Mrs HICKEY - 1998-12-02
Yesterday, he said: ‘A political party should pay for voting intention when it relates to elections. Otherwise, all other matters are properly canvassed as a function of government’. He claims it is in the public interest for opinion polling on his popularity to be funded by taxpayers. Would he care to tell Territorians where this latitude ends? In Shane Stone’s new world order, will taxpayers be expected to pick up the tab for the Chief Minister’s clothes, his food, his mortgage repayments? Will taxpayers be expected to pay for CLP posters advertising cocktail parties as well?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do know that we are paying for all the Labor Party material that is being pushed out around the countryside, including all of the Leader of the Opposition’s correspondence. You got yourself into such a frenzy at one point that you even sent someone around to inquire of the Treasurer whether you could have the letter-folding machine to put them in the envelopes. That is how much taxpayers’ money you were spending.
Let Territorians be under no illusion about how much gets spent by the Labor Party. Territory taxpayers should know that they are subsidising the ALP in all its election campaigns, because it runs them all through the Leader of the Opposition’s office when it comes down to paper and postage and effort and everything else that goes with running a campaign.
At no stage - and I make this very clear - have I ever authorised polling on my popularity as a leader. So don’t come in here making allegations that I have approved that. Either put up or shut up. Produce your poll. Produce your evidence that I authorised polling on popularity.
If you are referring to the phoney, forged 1993 report that you tabled, something just occurred to me. Every time I look at it, something else leaps out. It just hit me that this is a section on females aged 20 to 35, uncommitted voters, northern suburbs and Palmerston. Where is the rest? Was this just a poll on uncommitted voters, females between ages 20 and 35, in Palmerston and Darwin? Of course not! Go back and read the original letter. This was to deal with Territorians between the ages of 20 and 35. Where is the male section?
Mr Toyne: You table it.
Mr STONE: No, you are the ones producing it. Where is the rest of it? It has just dawned on me how fraudulent this is. The member for Nhulunbuy does not know what to think. You’ve got half the fraud. Where is the rest of it? You can all be having your little caucus meetings down here. Now produce the rest of it.This is only part of it. You have walked right into it. He has played you for a sucker.
I can just see it. There they were, over in the North Cairns Yacht Club pulling green cans, Syd and his offsider from the Leader of the Opposition’s office concocting this great strategy. So we got this forgery. But we have only half the forgery. Where is the rest of it? Where is the other half? Or do you finally admit that this is a forgery?
We have been through it. Jon Isaacs had to resign from parliament over this. You lot have no shame - you are a bunch of losers.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do know that we are paying for all the Labor Party material that is being pushed out around the countryside, including all of the Leader of the Opposition’s correspondence. You got yourself into such a frenzy at one point that you even sent someone around to inquire of the Treasurer whether you could have the letter-folding machine to put them in the envelopes. That is how much taxpayers’ money you were spending.
Let Territorians be under no illusion about how much gets spent by the Labor Party. Territory taxpayers should know that they are subsidising the ALP in all its election campaigns, because it runs them all through the Leader of the Opposition’s office when it comes down to paper and postage and effort and everything else that goes with running a campaign.
At no stage - and I make this very clear - have I ever authorised polling on my popularity as a leader. So don’t come in here making allegations that I have approved that. Either put up or shut up. Produce your poll. Produce your evidence that I authorised polling on popularity.
If you are referring to the phoney, forged 1993 report that you tabled, something just occurred to me. Every time I look at it, something else leaps out. It just hit me that this is a section on females aged 20 to 35, uncommitted voters, northern suburbs and Palmerston. Where is the rest? Was this just a poll on uncommitted voters, females between ages 20 and 35, in Palmerston and Darwin? Of course not! Go back and read the original letter. This was to deal with Territorians between the ages of 20 and 35. Where is the male section?
Mr Toyne: You table it.
Mr STONE: No, you are the ones producing it. Where is the rest of it? It has just dawned on me how fraudulent this is. The member for Nhulunbuy does not know what to think. You’ve got half the fraud. Where is the rest of it? You can all be having your little caucus meetings down here. Now produce the rest of it.This is only part of it. You have walked right into it. He has played you for a sucker.
I can just see it. There they were, over in the North Cairns Yacht Club pulling green cans, Syd and his offsider from the Leader of the Opposition’s office concocting this great strategy. So we got this forgery. But we have only half the forgery. Where is the rest of it? Where is the other half? Or do you finally admit that this is a forgery?
We have been through it. Jon Isaacs had to resign from parliament over this. You lot have no shame - you are a bunch of losers.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016