‘Value’ project a back for scratching

THE Corruption and Crime Commission report into the state government department meant to deliver disability, child protection, family support and housing services is a page-turner for all the wrong reasons.

It’s about an employee and a contractor who ran the ironically named ‘value for money project’ at the Department of Communities between 2012 and 2020.

What the CCC reveals is that Kerry Ravi and Maria Irdi were very good at understanding the value of gifts, travel and expensive restaurants and, more significantly, how to extract the cost of all three from corporate accountants Grant Thornton and global law firm MinterEllison.

In return for $111,596 worth of hospitality, Ms Irdi and Mrs Kelly delivered government contracts worth $7.2 million to the two companies.

“Just confirming we are still on for lunch this Wed,” reads one email from Ms Irdi to Grant Thornton managing partner Mark Azzopardi in 2014.

“You better bring a big credit card.”

A year later, Ms Irdi wanted her palm greased with footy tickets for her work colleague.

“Hey Budha [Azzopardi’s nickname], any chance of corp seats Saturday night week,” she wrote.

“Kerry will be in town next Friday.”

The eight-year shakedown of Grant Thornton and MinterEllison was shameless.

But it always takes two to tango and the companies did their best to ensure Ms Irdi and Mrs Ravi were accommodated.

Grant Thornton even employed an unqualified member of Mrs Ravi’s family for almost three years, despite internal concerns about the probity of doing so.

“I feel pressured on something we shouldn’t but happy to take it for the team,” a staffer wrote in an email to Mr Azzopardi in 2015.

There were concerns further up the management chain, too.

“The reality is that a number of Perth partners believe that (family member) is with us as a quid pro quo for the Department of Communities work,” managing partner Don O'Brien wrote in 2018.

“The fact that we have employed the (family member) of a senior executive of a significant public sector client who pay us substantial fees is capable of misinterpretation on so many levels.”

The CCC didn’t misinterpret any part of the graft.

“Mrs Ravi and Ms Irdi inappropriately used their connections and influence with Grant Thornton to secure employment of a family member,” the report concluded.

Like the report into the staggering $22 million theft by the department’s former deputy director general, Paul Whyte, the details in this latest document are disturbing.

When interviewed by the CCC in 2020, Mrs Ravi justified her actions by pointing to Whyte’s crimes, for which he is now serving 12 years behind bars.

“Have I made bad choices?” she said.

“Have I been influenced by other people? Absolutely.

“But you know, I also had a boss who no-one knew was ripping us off for 10 years.”

Soon after being questioned by the CCC, Ms Irdi was heard during an intercepted phone conversation telling Mrs Ravi to “put everything on Paul”.

“I’m going to,” Ms Ravi replied.

To help secure the free tickets, hotel rooms and meals, the pair breached procurement rules by disclosing competitors’ pricing information to MinterEllison and Grant Thornton.

Ms Irdi constantly reminded the companies how much money they were making off the taxpayer via the cosy arrangement, and that appeared to be well understood by Grant Thornton’s chief operating officer Ian Herman.

“You have gone above and beyond to support us,” Mr Herman wrote to Ms Irdi in 2018.

“We really appreciate your efforts as none of this would be possible without you pushing our cause. See you at lunch on Thursday. GT’s shout.”

Whether any corruption charges flow from the CCC report remains to be seen. Ms Irdi was a long-term contractor and not technically a public officer.

Mrs Ravi, however, “engaged in serious misconduct” and “corruptly” used her position to control the flow of consulting work.

And what about MinterEllison and Grant Thornton?

They have conducted investigations, said the CCC, “which have resulted in some personnel ceasing work at those firms”.