A state MP who has stood aside from the parliamentary Liberal Party during a corruption inquiry has admitted he pocketed a $10,000 "bribe" from one property developer and used it to pay his tax, as well as taking an envelope stuffed with cash from a second developer.
Andrew Cornwell, the member for Charlestown in the Hunter Valley, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that Hunter Valley property developer Hilton Grugeon gave his wife $10,000 as "payment" for a painting that Mr Cornwell gave him at Christmas in 2010.
Counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson, SC, said it was "far too much" for the gift.
Mr Cornwell agreed that it was a way of "bribing" him.
"I was in the receipt of patronage," Mr Cornwell said.
Its unclear what favours those property developers got in exchange, but it sounds like that's going to emerge soon. Which means they'll hopefully end up in jail too.
Meanwhile, this just goes on and on and on. Something is seriously wrong with Australia's political culture, and it makes me very glad I don't live there.