ICAC Probe Inches Closer To Abbott
NEIL CHENOWETH
7 May 2014
The Independent Commission Against Corruption’s investigation is inching closer to the Prime Minister’s office. Questions have emerged over Tony Abbott’s role in selecting Karen McNamara as Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Dobell despite doubts over her fund-raising claims.
Mr Abbott was widely reported to be behind the decision by the NSW state executive on April 20, 2012 to appoint McNamara to replace problematic candidate Garry Whitaker. This was three months after senior Liberals received complaints of an unreported donation on the central coast and despite McNamara’s earlier claims of huge fund-raising which did not correspond with party records.
Dobell is the point where ICAC’s investigation of state fund-raising threatens to expand into the federal party. It is also one of the seats where the prime minister had the most intense interest, after losses in the central coast cost Abbott the 2010 election.
It’s not the only danger point. The Liberals are particularly vulnerable to the risk of contagion, because while the federal Labor Party runs its own fund-raising, the federal Liberals depend much more on state divisions to raise funds.
Any investigation of NSW state finances inevitably involves some scrutiny of federal fund-raising. It’s done by the same people, the same structures, there are constant crossovers. John Caputo, who was questioned over cheques he gave to former Energy Minister Chris Hartcher, is Abbott’s chief fund-raiser in Warringah and works with Treasurer Joe Hockey’s funding body.
The string of property developers including Harry Triguboff and Westfield who donated to the Free Enterprise Foundation in 2010-11 say the funds were for the federal Liberal Party, whereas counsel assisting ICAC, Geoffrey Watson, SC, says Millenium Forum executive director Paul Nicolaou told the FEF that many of these donors wished the funds to go to the state party.
More than $400,000 was secretly channelled into the Eightbyfive slush fund operated by Tim Koelma, a former Hartcher staffer. After years of minimal payments to the state party the Free Enterprise Foundation paid out $787,000 to NSW in 2010-11.
MONEY AND VOTES
http://www.afr.com/p/national/icac_probe_inches_closer_to_abbott_tlnRTpGLPgO4FzI08Ha5BO
read in full
Snake-oil spivs and ladders: Libs at ICAC
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/04/30/13/01/hotelier-denies-cash-for-favours
"I don't care what political badge you have," Mr Baird said.
"If you have done wrong and if ICAC has shown you have done wrong, then I am your worst nightmare."
Institute of Public Affairs
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The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a right-wing, corporate funded think tank based in Melbourne. It has close links to the Liberal Party of Australia, with its Executive Director John Roskam having run for Liberal Party preselection for a number of elections. Following the 2007 federal election defeat for the Liberal Party, The Australian's journalist Christian Kerr noted that a new group of federal Liberal politicians were "receiving support from former Howard government staffer John Roskam" at the IPA.[1]
The IPA key policy positions include: advocacy for privatisation and deregulation; attacks on the positions of unions and non-government organisations; support of assimilationist indigenous policy (cf. the Bennelong Society) and refutation of the science involved with environmental issues such as climate change.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_of_Public_Affairs
ICAC them all
Thur 5 August 2013
Malanda farm lands Joe Hockey in hot water
LNP Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey just recently bought an additional 40.7 hectares of prime cattle land in Diamondvale, near Malanda. This land adjoins Mr Hockey's existing Platypus Park, a 160ha working farm, which he has owned and upon which he has run 300 head of cattle for a number of years.
According to his office, this latest purchase is part of an expansion plan for his farm.
This latest land package purchase seems to have unearthed an earlier situation which appears to have landed Mr Hockey in a little hot water. It has been reported that he and his wife set up a farm accommodation business at their original Malanda cattle farm just two days before he launched a taxpayer-funded ad campaign for farmstays when he was tourism and small business minister back in May 2004.
And it turns out Mr Hockey didn't declare that he was setting up the farmstay business when he launched the government-backed promotional campaign for farmstays.
Mr Hockey listed the property as a cattle farm on the register 18 months later. Mr Hockey has however derived income from the Malanda property from farm and rental income.
Mr Hockey initially claimed the launch of the Farm and Country Tourism Kit was well before he started the business but Australian Securities and Investment Commission records show it was May 3rd and May 1st respectively.
According to Mr Hockey the kit was not government funded, he had just launched it.
However the original press release read: The kit was developed by the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism in Queensland "using funding from the Australian government through the regional tourism program".
Joe Hockey reacted angrily to Labor tactics
http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/Malanda-farm-lands-Joe-Hockey-in-hot-wat.4405.0.html
Joe Hockey declares wife's company directorship 14 years after the appointment
- 8 MONTHS AGO AUGUST 27, 2013
- http://www.news.com.au/national/joe-hockey-declares-wife8217s-company-directorship-14-years-after-th...
Joe Hockey Manages to Smear Himself
http://theaimn.com/2013/08/28/joe-hockey-manages-to-smear-himself/
Newman defends Hockey's wife appointment
- 9 MONTHS AGO AUGUST 15, 2013
^^^ The appointment happened in June.It was not announced as the other appointments were...why not?If she was appointed on merit ............why hide it?
At least that one was registered by our Treasurer (her hubby) in a more kosha time frame...........
Tony abbott defends Joe...but then Tony Abbott defends all kind of things/people
