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Other Parliamentary SpeechesThis page is dedicated to Peter's speeches during parliament that do not fall under Questions or Questions without notice. They range from debating legislation, reporting on events or issues in his seat of Southport and his Ministerial Statements.
Liberal Party, Broadwater; Councillor Fay Barker |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 23 2005 |
| Other Speeches >> |
Mr LAWLOR (Southport-ALP) (10.20 pm): It has taken just two weeks to confirm my prediction that the Liberal Party was amending its constitution to ruthlessly eliminate candidates that the ruling faction is not happy with. The Liberal Party received just two nominations for Broadwater-Jim Nicholls who stood against the member for Chatsworth for state president and who ran an anti-branch stacking campaign, and Christopher Stear who is the former managing director of Child Care Centres Australia and a former business partner of Michael Kroger.
The Liberal Party used its undemocratic and ruthless vetting rules to eliminate Mr Nicholls, even before the branch delegates could have their say. He was scratched before he got to the barrier. Allegations were made about the business record of Mr Stear. Who did the Liberal Party consult to check the allegations? None other than Michael Kroger, the national godfather of the faction that the member for Chatsworth belongs to. If Mr Nicholls deserved to be balloted out, then so did Mr Stear. However, Mr Stear has one advantage. He is backed by the Caltabiano faction.
I am told that even though there was just one candidate at the Liberal preselection, Mr Stear was almost defeated by the 'No' vote. He was unopposed, but he almost got beaten by nobody. In his glossy and expensive eight-page brochure that was sent out to rank and file Liberal members, under the heading 'Business experience' he mentions that he has an indepth understanding of the issues facing small and large businesses. That is probably because he was CEO of a large business and in no time at all he had turned it into a small business. Investors have been defrauded just as the rank and file Liberals of Broadwater have. He also does not mention that his previous electoral experience was when he stood as a democrat in the Victorian seat of Mallee against the Liberals. Fortunately, the disfranchised and disaffected Liberals of Broadwater have a real alternative in the hardworking and effective sitting member, Peta-Kaye Croft.
The rot in the Liberal Party is not confined to just south-east Queensland. Last week a Liberal Townsville city councillor, Fay Barker, was referred to the CMC for failing to declare a $10,000 contribution to Townsville's push for a V-8 Super Car race. Councillor Barker had previously voted in favour of the Townsville City Council financially supporting the event, even though she had a material interest in the result. This clearly breaches the provisions of the Local Government Act.
An email dated 3 May this year from a prominent Townsville businessman confirmed that Councillor Barker provided the $10,000 and expressed concerns from Councillor Barker that, 'There is no possibility of the money being repaid to her if the event does not proceed... '. Compare this to a statement in the Townsville Bulletin on 16 November, after which she was found out, that says, 'Whether the event proceeds has absolutely no bearing on whether this small personal loan to a friend is repaid.' Unlike the Liberals, I reckon that 10 grand is not a small amount. Ten grand is a decent sum of money and Councillor Barker should have declared the interest before voting.
Councillor Barker is again caught out telling fibs in the Townsville Bulletin. In the Magpie column published last Saturday, journo Malcolm Weatherup falls for Councillor Barker's lines when he states, '...the Magpie understands that the matter of the loan was openly entered into the Council's Pecuniary Interest Register, so it is hardly a secret.' One can imagine the surprise of Councillor Barker's fellow councillor John Robertson when yesterday he examined Councillor Barker's pecuniary interest register which contained not even the mention of the $10,000. That is another breach of the act.
Time expired. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 11:00 PM
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