as she moved to the printer to ensure it was working.
‘No, I can’t wait any longer,’ said Gordon, striding briskly to the door. ‘Bring it to the chamber foyer as soon as it is done and bring George Nikolaos with you.’ Paige was almost bowled over as they passed each other at the door, dropping the parchment, stepping on it and crumpling a corner.
As Gordon fled to the stairwell, his gown billowing as he searched for the other armhole, he tapped into his phone a text to Messenger.
WE NEED TO TALK URGENTLY. NO TIME LEFT. MEET ME IN THE OPP REP COURTYARD IN EXACTLY 2 MINS.
Messenger stood, bowed to the speaker and immediately left the chamber. To avoid scrutiny, he walked up the stairs by the adviser boxes, and left the chamber by the door leading to the whip’s office. He saw no-one in the outside corridor, or the lobby to the chamber, and quickly made his way to the representatives’ courtyard. He pushed hard on the heavy glass door and stepped out into the warmth of the day. Seeing no-one, he kept walking toward the corner of the opposition leader’s office. As he rounded the corner of the building, he was startled to see Gordon O’Brien coming straight at him in a rush.
‘You’re the one sending me those texts?’ Messenger asked. ‘Why are you doing that? What are you up to?’
‘We have just a few moments, so listen to me very carefully. I can’t tell you what is about to happen, but when you have the nod from me in the chamber, and you will know exactly when that is, move a motion for the house to adjourn.’
‘Why? Isn’t that the job of the government?’
‘Don’t ask questions, just do it!’ Gordon hissed. ‘Then once the vote has been taken on voices, have Stanley read this motion exactly as it is typed, do you understand?’
‘Are you sure? No, I don’t understand. What is going on?
‘As I have just told you, I can’t tell you what is about to happen, so you must trust me.’
‘Doesn’t the government always adjourn the house?’
‘Not on this occasion, so please do what I ask. The stakes are enormous, and if this venture is to work as planned, what we are about to do needs to be done correctly, so please do exactly as I ask.’
‘I am not sure about this, Gordon. You want Peter to read this?’
‘There will only one be chance, Mr Messenger. If you want transparent government and you want to defer this Indonesian funding, then move quickly when I give you the sign and have Stanley immediately read it at the despatch box, exactly as it is written, otherwise we are buggered.’
‘All right, I’ll try and do as you ask, but the speaker will never allow it. Why are you doing this?’
‘No time to explain.’ Having said all he could, Gordon scurried off back to his meeting with the chief justice.
Messenger returned to the chamber and called Stanley over for a quiet conference in the unused seats, right up the back, behind the Country Party, away from distractions and Gerrard’s gaze.
The prime minister was fifteen minutes into his allocated twenty, and yet to speak on the amended legislation in any substantial way. His primary message was about him leading a fine and honest government, and how he had enjoyed the confidence of the electorate for almost twenty good years.
‘Peter, I have just met with the clerk.’
‘O’Brien? What did he have to say?’
‘He gave me specific instructions, and asked me to ensure you move this motion at the appropriate time when he indicates, and I have it moved for the house to adjourn.’ Messenger handed over the letter he had received from O’Brien, and Stanley quickly scanned it.
‘Fuck!’
‘Exactly. This is now a very serious game we are playing,’ Messenger said.
‘How does he expect this to get up if we’re not taking divisions? The speaker will shut us done, surely?’
‘I don’t know, he didn’t tell me.’ Messenger was as confused as Stanley. ‘He just said I should move the house to adjourn at the appropriate time, and that I will know when that will be.’
‘This can’t be true?’ Hopetoun shoved the photographs and the security report back into the envelope and kept it at his side, along with a thin, red manila folder with a single document inside. ‘Surely there must be another explanation?’
‘There isn’t one that I can think of I’m afraid, Ben,’ Gordon replied.
‘Then we must act, and we must do so right now. We must also ensure the process of the parliament is followed because if we don’t, it would almost amount to an illegal coup d’état.’ The chief justice started pacing back and forward. ‘A coup d’état – is there no other way? You are sure, aren’t you, Gordon?’
‘I know one thing, if we release the Indonesian money today, and not in February, then a terrible crime will have been committed against the parliament, and Australia.’
‘What do you think, your excellency?’ Hopetoun asked the governor-general.
‘Having seen the evidence, I trust Gordon, and if he
thinks we must act, then we must.’
‘This will end all our careers and probably send us to jail if we don’t get it right,’ Hopetoun said, still pacing, as Gordon scribbled a quick note onto a desk pad beside the chamber door and pushed the call button for an attendant in the chamber to come to the vestibule. ‘We must avoid any challenge from the prime minister, and we must avoid anarchy at any cost.’
‘I have tried to resolve the issue by other means, but they have failed.’ Gordon said sadly. ‘Regrettably, I considered this action for some time, and it is the only way that I can think of to protect the parliament. I have called extra security if we need it.’
‘Are you sure, Gordon?’ asked the governor-general.
‘I am, absolutely.’
‘You are a brave man, my friend.’
‘I am not brave, Your Excellency, far from it. I’m the opposite, to be perfectly honest.’ Gordon said nervously. ‘I just need to do a brave thing.’
The attendant opened the door slightly and Gordon slipped the note to her, as Marjorie arrived with George Nikolaos and three burly security officers and five attendants. ‘Sorry I’m late, we had trouble getting it through the printer.’
‘Thanks, Marjorie.’ Gordon took the document from her and passed it to the chief justice to read, who then passed it to the governor-general.
‘Please sign it, Your Excellency,’ said Hopetoun. ‘Do you have the writs, Gordon?’
‘Yes, they are here,’ said Marjorie stepping forward and passing a manila file to Hopetoun.
In the chamber, Prime Minister Gerrard was into the last minutes of his oration as Speaker Bagshaw received the note calling on her to attend the vestibule as the governor-general wanted to convey important and vital instructions to her. Bagshaw immediately indicated to Charlie Edmunds, the chair of committees, that he should take the chair. Edmunds promptly replaced Speaker Bagshaw in the chair as she passed through the door into the vestibule.
Deceit Page 28
