New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb has strongly denied allegations that she bought more than 100 bottles of gin with taxpayers’ money and drank some of the hard liquor herself, calling the claims “absolutely false”.
Independent MP Rod Roberts, speaking under parliamentary privilege on Wednesday afternoon, accused the state’s top police force of buying dozens of bottles of gin with public funds and drinking some of it herself and her staff.
“I have very good informants within the NSW police force and members of the legal fraternity outside who have told me that Commissioner Webb has purchased over 100 bottles of gin, and that gin, she said… on the radio this morning (with) Ben Fordham, ‘I have used it as a gift to visiting dignitaries,'” Mr Roberts said.
– Well, I say that’s not correct. And that gin was consumed by the commissioner herself and some of her collaborators.
“And I’m asking for records showing where the distribution of that gin went. It’s taxpayers’ money.”
In a statement, Commissioner Webb called Mr Roberts’ claims “completely false”.
“The comments made under parliamentary privilege this afternoon are completely false,” he said.
‘I invite public scrutiny as it is an important part of being NSW Police Commissioner, but these comments are intended solely to damage my personal reputation and have no basis in reality.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) has vehemently denied drinking gin in response to shocking new allegations made in state parliament.
‘The 50 bottles were purchased in accordance with policies and procedures outlined by LECC (the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission).
‘To date, 24 bottles have been distributed as gifts or donated for charity.
“I have not tried the Commissioner’s gin and to suggest that the bottles were purchased for personal and staff use is incorrect.”
Speaking to 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe, Ms Webb said Mr Roberts “must have confused me with someone else”.
He also rejected the claim that his employees had drunk gin.
The furore centres on a New South Wales Police Force tradition under which the commissioner buys bottles for visiting commissioners and dignitaries from other jurisdictions.
Ms Webb defended her decision to buy alcohol after the allegations were raised in the NSW Parliament on Tuesday.
He explained that the purchase of bottles of gin follows a tradition established by his predecessor, former police commissioner Mick Fuller.
Ms Webb has been cleared of any serious misconduct after questions were raised about whether the use of taxpayers’ money was appropriate.
“After I became commissioner, the previous (NSW Police) Commissioner (Mick Fuller) informed me of his practice of providing bottles of the commissioner’s signature shiraz wine as a courtesy gift to visiting commissioners and dignitaries from other jurisdictions,” Ms Webb wrote in a text message to 2GB journalist Ben Fordham, who told his listeners on Wednesday about their exchange.
‘I continued this tradition and ordered from the same supplier as Commissioner Fuller.
“Some are given to these visitors and others are donated for special occasions, such as to the Police Legacy as an auction item, in support of the families of deceased police officers. This is an established precedent, Ben.”
He later confirmed that he had changed the wine order to bottles of gin which he would buy from the same supplier.
On Wednesday, the LECC confirmed it had investigated the allegations after receiving an anonymous complaint on September 7, 2023.
In October 2023, the LECC launched Operation Askern to investigate whether Ms Webb had failed to declare a conflict of interest when purchasing the Commissioner’s gin.
The LECC found there was no evidence to support a finding of serious misconduct against Ms Webb or any other police officer who may have purchased the gin and display boxes from the Commissioner.
A report outlining the allegations was handed over to Police Minister Yasmin Catley (pictured) on Tuesday.
The investigation also found that the purchase of alcohol was made “in accordance with policies and procedures.”
However, the LECC confirmed that Ms Webb “should have disclosed her association with the supplier when she became aware of the Commissioner’s Gin purchase”.
“The Commission recommended that all NSWPF employees, including the Senior Executive and the Commissioner of Police, be regularly reminded of their duty to declare any conflict of interest, including a perceived conflict of interest,” the LECC said.
A report was provided to Police Minister Yasmin Catley on Tuesday outlining the LECC’s allegations, investigations and findings.
During question time on Wednesday, Ms Catley defended the Commissioner’s decision to maintain the tradition of buying gifts for visiting dignitaries, but confirmed the spending will now be investigated by the LECC.
“The previous Commissioner of Police has advised the Commissioner of Police of a precedent of bottles of wine being requested as courtesy gifts for visiting Commissioners and other dignitaries from other jurisdictions overseas, and they have also been used at charity events,” Ms Catley said.
‘The commissioner ordered bottles of alcohol from the same supplier as the previous commissioner.
“We’ve all given wine as a gift at some point. Actually, to me, it seems like a pretty ordinary gift.”
The furore over the spending comes after former New South Wales premier Barry O’Farrell resigned after admitting he misled a corruption tribunal over a $3,000 bottle of Penfolds Grange red wine given to him by Australian Water Holdings in 2014.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) is under pressure again
The ICAC later cleared the former prime minister of any wrongdoing in 2017.
Mr Fordham told listeners on Wednesday it was important that political figures such as Ms Webb were held to account for spending taxpayers’ money.
‘I think if there is more than one bottle of gin (may be 10, may be 20, may be 50, may be 100), she has been in work for some time and may have given a lot of gifts.
“She may have donated a lot of it to charity and I don’t criticise her for that if she’s helping Police Legacy, but because it’s public money, she’s going to have to give the answers I would suggest very soon about how many bottles and where they went and what the total cost was,” Fordham said.