Mr BAILEY - 1998-12-02
Mark Textor, the Chief Minister and the Country Liberal Party have denied that Textor has ever had anything to do with the despicable practice of push-polling. Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table a document outlining Mark Textor’s role in push-polling, with a copy to the Chief Minister.
Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: A court action was brought against Mark Textor and others over the allegation that he and others perpetrated the despicable practice of push-polling during the 1995 Canberra by-election. The Chief Minister and the Country Liberal Party have always denied that Textor perpetrated it during the 1994 Territory election campaign.
The documents I have tabled outline the recently-signed terms of settlement between the Canberra by-election Labor candidate, Mark Textor and other defendants. The court action has been settled by Mr Textor and other defendants paying damages to the Labor candidate and making a written apology. Will the Chief Minister now make sure that the victims of the disgraceful conduct of the Country Liberal Party and Mark Textor during the 1994 Territory election campaign also receive an apology?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is it? This is it? I will answer the question, notwithstanding that it infringes rule 112 in that the member has made certain imputations and inferences that he is not entitled to do. But we will put that to one side, because he has used this grubby tactic to again tell half the story.
He has provided me with the deed of release - no big deal. Deeds of release are frequently executed when litigation is settled between parties. What he did not read out was that - and this was signed off by everybody - the defendants deny any liability to the plaintiff.
Mr Bailey: Read the last part of it.
Mr STONE: Sorry, that is what is there. Now, the other ...
Ms Martin: interjecting.
Mr STONE: Oh, you be quiet! You wouldn’t know, you fool. You couldn’t read a bus ticket.
When you go through and read it, there is nothing remarkable about this document at all. If I am reading it accurately, there was a settlement, and you would have to ask the question, ‘So what?’. There is also a confidentiality clause. It’s of no concern to me, but here you have this mob, this bunch of cowards sitting opposite, who use parliamentary privilege, Coward’s Castle, to breach confidentiality of a deed of release. Now, what sort of grubs are you? The end justifies the means. What that means is that you could never enter into any arrangement with the Labor Party. Basically, they are just a pack of liars. They sign themselves up ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have already ruled on this. I ask you to tell the Chief Minister to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes I have already ruled.
Mr STONE: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Mr Stirling: This is the guy you’re so proud of.
Mr STONE: Yes, I am proud of him. You bet I am, because he is a Territorian. It sticks in your craw, doesn’t it? All this is ...
Mr Stirling: You’re caught out.
Mr STONE: Caught out with what? The Canberra by-election? This isn’t Canberra! I want to get this very firmly on the record. I have no knowledge of push-polling.
Mr Bailey: Liar!
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, I ask for that to be withdrawn.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, withdraw that.
Mr BAILEY: I’ll withdraw that, but you know it’s true.You’ll get caught again shortly.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!Member for Wanguri.
Mr STONE: I have no knowledge of push-polling. I have never participated in push-polling. But I am not blind to the activities of the Leader of the Opposition, who has actually gone out and in her own way, at taxpayers’ expense, push-polled through her correspondence. There are numerous examples of it.
Push-polling is about telling untruths to the electorate. It’s about pushing out correspondence that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It’s about writing to union members and telling them they’re about to be sacked. She has done it. It’s about writing to teachers and telling them that their conditions are going to change, when in fact they’re not. That’s a form of push-polling and the Labor Party are in it up to their necks.
I have waited patiently now for 2 weeks. I come back to the member for Nhulunbuy, because what we’ve had is: ‘Just you wait. Just you wait’. Well, I’m still waiting. I’m still waiting for the evidence of the secret videotaping and secret observation by Country Liberal Party officials and minders behind a viewing wall. Evidence - would you please give it to us before we rise for Christmas? Or is this yet another example of a leaked and secret report ‘which I’m sorry, Fred McCue, I can’t tell you about. It’s so secret I can’t tell you’. Well, here’s your big chance. You made the claim, you pushed it out there - the greatest example of push-polling you’ll ever see, secret videotaping, meant to put the fear of death into people who might have been going to participate in a focus group.
