Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Bligh has no evidence to take to CMC re Newman smear

There you go. The Newman smear has no evidence, who knew?

An email sent to local LNP members.

I have become increasingly ticked off at the ALP smear campaign.
Given Anna Bligh's smear of Campbell Newman I thought you might be interested in some indisputable legal facts that are on the public record. An outraged friend crowdsourced the data, another friend validated most of it.

Below is a list of Australian MP, both State and Federal, who have been convicted of a crime in a court since 2000. You can find an out of date and incomplete list of convicted Aussie MP at wikipedia (yes, a terrible source, I know).

I repeat these are people who have been found guilty in a court of law.


Name
Party
Parliament
Nature of Offence(s)
Year convicted
Bill D'Arcy
ALP
QLD
Child sex offences
2000
Andrew Theophanous
ALP
Fed
Fraud
2002
Brenton Best
ALP
Tas
DUI
2002
Richard Face
ALP
NSW
Lying to ICAC
2004
Carolyn Hirsch
ALP
Vic
DUI
2005
Andrew Olexander
LNP
Vic
DUI
2005
Merri Rose
ALP
QLD
Extortion
2007
Karen Struthers
ALP
QLD
DUI
2007
Carolyn Hirsch
ALP
Vic
DUI Drive while disqualified
2007
Milton Orkopoulis
ALP
NSW
Child sex offences
2008
Adam Somyurek
ALP
Vic
Drive while disqualified
2009
Gordon Nuttall
ALP
QLD
Corruption
2010
Terry Martin
ALP / Indep
Tas
Child pornography
2012


There are 13 convictions and 12 individuals, noting that Carolyn Hirsch was convicted on two occasions.

Since 2000 11 of the 12 MP who were convicted of a criminal offence were in the ALP, including Martin who was an independent but started off as an ALP MP, being expelled in 2004 for crossing the floor.

The LNP has 1.

According to Wikipedia there are currently 782 Federal and State MPs in Australia. Of that 782, 330 or around 42% are currently ALP MP. Let’s assume that historically the ALP held around 45% of MP positions in Australia which is roughly 350 MP. Let’s further assume that the average MP stays in parliament for 6 years. With these assumptions we can estimate that around 700 people have been Federal or State ALP MP in Australia since 2012. Of that group 10 have been convicted of a crime. Therefore the incidence of criminal behaviour amongst ALP MP is around 1 in 70.

On the other side of the ledger there is 1 LNP MP from a similar pool, lets say again some 700 people. The LNP members have a criminal incidence rate of a tenth of the ALP. Remember we are talking about MPs in a parliamentary party caucus, not ordinary party members.

We can see that 2 ex ALP MP have been convicted for child sex offences giving us an incidence rate in amongst ALP MP of 2 in 700 or 1 in every 350 ALP MP.

The rate of convictions amongst ALP MPs would easily be one of the worst rates in the country. I think it would be a challenge to identify another demographic that is as likely to be convicted as an ALP MP. Their rates of child sex abuse would also be formidably high.

Unfortunately the ALP record is getting worse, whereas the LNP has improved dramatically since its low point in the Bjelke Petersen era.

Speaking of Bjelke Petersen four of his MP were convicted of offences: Austin, Harvey, Lane and Muntz. In equal place as the most convicted government in Australian history is the Beattie - Bligh Government with D'Arcy, Nuttal, Rose and Struthers being convicted.

Hypocrisy doesn’t come close to describing Anna Bligh smearing Newman. However this year should see the Bjelke Petersen and Beattie-Bligh Governments overtaken by the Carr-Iemma-Rees-Kenneally Government.

Currently the Carr-Iemma-Rees-Kenneally NSW ALP government has 2 convicted MP - Orkoupolis and Face. But there are a lot of cases that are coming before the courts that will likely make the Carr-Iemma-Rees-Kenneally government the most convicted Australian government ever. Consider that former MP Paluzzano has been charged and is likely to be defending her charges any week now in NSW. ICAC has recommended charges against former MP D'Amore who is currently in the courts trying to avoid being charged. Both Paluzzano and D'Amore were charged for similar corruption offences relating to timesheets. ICAC has recommended charges against former Deputy Premier Watkins and Minister Kelly over property fraud allegations. We also had the Ian MacDonald ICAC investigation which looks pretty bad for MacDonald. Given stories linked to on the Bolt blog site it isn't inconceivable that another brace of former Carr-Iemma-Rees-Kennearly MP will be charged. As it stands there are two more currently charged, 2 more recommended to be charged and one more who has been investigated. The Carr-Iemma-Rees-Kenneally Government is almost certain to become the most convicted government in Australian history. Way to go ALP – and what rottenness will be under the scabs of Bligh’s 20 year-old government?


