Almost a month after Michael McGurk was brutally murdered, we finally discover the name on his secret blackmail tape, writes Kate McClymont.
THE NSW Parliament has heard a lot of curly questions over the years, but surely this was the curliest of them all.
''Did you have any involvement in the murder of Michael McGurk?'' the Greens MP Sylvia Hale asked.
''You've got to be joking,'' said the property developer Ron Medich, a smallish man with a high-pitched voice. After taking a gulp of water from a white plastic cup, he snapped back at Ms Hale: ''You're a shocker''.
After the question was ruled out of order, Mr Medich said: ''I think this is a bloody disgrace''.
The disgrace to which he referred was yesterday's parliamentary inquiry into whether there was anything untoward in his and his younger brother Roy's dealings with the Government or the planning department over attempts to rezone their land at Badgerys Creek.
The intriguing mystery surrounding the execution earlier this month of Mr McGurk, a Cremorne moneylender and former business associate of Mr Medich, found its way into a parliamentary inquiry because of revelations Mr McGurk had tried to blackmail Mr Medich for $8 million over a tape which purportedly contained allegations of corruption involving property developments.
Sadly, Mr Medich was unable to throw any light on what was on the tape because he had not heard it. ''No, never heard it, and I don't want to hear it because it's a load of crap.''
However, it was pointed out to Mr Medich that he must have had some idea of what was on it because he had had the conversation with Mr McGurk that was taped. Mr Medich said it was Mr McGurk who had raised all the names, not he.
He said Mr McGurk said: ''I'm going to go to the tax department, I'm going to say that I've got evidence on a tape that's going to bring the government down, all these types of things. I'm going to say that you blabbed all around town that you got political connections and things like that.'' But Mr Medich denied any such accusations.
The only person whose name was confirmed yesterday to be on the tape was that of the Director-General of Planning, Sam Haddad, who arrived at the inquiry with a phalanx of planning assistants. Asked about meetings he had had with the Labor heavyweight Graham Richardson, a lobbyist for the Mediches, Mr Haddad said he had not brought the details with him and that he was in the process of ''tabulating them''. He spoke generally of a meeting with Mr Richardson and Roy Medich early this month,
but had to be pressed several times for the specific date. The inquiry finally heard that the meeting had taken place on September 2, the day before Mr McGurk was shot dead.
The Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally, strode purposefully into the inquiry wearing high-heeled red tartan shoes and her coiffed hair swept back in an aerodynamic style.
Obviously feeling she had had some success in recent times with her line about Mr McGurk, ''a man I've never heard of, allegedly extorting people I've never met with, about land the Government did not rezone'', she reeled it out again.
She reminded the Liberals the land in question had not been rezoned.
Also giving evidence yesterday was Roy Medich, who had requested he give his evidence separately from his older brother.
He was asked why they had donated a miserly $2750 to the Liberals since September 2005 but had given $218,500 to the ALP over the same period. Mr Medich denied it was anything to do with rezoning attempts.
The last question of the day was from Labor's Michael Veitch, who asked Ron Medich which Liberals dined with him at the famous Tuscany restaurant in Leichhardt.
Mr Medich quipped: ''I'm not naming anyone any more, I can tell you.''
For the first time he afforded himself a slight smile.
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