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EDDIE  OBEID
EDDIE's STORY

He started from humble beginnings, he became a successful businessman and an influential member of the Lebanese community.
The pinnacle of his career was appointment as a Minister in the NSW Government.
see Obeid v John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited [2006] NSWSC 1059

Eddie was born on 25 October 1943  at Metrit, Lebanon.

Migrated to Australia when 6 years old. His family settled in Redfern. He was an altar boy in the Catholic Church and he did a stint as
a street corner newspaper vendor.

Married in 1965 and has 9 children.

Joined the ALP in 1972.

Awarded O.A.M. in 1984 for services to ethnic welfare.

Member of the NSW Legislative Council ( Upper House) since 12 September, 1991. Appointed by the ALP to fill a casual vacancy
caused by the resignation of Hon Jack Hallam from the Legislative Council

Appointed Minister for Fisheries and  for Mineral Resources on  8 April 1999.

Premier Carr had let it be known that he did not want Eddie in his cabinet after the 2003 election . Although threatening to do so,
Eddie did not contest the caucus ballot for selection of Ministers. He resigned from the Ministry on 2 April 2003.

Since then has sat as a back-bencher.

It has been claimed that he was very influential in the selection of Iemma as the successor to Carr, when Carr resigned in 2005.

Between 5 December 2002 and 3 June 2004 he did not make any speech, ask any question or make any contribution to
parliamentary debate which was recorded in Hansard.

From 4 June 2004 until December 2006 he asked 29 questions ( dorothy-dixers ) and spoke on 3  occasions - once to provide a
personal explanation regarding an article printed in the Sydney Morning Herald on 18 November, 2004, once a 4 minute speech
which commenced "I oppose the Crimes Amendment (Protection of Innocent Accused) Bill." with the rest of the speech devoted to
reminisces regarding John Tingle, and the last occasion on 24 May 2006 in a response to the Lieutenant-Governor's Speech. This
last speech was a 30 minute speech being devoted entirely to criticism of the Fairfax press and articles it published about him.

Eddie's term expired at the 24 March 2007 election. However he was placed No 5 on the Labor Upper House ticket and has been
elected for another 8 year term, that is until March 2015.

Controversy

Eddie has been the subject of controversy on occasions.

1. The "Oasis" affair.

Eddie was named as a person whose conduct was examined by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The report
of the investigation was published on 27 February 2003, titled "Report on investigation into conduct concerning the Woodward Park
Project"

ICAC made no findings that any person engaged in corrupt conduct within the meaning of the ICAC Act.

2. Absence from Parliament

On 17 February 2004 Eddie wrote to the government whip in the Legislative Council stating :-

I formally seek leave from the Legislative Council to go overseas to Lebanon on urgent family business.

I require leave from 4th May to 31st May 2004

On 30 March 2004 he wrote again stating:-

I initially requested leave from 4th May to 31st May 2004.

Further to the earlier request, I require an extension of leave to the 7th of June to conclude the matters pertaining to my family's affairs in
Lebanon.

Pursuant to an arrangement known as "pairing"- (by which a government member is 'paired' with an opposition member so that votes
remain the same and a members absence does not disadvantage either the government or the opposition) Eddie was granted a pair
until 7 June 2004.

On 7 May 2004 Eddie left Australia to travel to Lebanon.

On 28 May 2004 a "furore" started in the media concerning Eddie's absence from Parliament.

On 31 May 2004 the opposition took the unusual step of "withdrawing" the pair, so that for the sittings from 1st June 2004 to 4th
June 2004 the government's numbers in the Legislative Council would be reduced by one. Potentially, this meant that government
legislation in the Upper House might be defeated.

Tony Kelly , a government Minister in the upper house said he had contacted Eddie and that Eddie would be returning to Australia
on the first available plane.

Eddie arrived back in Australia on the evening of 2nd June, 2004.

On the 3rd June , 2004 the opposition moved a censure motion against Eddie in the legislative Council.

The full debate on the censure motion is recorded in Hansard.

