by Ganesh Sahathevan
Mark Speakman AG is considered
a replacement for Gladys Berejiklian
And now, read on:
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Zhu Minshen's law school approvals involved the highest levels of the NSW Supreme Court administration: Chief Justice Bathurst and AG Speakman ultimately responsible for approvals & renewals which were granted despite Dastiyari scandal, Zhu's defiance of AFP directives
NSW LPAB Chairman Bathurst who granted Top Group its history making right to issue LLB degrees will stay in job till 2023: Bathurst CJ will be around to swear in Top Group law grads as officers of His Honour's Court.
The New South Wales Legal Profession Admission Board, which provided Zhu Minshen's HK listed Top Education Group Ltd its approval and later renewal of its license to issue law degrees in Australia seems to have had an interesting year.
In less than a year after it appointed an outsider as Executive Officer, it advertised the position as if vacant, apparently seeking a replacement.It is unclear if Ms Tan Siew Ting Mckeogh was being replaced, or whether the advertisement was simply the usual NSW Public Service method of re-advertising a position that has already been filled.
Ms Tan McKeogh signed-off the LPAB's 2018-2019 Annual Report as Acting Executive Officer.
Confirmation is not possible given the LPAB's refusal to answer any questions about its work; it has been evasive on a number of matters, including its failure to report complaints against it and the College Of Law Sydney, which it regulates, in the relevant 2017-2018 Annual Report. This evasiveness has extended to the practise of issuing letters unsigned, and simply marking them "on behalf of the Board" if at all.
Nevertheless, the advertisement has provided some insight into the Executive Officer's functions and powers.It is clear from the position description that the Executive Officer could not but have had a significant part to play in the approval and later review and renewal of Zhu Minshen and Top Group's license to issue LLBs.
The advertisement also provides insight into who the Executive Officer's superiors are. While the Executive Officer wields considerable power within the LPAB, the LPAB itself is chaired by the Chief Justice Of NSW, Thomas Bathurst.
In addition the advertisement states that the Executive Officer also reports to the Executive Director, Superior Courts.Chris D'Aeth. D'Aeth has been Executive Director and Principal Registrar of the Supreme Court NSW since 2015.He would therefore have overseen Top Group's initial application, and more recent review which "went smoothly" despite the issues surrounding the matter(see story below). As reported, this included an account from Professor Clive Hamilton of how Zhu organised student demonstrationsin Canberra in defiance of AFP directives.
The Chief Justice and the minister in charge, the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman have continued to remain silent on all of the above despite extensive reporting on Top Group and Zhu Minshe's dealings (see also New Matilda story below).
END
Friday, September 27, 2019
Zhu Minshen announces that NSW LPAB review "went smoothly": AG NSW Mark Speakman and officers unconcerned by Clive Hamilton's disclosures of threats, intimidation and defiance of AFP directives ,share price collapse
The LPAB''s tick of approval does not seem to have reversed the downward trend in share price.Indeed it does look as if the LPAB has ignored all together the fact that Top's market capitalisation has collapsed since listing. Note that Top's shareprice has fallen 14.29% over the past month,compared to 1.13% for the overall market as measured by the Hang Seng Index
In the words of Zhu Minshen, chairman and CEO of his Top Education Group Ltd:
Bachelor of Law Re-accreditation
The scheduled re-accreditation process of our Bachelor of Laws (‘‘LLB’’) went smoothly. On 27 June 2019, TOP received formal notification from the Legal Profession Admission Board of New South Wales (‘‘LPAB’’) to accredit TOP’s LLB for a further five-year period commencing from the notification date.
(TOP EDUCATION GROUP LTD
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ANNUAL RESULTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2019)
All this despite the revelations of open defiance of an AFP directive, threats and intimidation disclosed in Clive Hamilton's "Silent Invasion",which have been previously reported on this blog:
In his 2018 book "Silent Invasion" Professor Clive Hamilton reports that Top Education Group's Zhu Minshen organised students , including students from his Top Education Institute to protest against Tibetans at the 2008 rally , which counted towards the Top students’ assessment. Zhu’s Top Institution is “perhaps the only accredited degree program in Australia that counts agitating for a foreign power towards its qualifications.”
Hamilton provides details of Zhu's Communist Party China antecedents and his organisation of the 30,000 strong demonstration by Chinese students at the Canberra torch relay, many of them brandishing Chinese flags.
END
See Also
Law Council Australia 's exception for Zhu Minshen despite Law Council declaring China's justice system "a joke"
A Top Education? Dastyari’s Donations Troubles Expose The College With Impeccable Connections
Labor Senator Sam Dastyari.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, pictured with Minshen Zhu.
Dr Zhu’s big donations at ALP functions
A donations spree in a time of higher education deregulation
TOP Education’s Chair of Council and former Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University, Emeritus Professor Brian Stoddart, said that TOP was delighted to align with PwC.“PwC recognises the value of investment in education export services and of the services already provided by TOP as a leading private innovator in the sector,” he said.