Primelife: High Price Of Gatto's Industrial Actions

The Age

Tuesday May 23, 2006

REBECCA URBAN

PRIMELIFE'S former boss Ted Sent was subject to death threats and may have paid underworld figure Mick Gatto for personal protection, a court has heard.

Mr Sent's long-time personal assistant Sandi Porter told the Victorian Supreme Court yesterday she had discussed security issues with her boss after he received several death threats, including one from a Sydney-based person.

Sent may have paid money to fix the problem, Ms Porter said.

The threats are the latest extraordinary revelation to emerge in a wrongful dismissal case that Mr Sent and Ms Porter have bought against their former employer.

Already the court has been told of secretly taped board meetings, phone tapping, lunches with underworld figures, as well as an unusual arrangement with Mr Gatto's company, Arbitrations and Mediations.

Mr Gatto received more than $200,000, often delivered in cash in unmarked envelopes, for services at Primelife building sites. However, the possibility that Mr Sent's relationship with Mr Gatto might have gone further than simply the provision of industrial relations services was broached by the counsel for the retirement village developer, Tim North QC.

Mr North put it to Ms Porter that some of the money paid from Primelife's bank accounts to Mr Gatto - as much as $60,000 - was for the purposes of protecting Mr Sent against people who had threatened him.

"Where you aware of the money Mr Sent paid to remove the death threats?" he asked. "I don't know what Mr Sent did to remove the death threats," Ms Porter replied.

Mr North asked Ms Porter whether she was familiar with the names Mr Wilson and Mr Brown, to which she responded that she knew of a former Primelife director named Michael Wilson.

"I remember in general terms a discussion about security, that there was a problem with Mr Wilson. But I can't remember any further that that," she said.

Ms Porter told the court that Mr Sent "may have paid money to fix it up" but she was not aware of any specific details.

The court also heard yesterday that $60,000 was paid to Mr Gatto's company between April and June 2003, which was 10 times higher than the monthly retainer Mr Gatto typically requested.

It also heard that the payments were made in cash, despite Mr Gatto's request that he receive cheques following the Cole Royal Commission into the construction industry.

The hearing continues.

© 2006 The Age

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