Perhaps Eddie was suffering from jet-lag when he addressed the house in relation to the censure motion. His address was fairly
disjointed. However we will try and summarise what Eddie said.

1. Media stories

The media stories were distortions. They were based on information supplied by a niece of Eddie. Eddie believed that the niece had
an axe to grind against him. Both she and her husband were employed by a family business but were asked to resign. Since then he
believed that they had carried on a vendetta against him.

2. Family business in Lebanon

Eddie and his 2 brothers , Joseph and Albert, inherited their father's (Moses') estate. Joseph was trustee of Moses estate. The
estate comprised houses and land in Metrit, Lebanon - and to this Joseph added additional properties outside Metrit.
Joseph died in 1998 and his daughter, Yola - a lawyer, became trustee of Moses estate. Albert too had died and Albert's children
wanted Moses estate wound up, so that each person took their shares.

May was an ideal time to finalise the family business. Three of Albert's sons would be in Metrit  in May to attend a celebration for the
canonisation of a saint and to renovate some houses. As May was an ideal time to renovate houses Eddie himself might organise
some building or renovation of houses for his own family. Building work can only be carried out in the summer - as winters are
extremely severe.

As it turned out, because of the media 'furore' the estate was not finalised. It was very difficult to get a meeting with Yola.

3. Nature of Metrit

Metrit is a village of about 150 people. About  one-third of the population are Shite Muslims and two-thirds are Maronite Catholics.
Despite the religious differences the population of Metrit have lived in harmony for over 300 years.

4. Metrit Council

The government had announced in 2002 that Metrit would have a local Council, even though it had not previously had a Council.
The Council would have 9 councillors. Elections were to take place in May 2004 . Eddie understood that the people had agreed
on who their councillors would be, with basically proportional representation of Muslims and Catholics. His purpose in going to
Lebanon in May was not related to the election.

5. Council Election

There were about 1,250 people on the Metrit Council electoral roll. Residents comprise 150 voters and the balance come from
different places ( presumably voting rights are based on property ownership) - including about 500 who live in Australia.

When Eddie arrived in Metrit he was alarmed by 2 things :-

First, a person who had been sent to imprisonment twice in Australia for drug running, had fled to Lebanon ( where he has been
gaoled as well) was running an anti-Muslim campaign. This convicted criminal was seeking to establish an all Catholic council.
Eddie was concerned. A Muslim Minister of State would not deal with a Council which had been established as a result of
anti-Muslim sentiment and thus the people of Metrit would be disadvantaged in Council dealings with the government . Eddie's
strong sense of justice was also affronted - by the discrimination based on religious belief.

Secondly, there was a person who had established lots of chicken farms around the town . The farms were harmful to the
environment. Eddie discovered that the chicken farmer was financing the convicted criminal's campaign and that 2 employees of the
chicken farmer were on the convicted criminal's ticket. He further discovered that the convicted criminal intended to profit by the sale
of land to the chicken farmer for additional chicken farms.

Eddie was disturbed by all this. His sense of justice and what was proper was affronted by all that was happening.

When asked about the situation, by both sides, he said that it was necessary to have proportional representation on the Council.

Thus by accident, not design, he became involved in the election campaign.

He was pleased that sense had prevailed and 2 Muslims were elected to the Council.

The vote on the censure motion was defeated 17 votes to 23.
Rev Fred Nile voted against the motion saying the explanation provided by Eddie did not establish any wrong doing and the word of
a member should be accepted.
The Greens voted in favour of the motion         (continued page 2 )
OBEID....  1 , 2 ,
Eddie is a member of the ALP. He is one of the leaders of a factional group known as The Terrigals. He is a member of the NSW
Legislative Council and his term expires in March 2015.

He was winner of NSW Press Gallery Award in 2005 for pushing an independent to victory in the Pittwater byelection in 2005.
FOR EDDIE's CONTRIBUTION TO the " peace, welfare, and
good government of New South Wales " IN THE PERIOD
2007 - 2015
GO HERE: