Labor did not leak tape: Vic Opp leader
Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews has again denied that Labor officials leaked the contents of a journalist's tape recorder left behind at his party's state conference.
Mr Andrews on Monday admitted that a party official was handed the lost recorder and had copied all files on it "for the purpose of listening to it", but he said a decision was made to destroy all of the files.
"Every item from the tape recorder was deleted and destroyed," Mr Andrews told Fairfax Radio.
"They deleted it, they destroyed the files; how it was leaked to the Liberal Party and distributed to other Liberals I do not know.
"Nobody in my office had any involvement in the distribution of this material.
"The whole thing is a dirty mess. I'm more than happy to accept that."
Mr Andrews also said his official, Labor Victorian assistant secretary Kosmos Samaras, made an error by not returning the tape recorder to the journalist who owned it.
He said Mr Samaras was angry after hearing a recording of a conversation between himself and the journalist, which Mr Andrews didn't know was being recorded.
"Mr Samaras has `fessed up to the fact and fully acknowledges he should have handed back the recorder," Mr Andrews said.
Mr Samaras issued a statement on Monday admitting to copying, and then deleting, the files.
The tape recorder belonged to a Fairfax journalist and was left behind at the Labor Party state conference in May.
An audio file from the recorder - a conversation with former Premier Ted Baillieu - was distributed to embarrass the government, however Mr Andrews has denied Labor officials played any part in it.
Senior Liberal minister Matthew Guy said there should be a full investigation into the leak, with Labor officials involved stood down until it was completed. Computers and USB sticks involved should be handed to police.
"Mr Andrews said he would take full responsibility for this, he had taken none," Mr Guy, the planning minister, told reporters.
"He's running a protection racket for those in his own office, including his state secretary, who he knows has done the wrong thing."
