Channel 7 Today Tonight (Adelaide) - Edith Pringle and Ralph Clarke

This version of the transcript has been edited by Dr Robert N Moles

See Clarke v Channel 9 2006

24 November 2005 - in order of appearance

Leigh McCluskey - Presenter
Rob Lucas MLC [Liberal] in Parliamentary Committee
Paul Holloway MLC [Labor] in Parliamentary Committee
Graham Archer – producer
Ralph Clarke – former Deputy Leader [Labor] file footage
Edith Pringle – former de-facto of Mr Clarke
Voice over Mr Rofe QC [former DPP] from file
Michael Atkinson – Attorney General

Program

Leigh McClusky

Well, sensational claims today before the parliamentary committee inquiring into the Randall Ashbourne Affair. Edith Pringle, a former Labor staffer, accused Premier Mike Rann of interfering in a criminal case in which his ex Deputy, Ralph Clarke, was facing three counts of domestic violence against her. Now Ms Pringle also claimed that Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, had perjured himself, having recently denied in court that he had any knowledge of board positions being offered to Mr Clarke.

As Graham Archer reports, the much maligned Edith Pringle, currently suffering from cancer, today stood up to her former colleagues and friends so that, in her words, the committee could get to the truth.

Rob Lucas in Parliamentary Committee

This witness has given evidence…

Paul Holloway

Mr Lucas, you can’t…

Rob Lucas

...in relation to Mike Rann…

Paul Holloway

Mr Lucas…

Rob Lucas

... critical evidence…

Paul Holloway

Mr Lucas…

Rob Lucas

... and you are now trying to cover up…

Paul Holloway

No, Mr Lucas...

Rob Lucas

... to protect Mike Rann…

Paul Holloway

Mr Lucas, would you please behave yourself.

Rob Lucas

... and Michael Atkinson.

Graham Archer

It may not seem it - but today is historic. Today the curtain was pulled back on the dirty world of politics and the law in this state.

Ralph Clarke [file footage]

Mick has a habit of interfering with people’s business, including your union, [to Mr Sneath] and you know it. You know it.

Graham Archer

Today Edith Pringle fought back.

Edith Pringle

For what it is worth I reassure this committee that my evidence is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Graham Archer

Telling the parliamentary inquiry into the Randall Ashbourne case her inside story, implicating the Premier, Mike Rann, and the Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, in charges of abuse of power and perjury.

Edith Pringle

I’m just here as a citizen, doing a civic duty to provide information to this committee, which may or may not help it investigate the matter that’s in front of it.

Graham Archer

Edith Pringle has been unfairly maligned since the domestic violence trial against her former de facto and Deputy Labor Leader, Ralph Clarke, was aborted midstream by the then DPP, Paul Rofe.

Voice over Mr Rofe from file

I have sufficient concerns with some aspects of Ms Pringle’s evidence and cannot, therefore, ask the jury to return a verdict of guilt based on the evidence. Accordingly I enter a nolle prosequi.

Graham Archer

Not withstanding admissions by Clarke of having struck Pringle and having approached her before the trial, despite a restraining order, and amidst evidence of political interference by Atkinson and Rann, Clark walked free. Edith was painted as the villain. Still is. However today Clarke and Pringle were on the same side concerning the Attorney-General’s conduct in the Randall Ashbourne Affair.

Ralph Clarke [file footage]

Randall at no stage ever acted or said anything without qualifying each of his statements with - quote - ‘I’ll have to talk to Mick’ - end quote, or - quote - ‘I’ll have to see what Mick says’ - end quote.

Graham Archer

This morning an ailing Edith Pringle revealed that when Atkinson and Clarke fell out and sued each other over claims and counter-claims about Clarke’s domestic violence case, Edith was asked by Michael Atkinson to give evidence on his behalf. No trouble with her credibility if her evidence might help his case, but here is what Edith says then took place, starting with a phone call to Atkinson.

Edith Pringle

I inquired about when I would be required to testify. Michael informed me that the case was not going ahead as a deal had been done. I recall that Michael seemed proud of the fact that he didn’t - quote - ‘have to pay Ralph Clarke one penny’. Yet again, it seemed that behind the scenes deals were going on to prevent the truth from coming out. I asked Michael Atkinson about the nature of the deal and he told me it involved Board positions for Ralph. When I asked him which Boards were involved he said that “WorkCover” would probably be one. I expressed my disapproval to Michael in fairly robust terms and his response to me was that it was out of his hands. He said that the instruction to settle had come from ‘higher up’.

Graham Archer

The idea of someone higher up than Atkinson being behind the offer of Board positions caused some discomfort amongst the ALP members of the committee.

Unnamed Person on committee

So that could be the Premier, but it could be other people as well I guess.

Edith Pringle

Who’s higher than the Attorney-General?

Unnamed Person on Committee

The Deputy Premier might think he is, but [laughing].

Graham Archer

But Edith Pringle went on, this time about Atkinson’s court testimony in the recent Ashbourne trial over those alleged Board positions.

Edith Pringle

I was there when Michael was giving his evidence. I remember being so shocked when I heard him say that he did not recall Board positions being mentioned. I walked out of the court in disgust. I saw Michael once more after that during a retirement party of a parliamentary staffer. He came over to me and asked me what I thought of the court case and I told him it was as good as anything stage managed at the Festival Theatre; that the whole thing was a bad joke.

Graham Archer

Michael Atkinson had told the court he knew nothing about any secret deals with Clarke, but Edith then said she believed the Premier was fearful that any messy defamation case between Clarke and Atkinson might raise questions of his alleged interference in the original domestic violence case.

Edith Pringle

It is my understanding that the Labor Government was more concerned about potentially damaging evidence that would come out during the defamation trial and about Mike Rann’s involvement in trying to get the criminal charges dropped.

It is my understanding that evidence was found by the Police Anti-Corruption Branch that Mike Rann had interfered with the original domestic violence case, involving myself and Ralph Clarke.

It is my understanding that the Premier exerted influence or pressure on the Office of the DPP, which led to that nolle prosequi being entered. This investigation was headed up by the then head of Major Crime, Paul Schramm. A report on the matter was sent to DPP at the time, Paul Rofe - the same Paul Rofe who was also the prosecutor in the domestic violence trial. Asking Paul Rofe to determine whether there’d been any unlawful or inappropriate involvement by the… by the Premier in Ralph… in Rofe’s own decision to enter the nolle prosequi seemed to me to be clearly wrong.

Graham Archer

This afternoon the Attorney-General denied Edith was ever going to be called as a witness in his stoush with Clarke and claimed her allegations about the offer of Board positions were untrue. Although how’s this for some truly bizarre reasoning:

Michael Atkinson

I suppose she believes the only way to release Henry Keogh from prison is to get rid of me as Attorney-General.

Graham Archer

But when both friend and foe tell the same story you have to wonder.

Edith Pringle

The report from Major Crime to the DPP’s office will enable this Committee to verify what I have said today and it will enable this Committee to make proper assessment of the actions of those who subsequently became embroiled in the defamation actions.

Leigh McCluskey

A tangled web.

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