NSW Premier jeered in Newcastle

NSW PREMIER Nathan Rees and senior ministers were jeered by interest groups and condemned in explosive comments from Milton Orkopoulos whistleblower Gillian Sneddon at a tense Hunter community meeting last night.The meeting, billed as the Government's response following a cabinet visit to Newcastle last month, bordered on farce at times, as anti-Tillegra Dam protesters drowned out Mr Rees with their booing during what was supposed to be a question and answer session.Mr Rees told the meeting, of about 200 people at the Glades Conference Centre at Warners Bay, that the Government had listened to their concerns about Cessnock Jail in deciding not to go ahead with its privatisation.It had also acted on a promise to release the Hunter Development Corporation's City Centre renewal report, about which it would now seek public feedback.Mr Rees said the Government would proceed with Tillegra Dam as it was needed to secure the region's water supply, to which protesters jeered.But the most dramatic moment came when Ms Sneddon, a former Swansea electorate officer, asked Mr Rees why an inquiry had not been held into her treatment and whether disgraced Swansea MP Orkopoulos, who was found guilty of child sex and drug crimes, had been protected.Ms Sneddon was sacked when Orkopoulos's replacement, Swansea MP Robert Coombs, declined to keep her on.Mr Rees was Orkopoulos's former chief of staff but resigned before the disgraced MP was arrested, to take up a position with former premier Morris Iemma.Hunter MPs and senior ministers watched on aghast as Ms Sneddon rattled off names of Labor politicians she claimed knew of allegations surrounding Orkopoulos."But you, you didn't know anything about it did you Nathan, because you scurried like a rat to premier Iemma's office because you didn't want to get tainted by the allegations," she said.Mr Rees said he stood by his previous public statements on the matter, in which he has said he was not aware of Orkopoulos's conduct.He urged Ms Sneddon to refer to the authorities any material she may have that suggested any wrongdoing."Give her a job," several members of the crowd yelled.Mr Rees said he would discuss the matter with Parliamentary Speaker Richard Torbay.Further furore erupted when Swansea MP Robert Coombs referred to Ms Sneddon as "a ratbag".He initially denied the remark to The Herald but later retracted the denial, saying he was sorry but had been upset that Ms Sneddon had made comments about his staff.