All as the leader of this group - Bob Carr is elevated to the Federal Ministry. Whilst there are no allegations against Carr, what does this record say about his leadership? This criminal behaviour flourished under his leadership. Most people would consider someone who oversaw a team with this type of criminality as a poor leader, not a Federal level potential PM contender.

Waiting in the wings is former SA ALP MP Brendan Finnigan who was charged with child pornography related offences mid last year, and who can forget the delightful Craig Thomson?

Now the ALP has been throwing all sorts of allegations regarding the culture of the ADF and smearing Campbell Newman as corrupt.

So here are some questions I would like to see put to the ALP leadership:

For Anna Bligh as Federal ALP President:

1. What has she done about the ALP's criminal problem?
2. What has she done to put in place measures to identify MP who are child sex offenders?
3. Can she guarantee that no ALP whistle blower will be treated as shabbily as the staffer who tried to report Orkopoulis?
4. What is she doing to clean up the criminal culture of the ALP?
5. Will she commission an independent inquiry into the ALP to recommend changes to lower the ridiculously high incidence of convictions amongst ALP MP?
6. Shouldn't she fix the actual and well known criminal problems within the ALP before smearing others?

At the Federal level for Minister Smith

1. Would you subject the ALP to the same level of investigation and culture change that you have subjected the ADF to?
2. Hasn't the ALP got a much worse culture than the ADF?
3. Do you feel like a hypocrite given the ALP's culture and its problems with very high levels of criminal convictions amongst ALP MP?


Whilst I knew that the ALP had a problem with criminality I did not know its incidence rate was so high, nor as widespread as the data indicates. Nor was I prepared for the volume of child abusers / sex offenders amongst ALP MP.

It is well past time that someone forces the ALP to address these very serious issues – or at least held them accountable for them.

11 comments:

stackja1945 said...

kae
Media are accountable for these very serious issues.
ALP are allowed any action by compliant media.
And gullible voters believe it.

Merilyn said...

This is excellent Kae, pity more people don't get to see and read just how much is going on with the Labor Party and agree stackja re the media. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder what makes them tick.

Merilyn said...

P.S. Another name that should be there is Keith Wright, and the fellow from Northern Territory who died three days befoe going to trial, however, the boys were given compensation. [Labor MP and Labor Senator].

1735099 said...

Um... your source conveniently neglected any mention of the corruption of the Bjelke-Petersen government. Cabinet Ministers convicted of crimes included Leisha Harvey (health) and Don Lane (transport) minister. Brian Austin, another former health minister, was also convicted of misappropriating public funds. Russ Hinze (minister for everything) was found to have accepted bribes from businessmen but died before charges were laid.
The Fitzgerald inquiry revealed that corruption was embedded in the Coalition government at the time, and had been since the days of Frank Bischof (Police Commissioner before the corrupt Terry Lewis).
Read all about it here - http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/about-us/our-organisation/our-background/fitzgerald-inquiry

kae said...

The Fitzgerald inquiry was a very good thing, and it's unfortunate that some corrupt members of government escaped justice.

It was also a very long time ago, 1987-1989, we are talking in the last 12 years here.

Twelve years and more of ALP mismanagement and inept governments in states and almost five years of inept federal government.

Jim Clarke said...

Bobby, Bobby, Bobby.
First, the text DID mention that the Bjelke-Peterson had been a problem.
Second, and to me more important, is the list wrong?

Jim Clarke said...

And Bobby, you managed to forget Keith Wright. An opposition leader and child sex offender.

Merilyn said...

Numbers go back and re-read the article, then admit you made an error, Bjelke-Peterson was indeed mentioned.

O/T but if Mick wanders over here today, it is his birthday, so Happy Birthday Mick.

Mick Gold Coast QLD said...

"Below is a list of Australian MP, both State and Federal, who have been convicted of a crime in a court since 2000"

"... since 2000", 173 something or other, "... since 2000". The basis of the piece was clearly defined.

And "Speaking of Bjelke Petersen four of his MP were convicted ..." in your strange, dishonest nether world is neglecting "any mention of the corruption of the Bjelke-Petersen government"???

Read before commenting ya closed minded, bigoted dill.

Harvey, Lane and Austin copped it for fiddling the accounts, not fiddling with children.

Neither Bischof or Hinze were charged with anything, so they remain as innocent as you champ. They are just like you.

Are you capable of stating "I was wrong."?

Do you have a direct answer to Jim Clarke's question?

Mick Gold Coast QLD said...

Merilyn - thank you for your good wishes.

I'm told that yesterday evening I wandered in at 6ish, after a couple of beers on site with a construction crew, with plenty to say for myself.

Evidently I showered and went for dinner with the Goddess and others, where I had a couple of bourbon and cokes and plenty more to say for myself.

A further report had me returning home, sitting to watch a replay of the Super 15s rugby and waking at 6 this morning.

I enjoyed my birthday ... apparently.

Merilyn said...

LOL, glad you had an "enjoyable", day Mick. [Now we know where all the mead went, Kae].