AGY-4938 | Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle

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A Royal Commission of Inquiry into Matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle was established by Letters Patent on 18 March 1953. Judge George Amsberg was appointed as Commissioner. (1) The terms of reference for the commission were to investigate:
(1) Whether Joshua George Arthur acted corruptly or improperly in any association or dealing with Reginald Aubrey Doyle.
(2) Whether any member of either House of Parliament of New South Wales or any officer or person employed in or about the Parliamentary Establishment made available to Reginald Aubrey Doyle the use of any office or room in that establishment or the use of any telephone in that establishment or elsewhere.
(3) (a) Whether any Motor Car owned by Reginald Aubrey Doyle or by his wife was at any time or times parked in any parking area at Parliament House: if so, whether he or his wife was granted authority or leave to park such Motor Car in such parking area, and by whom and at whose request such authority or leave was granted.
(b) Whether the Motor Car bearing the registered Number AHB 405 was parked in such parking area on the second or third day of February,1953 and if so, by whom an in what circumstances was it moved.
(4) (a) Whether on or about the sixth day of February, 1953, a slip bearing what purported to be an authority or leave to park in the parking area at Parliament House Motor Cars bearing the registration numbers AHB.405 and AEZ.728 was included in or attached to the list supplied to and held by the member of the Police force in charge of that parking area.
(b) If so, then
(i) By whom and in what circumstance did such authority or leave purport to be granted and by whom was it issued.
(ii) Whether such slip was removed from such list, and if so, by whom, at whose directions, and in what circumstances.
(5) (a) Whether Joshua George Arthur or any other Minister of the Government of New South Wales or of the Commonwealth is now or has been at any time during his tenure of office as a Minister a shareholder in a company named Constructors (Engineering and Industrial) Limited; and if so, whether all or any such shares are or were held by him beneficially; what is or has been the extent of such interest; and what profits or benefits (if any) have accrued to him by reason of such interest.
(b) Whether the company named Constructors (Engineering and Industrial) Limited or any company in which that company hold any interest has entered into any contract or contracts with the Joint Coal Board or any subsidiary of the Joint Coal Board: and if so -
(i) what was the nature of such contract or contracts: in what circumstances was it or were they entered into, and to what extent (if any) has the company or any such company as aforesaid benefited under such contract or contracts.
(ii) Whether Joshua George Arthur or any other Minister of the Government of New South Wales or of the Commonwealth has acted corruptly or improperly in any way in reference to such contract or contracts.(2) The Commission held 35 hearings, and examined 54 witnesses. 79 Exhibits were tendered to the Commission. (3) The Commission commenced hearings on 25 March 1953. (4) Findings:
(1) The Commissioner found that Mr Arthur had acted “not corruptly, but improperly” (5) in his numerous dealings with Mr Doyle. The Commissioner particularly found that “Mr Arthur knew very early in 1952, that Mr Doyle had bought a vehicle from Constructions services Ltd., through the Australian Guarantee Corporation on hire purchase, and that he was quite unable to pay his gambling debts. By reason of these matters, the veneer of wealth and respectability assumed by Mr Doyle must have worn thin almost if not entirely, to vanishing point, and Mr Arthur must have realised this, and it must have been driven home to Mr Arthur’s mind that Mr Doyle was a completely worthless individual, void of rectitude and undeserving of any kind of trust or confidence which might be reposed in him. Mr Arthur’s subsequent acts of commission and of omission in this regard ….. I find, pass the bounds of mere indiscretion, unwisdom or foolishness, and were discreditable or seriously reprehensible in a person occupying the position of a Minister of the Crown, and constituted a substantial breach of the recognised standards of right dealing to be expected of a Minister of the Crown.”(6) (2) The Commissioner concluded apart from limited instances in which Mr Seffiert (M.L.A) had made his rooms available to Mr Doyle, no other employee or Member of Parliament except Mr Arthur had made rooms or telephones available to him. The Commissioner concluded that Mr Seffiert had probably allowed Mr Doyle to use his rooms merely as a courtesy, as he assumed that Mr Doyle was in Parliament House on legitimate business. (7) (3)(a),(b) and 4(a) and (b)(i) and (ii) The Commission found that cars belonging to Mr and Mrs Doyle were parked in the Parliament House Cark Park on a number of occasions, but no specific authorisation was given. Mr and Mrs Doyle simply took advantage of the custom to waive the strict rule regarding parking in the Parliament House Car Park for those who had dealings with Ministers. Doyle had given the impression to the Police in charge of parking that both he and his wife were in Parliament on legitimate business. (8) The Commissioner found that the Car bearing the Registration Number AHB.405 was moved by Mrs Doyle at 11:30 on 2 February 1953 at the request of Mr Doyle. He also concluded that the Parliament House parking authorisation list had been altered to allow Cars with registration Number AHB.405, AEZ.728 to park in the parking area, and then subsequently removed. There was not enough evidence however, to determine who granted the authority. There was also not enough evidence to determine “by whom or at whose direction such slip was removed, nor the circumstances in which was removed”. (9) 5 (a) The Commission concluded that: Arthur had beneficially held shares up until approximately November 1953, in Constructors (Engineering and Industrial) Limited whilst he was Minister for Mines; except for 12,000 shares which he transferred to his former wife and two children as part of a divorce settlement; and had made a profit of over 2,000 pounds on the shares. The Commission also found evidence of a small holding in the company by Mr Renshaw, the Minister for Lands, but concluded that “No other Minister of the Government of New South Wales or of the Commonwealth is now or has been at any time during his tenure of office as a Minister a shareholder in Constructors (Engineering and Industrial) Limited.”(10) (b) (i) The Commission concluded that Constructors (Engineering and Industrial) Ltd. and its subsidiaries had entered into several contracts with the Joint Coal Board (and its subsidiary companies). All of these contracts were considered to be perfectly legitimate by the Commission. (11) (ii) The Commission concluded that Mr Arthur had not acted corruptly, or improperly either in his shareholding with Constructor (Engineering and Industrial) Limited, or in reference to the contracts that the company had with the Joint Coal Board, as he probably had acquired shares in the company without any knowledge of a potential contractual arrangement between the Joint Coal Board and the company, or before any business relations had been conducted between the two companies. (12) The Commission ended with the publishing of the final report on 14 August 1953. Endnotes:
(1) NSW Government Gazette, 18 March 1953, p. 819
(2) Loc. cit
(3) Final Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle p.3 NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1953. Vol.1, p.151
(4) Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle: Records relating to the Commission: 63/991 part 11: Daily Diary, SRNSW Ref 12/8770, CGS 1581
(5) Final Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle Op. cit p.22
(6) Ibid p. 21
(7) Ibid p.22
(8) Ibid p 23
(9) Ibid p.24
(10) Ibid p. 26
(11) Ibid pp. 26 – 29
(12) Ibid pp. 29 - 30