By Margo Kingston November 24, 2000 Source: Webdiary SMH It had to be dragged out of them, but officials from the Department of Finance today made some big admissions on the Reith Telecard affair under pressure from the Senate estimates committee. Try as they might to dodge, waffle and prevaricate, the masters of cross-examination, Labor […]
What is the “Minchin Protocol” that was denied to Mr Peter Slipper?
January 11, 2013
Matty Horan explained on Twitter: @margokingston1 It’s called the Minchin protocol because he came up with it after repaying thousands in wrongly claimed travel exes in 1996. — Matt Horan (@mattyhoran) January 10, 2013 and @margokingston1 p2 Daily Tele 15 March 97. Minchin repaid $3150 for travel allowance wrongly claimed during 96 election. Avail on […]
A Bugg in the farce of the Reith Telecard affair
January 9, 2013
By Margo Kingston Source: Webdiary SMH November 22, 2000 Every year Senators get to quiz bureaucrats and statutory officers on their performance and the success or otherwise of government policies. It’s called “Senate Estimates”, is designed to ensure that public money is well spent and is one of many reasons why the Senate is the […]
The small matter of prosecution on the Telecard Affair.
January 9, 2013
By Margo Kingston Source: Webdiary SMH October 16, 2000 To fill you in on DPP Damian Bugg to date. His brief statement of last week made no mention of whether he would charge anyone apart from Reith and son but the Prime Minister’s office advised us today that Mr Bugg had decided not to prosecute […]
More on the Reith Telecard affair
January 8, 2013
By Margo Kingston Source: Webdiary SMH Date: October 30, 2000 On Friday, October 20, the pollies perks minister Senator Chris Ellison awoke to the Herald’s publication of an explosive document which raised yet more questions about his administration during the Reith Telecard blowout. We obtained the document on Thursday, and on the same day, I […]
Tracing the Telecard affair
January 8, 2013
By Margo Kingston and Mike Seccombe Source: Webdiary SMH Date: October 22nd, 2000 DAY ONE Tuesday, October 10 The Canberra Times reveals a Federal Police investigation into Peter Reith’s $50,000 phone bill after he gave his number and PIN to son Paul for private calls. Howard says Reith revealed the fraud to him in May, […]
Why Tony Abbott should never be PM.
January 5, 2013
By Margo Kingston Source: Independent Australia January 3rd , 2013 AFTER THE PUBLICATION of my book Not Happy, John! in 2004, former Liberal Party staffer Christian Kerr, then political correspondent for Crikey, told me the ʻAustralians for Honest Politicsʼ chapter was dynamite, ʻthe most importantʼ in the book. “But it wonʼt get followed up,” I asked him, “will it?” “No,” […]
In Politics, Slush Happens
December 4, 2012
By Mike Seccombe Source: The Global Mail November 29, 2012 Extract 1: Abbott insisted the whole thing was done at his own initiative, and that neither John Howard nor anyone else in the government had been involved. Said Abbott in our interview: “There was myself and two other trustees. We raised … it may not have been […]
A question of character?
December 3, 2012
by Margo Kingston Source: Independent Australia.net 30th November, 2012 My mouth fell open when I heard Abbott’s final flourish in Thursday’s speech denouncing Gillard as unfit for office. I remembered, suddenly, vividly, Tony Abbott’s very own slush fund. Could he too have forgotten? It’s ancient history now, Abbott’s slush fund ― but less ancient than the slush […]
