21 May 2009

CBC and electoral funding

| johnboy
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CityNews have an interesting article on the Canberra Business Club, their difficulties with filing their returns and some interesting discrepancies.

First item of note is who kicked the money into the CBC:

    — Peter Fairburn ($2000, over 24 months);
    — Brian Jones ($2000, 24 months);
    — Paul Donaghue ($3000, 36 months);
    — former Chief Minister Kate Carnell ($2000, 24 months);
    — chairman Jim Murphy ($6700, 36 months);
    — Ian O’Connor ($2000, 24 months);
    — Doug Edwards ($3000, 36 months);
    — former Liberal MLA Lou Westende ($2000, 24 months);
    — Karen Rush ($1000, 12 months);
    — Dominic De Marco ($2000, 36 months);
    — Col Alexander ($2000, 24 months)
    — and the late Russell Parkes, ($2000, 24 months)

Also of interest to many will be this bit:

    Meanwhile, Mr Parton’s return showed that, in a single donation, he had received $3000 from local businessman Josip Zivko’s Consolidated Builders Limited. However, the company’s third party return showed the donation as $4000. Having had the discrepancy drawn to his attention by “CityNews”, Mr Parton has subsequently amended his return.

Readers with long memories will recall Josip Zivko’s role in the Koomarri Caravan Park debacle wherein the taxpayer got taken for quite a ride.

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Thanks disenfranchised for putting me straight.

Now I fully understand – enjoy the good times Jim Murphy’s motivation was simply revenge.

I still think many people would still find it very hard to accept that Murphy used money raised predominately by Liberals for Liberals on independents simply because he didn’t get his way in running the Liberals.

Anyway you clearly point out that the people in the Liberals that Murphy wanted revenge against were not in power during the last election so what did Murphy, Carnell etc still fund independents and try to undermine the Liberals?

I am a member of community organisation that had some disappointing ‘dealings’ with Murphy (prior to me joining them) that left them devastated to the point that the whole group now boycott Murphy’s business.

I think this says a lot about the good times man.

disenfranchised2:44 pm 23 May 09

Phantom: To understand the departure of the 250 Club from the Liberal family you must understand the role played by one or two key characters at the highest level both in the Liberal Party itself (I’m not refering to any politicians) and in the 250 Club. The key point is the 250 Club is an independent body. It must also be said there were justifiable concerns about the 250 Club’s role (re allocation of funding to candidates) during the 2004 election. What was needed post 2004 was some resolute but calm negotiating with the 250 Club to arrive at a suitable future arrangement, not regular histrionics and diatribe on the part of some very divisive figures in the Party. It was the way the most senior Party leadership handled that task that led to further division and acrimony. Party negotiations and policy towards the 250 Club were driven by the Management Committee of the Party (ie the lay party not Party room). Too late now. Sure there is now fresh leadership in the key Party roles but the damage was done in that 2004-07 period, the most divisive period in ACT Liberal Party history. The legacy has been the Canberra Liberals are very much out of touch with what should be its natural constituency, the broad business community. Labor will now be in power for at least another 10 years with the Greens or other “independents”. In terms of politics 101, if you can’t run yourselves don’t expect to get elected to run the government. The community responsed to the Canberra Liberals’ clear disharmony within the party and political wings.

Let me try and get this right. The Canberra Business Club aka 250 Club was set up by the Liberals to raise money for the Liberals. They did this primarily by having corporate dinners with Howard Government ministers.

“Enjoy the Good Times” Jim Murphy than decides to use this money – thousands of dollars –to support Independent candidates at the last Legislative Assembly election. How can this be ethnical? I see that Liberals like Kate Carnell shared in this political deceit.

Jim Murphy, Kate Carnell and there business club members certainly did enjoy the good times; by undermining their own political party.

Jorian Gardner can’t work out why Jim Murphy won’t return his calls.

Yeah, right.

Steady Eddie said :

Care factor zero.

+0

colourful sydney racing identity1:20 pm 21 May 09

Parton took money from Zivko? Hmmmn not a good look Mark

Steady Eddie1:08 pm 21 May 09

Care factor zero.

In my dreams I keep imagining this story will appear in City News – “in the next thrilling issue of City News, Jorian Gardiner will investigate Arts spending in the ACT to see if it really is as sqeaky clean and above board as the Arts community would have everyone believe”.

Having had the discrepancy drawn to his attention by “CityNews”, Mr Parton has subsequently amended his return.

Convert all of the present tense verbs in the entire article to past tense, this news is a month old at the time they printed it.
(Mark Parton’s amended return was filed with Elections ACT on 22 April)

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