In his ongoing attempts to portray himself as a humourless loony with no sense of probity our Brave Leader has put out a media release “proving” that Liberal MLA Wild Bill Stefaniak is also a graffitist. Mr Stanhope would seem to be hoping that when we see the error of our ways we’ll agree that young Aidan Bruford should be allowed to continue his glittering career as an ALP apparatchik.
Sadly the Chief Minister’s lackeys are too busy planning a New Jerusalem to put the media release online but I’ve gone to trouble of learning a whole bunch of new programs on my shiny new laptop to bring you the contents. Firstlly we have the incriminating evidence:
If you are completely insane (in addition to being a moral relativist) you might well equate a gesture like this, in daylight, for publication in a major daily newspaper, with repeated clandestine spray painting.
The gobsmacking text below again leaves half a doubt in my mind if the Chief Minister isn’t being very, very funny, or if he’s just stark raving bonkers.
GOVERNMENT CALLS ON SMYTH TO DISCIPLINE STEFANIAK OVER GRAFFITI INCIDENT
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has called on Opposition Leader Brendan Smyth to explain how he intends to respond to photographic evidence that Liberal MLA Bill Stefaniak apparently defaced public property during his time as Education Minister.
“In the Legislative Assembly yesterday the Opposition moved a motion calling on me to get tough on graffiti vandals. One of those speaking in favour of that motion was Bill Stefaniak, who argued that there was no excuse for anti-social behaviour, and that people ought to be held responsible for their own actions.
“Yet in 1995, at a time when he was Education Minister in this city, a time during which he ought to have been setting a behavioural example for the young people of this Territory, Mr Stefaniak was instead apparently out on the streets defacing public property in order to make a political statement.
“Not only that, he had the arrogance to allow himself to be photographed committing the offence, knowing that the photograph would end up on the pages of the local paper the next day. Obviously, there is one rule for ordinary Canberrans and another for Mr Stefaniak.
“What are we to make of Mr Stefaniak‘s political future, in light of Opposition Leader Brendan Smyth’s unequivocal statement last month about the standards he expects of his team? Mr Smyth was at pains to put on the public record that as Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party in the ACT he had told MLAs and staff in no uncertain terms that improper behaviour would not be tolerated and that they would face serious consequences if found behaving in an improper manner.
“How does Mr Smyth plan to respond to this apparent lapse of judgment by Mr Stefaniak? Surely, in light of his recent comments about the standards he expects of his team, and his frequently expressed outrage at the offence of graffiti in particular, he will have to act, and act quickly.
“Mr Stefaniak can expect little support from his Liberal colleagues in the Assembly. The Opposition spokesman on Urban Services Steve Pratt yesterday called on my Government to deal with those who engage in graffiti in a way that will act as a deterrent to others. He said that an example must be made of those arrested and that there should be no more cautions or slaps on the wrist. He even suggested that most graffiti artists deserved to be sentenced to weekend detention,
“Does Mr Pratt believe that his Liberal colleague Mr Stefaniak ought to be fronting up to Symonston this weekend?â€
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