Don’t you, you little man, come in here and lecture me. You are in it up to your necks. You’re absolute frauds, the lot of you.
Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: A court action was brought against Mark Textor and others over the allegation that he and others perpetrated the despicable practice of push-polling during the 1995 Canberra by-election. The Chief Minister and the Country Liberal Party have always denied that Textor perpetrated it during the 1994 Territory election campaign.
The documents I have tabled outline the recently-signed terms of settlement between the Canberra by-election Labor candidate, Mark Textor and other defendants. The court action has been settled by Mr Textor and other defendants paying damages to the Labor candidate and making a written apology. Will the Chief Minister now make sure that the victims of the disgraceful conduct of the Country Liberal Party and Mark Textor during the 1994 Territory election campaign also receive an apology?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is it? This is it? I will answer the question, notwithstanding that it infringes rule 112 in that the member has made certain imputations and inferences that he is not entitled to do. But we will put that to one side, because he has used this grubby tactic to again tell half the story.
He has provided me with the deed of release - no big deal. Deeds of release are frequently executed when litigation is settled between parties. What he did not read out was that - and this was signed off by everybody - the defendants deny any liability to the plaintiff.
Mr Bailey: Read the last part of it.
Mr STONE: Sorry, that is what is there. Now, the other ...
Ms Martin: interjecting.
Mr STONE: Oh, you be quiet! You wouldn’t know, you fool. You couldn’t read a bus ticket.
When you go through and read it, there is nothing remarkable about this document at all. If I am reading it accurately, there was a settlement, and you would have to ask the question, ‘So what?’. There is also a confidentiality clause. It’s of no concern to me, but here you have this mob, this bunch of cowards sitting opposite, who use parliamentary privilege, Coward’s Castle, to breach confidentiality of a deed of release. Now, what sort of grubs are you? The end justifies the means. What that means is that you could never enter into any arrangement with the Labor Party. Basically, they are just a pack of liars. They sign themselves up ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have already ruled on this. I ask you to tell the Chief Minister to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes I have already ruled.
Mr STONE: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Mr Stirling: This is the guy you’re so proud of.
Mr STONE: Yes, I am proud of him. You bet I am, because he is a Territorian. It sticks in your craw, doesn’t it? All this is ...
Mr Stirling: You’re caught out.
Mr STONE: Caught out with what? The Canberra by-election? This isn’t Canberra! I want to get this very firmly on the record. I have no knowledge of push-polling.
Mr Bailey: Liar!
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, I ask for that to be withdrawn.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, withdraw that.
Mr BAILEY: I’ll withdraw that, but you know it’s true.You’ll get caught again shortly.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!Member for Wanguri.
Mr STONE: I have no knowledge of push-polling. I have never participated in push-polling. But I am not blind to the activities of the Leader of the Opposition, who has actually gone out and in her own way, at taxpayers’ expense, push-polled through her correspondence. There are numerous examples of it.
Push-polling is about telling untruths to the electorate. It’s about pushing out correspondence that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It’s about writing to union members and telling them they’re about to be sacked. She has done it. It’s about writing to teachers and telling them that their conditions are going to change, when in fact they’re not. That’s a form of push-polling and the Labor Party are in it up to their necks.
I have waited patiently now for 2 weeks. I come back to the member for Nhulunbuy, because what we’ve had is: ‘Just you wait. Just you wait’. Well, I’m still waiting. I’m still waiting for the evidence of the secret videotaping and secret observation by Country Liberal Party officials and minders behind a viewing wall. Evidence - would you please give it to us before we rise for Christmas? Or is this yet another example of a leaked and secret report ‘which I’m sorry, Fred McCue, I can’t tell you about. It’s so secret I can’t tell you’. Well, here’s your big chance. You made the claim, you pushed it out there - the greatest example of push-polling you’ll ever see, secret videotaping, meant to put the fear of death into people who might have been going to participate in a focus group.
Don’t you, you little man, come in here and lecture me. You are in it up to your necks. You’re absolute frauds, the lot of you.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016