Ian #Cook is a father and experienced small business owner with a long history in the Mulgrave electorate who is now standing as an independent candidate at the November 2022 election.
Best known until now for his fight against Department of Health and Dandenong Council for the closure of his business I Cook Foods (also commonly referred to as #SlugGate), Ian felt that it was not enough to complain about corruption but not do anything about it.
WHAT IS SLUGGATE?
In February 2019 my catering business, I Cook Foods, was closed by then Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton.
At the time, I Cook Foods was a direct commercial rival to another catering company called Community Chef. Community Chef was owned by a number of Victorian Councils and propped up with State and Federal Government money.
The closure was not legal and resulted from corruption within the City of Greater Dandenong and the Victorian State Government.
Part of the closure involved the planting of a slug in my factory by a Council health inspector.
That’s why the media has dubbed the scandal, SlugGate.
41 workers lost their jobs because of the illegal closure and my family lost everything we had ever worked for.
It wasn’t bad luck.
It was corruption.
Despite irrefutable evidence of illegal acts gathered by my legal team, headed by Dr Michelle Sharpe and Robert Richter QC, the Premier and the State Government have attempted to cover up what happened.
I will continue to fight to have the truth heard about what happened to my business.
Contact Ian Cook here: https://iancook.com.au/
