On May 20, 2010, the Roads and Transport Minister of NSW, David Campbell resigned from cabinet. Campbell, 52, tendered his resignation to Premier Kristina Keneally just hours before New South Wales’ Channel 7 broadcast a video showing the married minister who has two adult sons going to a gay nightclub.
Keneally accepted the resignation and told the media that when Campbell resigned he told her had led a double life for the past two decades. Keneally also said that Campbell had not been blackmailed over his long term extramarital activities. There was some concern about blackmail especially since Campbell had served as Police Minister between April 2007 and September 2008.
The day following his resignation, Campbell held a brief press conference. He said that his visit to the club was a private matter that had nothing to do with his job as minister. He also asked for privacy for himself and for his family.
Channel 7 Defends Decision to “Out” Campbell
Since the video was aired, there has been criticism of the station’s decision to broadcast the footage. Many people feel as Campbell does; it was a private matter and nobody’s business except Campbell’s and his family’s. Some critics went further and painted the station as being run by a bunch of homophobes.
This criticism, including that of previous NSW political leaders who were sympathetic to Campbell, put the station on the defensive. John Meakin, the station’s news director defended his decision by pointing out that Campbell had driven his ministerial car to the gay nightclub. But, as Premier Keneally had noted, ministers are allowed to use their government cars for personal business although she questioned Campbell’s use of it to go to a gay club. Even Meakin was forced to admit that the use of the car did not violate any ministerial guidelines.
Meakin also justified the broadcast by saying the public had a right to know about Campbell’s double life because he had campaigned as a “family man”. Campbell had never been known as promoting family values the way some politicians are. Meakin based this argument on the fact that every year, Campbell sent out Christmas cards in which he was pictured with his wife and sons.
The third justification was that Campbell had been the Minister of Police and in that office would have been particularly susceptible to blackmail. However there was no evidence presented that there had ever been a problem during the 17 months that he served in that portfolio.
Campbell’s defenders point out that not only did he not breach any guidelines but he was not alleged to have committed a crime and did not have a criminal record. Meakin on the other hand was sentenced to 14 months in jail on weekends and given an eight year license suspension after he pleaded guilty to drinking and driving in 2007. It was his third drunk driving conviction
Campbell Just the Latest NSW Minister to Resign in Scandal
Sex scandals are nothing new in the government of New South Wales. In 2009, John Della Bosca resigned as Health Minister after the married man admitted to having a six month affair with a 26-year-old woman.
In September 2008, MP Matt Brown was forced to resign after three days of serving as NSW’s Minister of Police. Brown had a party in his parliamentary office where he stripped down to his underwear and simulated a sex act with MP Noreen Hay.
And in November 2006, Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Milton Orkopoulos was arrested and charged with several child sex and drug offences. He was later convicted of 28 of the charges and sentenced to 13 years and 11 months in jail.
The controversy surrounding Campbell’s resignation continues. As ABC News (Australia) noted, public entertainment is not the same as public interest.
Arthur Weinreb - Weinreb is an author, associate editor and columnist with Canada Free Press and the Canadian Affairs Feature Writer for Suite 101.
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