Another Beattie MP in trouble ... Struthers fined over drink driving ...
... arrested for drink driving in a government car at 3x over the limit.
Excerpt from the Courier Mail:
MP drove three times over limit
25 August 2007
A Queensland government MP has been caught with a blood alcohol reading of more than three times the legal limit while driving a government car.
Karen Struthers, the Member for Algester, and parliamentary secretary to the health minister, had a blood alcohol reading of .16 when pulled over by police last night.
Ms Struthers today issued a statement claiming she had been drinking at the home of family and friends and "foolishly" offered to drive one of them, a ministerial staff member, to a nearby taxi rank.
Ms Struthers will plead guilty when she fronts court on Tuesday for breaching the .05 limit.
"My driver's licence has been suspended automatically until then, and I have handed the keys in to the deputy premier (Anna Bligh)," Ms Struthers said.
See - Drunk MP caught.
Also see - MP Karen Struthers 'a bloody idiot'.
Ms Struthers, who was previously parliamentary secretary to Premier Peter Beattie on multicultural affairs, has made four speeches to Parliament on the dangers of drink-driving.
...
Ms Struthers spoke in Parliament on May 23 on the Transport Operations Legislation Amendment Bill.
"Given the success of drink-driving laws, more people are being responsible when it comes to drinking and driving," she said.
"They are leaving their cars at home and seeking out public transport or taxis.
"We have been putting a lot of money into drink-driving campaigns . . . some people are very irresponsible."
On February 20, Ms Struthers supported legislation to "end the carnage" on Queensland roads.
She said some politicians were young drivers in an era when "many drove with a belly full of alcohol".
"Thankfully, we have come a long way . . . many years of good campaigns such as the drink-driving campaigns have all played their part."
Excerpt from the Courier Mail:
MP drove three times over limit
25 August 2007
A Queensland government MP has been caught with a blood alcohol reading of more than three times the legal limit while driving a government car.
Karen Struthers, the Member for Algester, and parliamentary secretary to the health minister, had a blood alcohol reading of .16 when pulled over by police last night.
Ms Struthers today issued a statement claiming she had been drinking at the home of family and friends and "foolishly" offered to drive one of them, a ministerial staff member, to a nearby taxi rank.
Ms Struthers will plead guilty when she fronts court on Tuesday for breaching the .05 limit.
"My driver's licence has been suspended automatically until then, and I have handed the keys in to the deputy premier (Anna Bligh)," Ms Struthers said.
See - Drunk MP caught.
Also see - MP Karen Struthers 'a bloody idiot'.
Ms Struthers, who was previously parliamentary secretary to Premier Peter Beattie on multicultural affairs, has made four speeches to Parliament on the dangers of drink-driving.
...
Ms Struthers spoke in Parliament on May 23 on the Transport Operations Legislation Amendment Bill.
"Given the success of drink-driving laws, more people are being responsible when it comes to drinking and driving," she said.
"They are leaving their cars at home and seeking out public transport or taxis.
"We have been putting a lot of money into drink-driving campaigns . . . some people are very irresponsible."
On February 20, Ms Struthers supported legislation to "end the carnage" on Queensland roads.
She said some politicians were young drivers in an era when "many drove with a belly full of alcohol".
"Thankfully, we have come a long way . . . many years of good campaigns such as the drink-driving campaigns have all played their part."
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 7:49 AM
11 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
4:14 PM, August 26, 2007
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
6:19 PM, August 26, 2007
Blog posts removed pending the MP's court appearance. Please repost after Tuesday.
8:49 PM, August 26, 2007
Excerpt from Courier Mail:
28 August 2007
Senior Queensland Labor MP Karen Struthers has been fined $1000 and banned from driving for 10 months after pleading guilty to drink driving in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court.
The parliamentary secretary to the state's health minister, Struthers was arrested on Friday night after blowing 0.160 in a breath test while driving a government car.
10:39 AM, August 28, 2007
She was trying the Paris Hilton defence!
Ms Struthers said she had been with family members on Friday night and had not eaten.
"I am not making any excuses. I probably had four drinks . . . but that is not a good reading at all," she said.
10:40 AM, August 28, 2007
Beattie - "She will have to use buses and trains and boats and planes and everything else," Mr Beattie said. "It's not going to be easy for her. She's a single mum with a little boy."
Yeah - all on a MPs salary - not easy at all.
11:50 AM, August 28, 2007
Also - 4 drinks gets her to 0.169. I don't think so. Can't even lie convincingly.
11:51 AM, August 28, 2007
Adopting the KRudd defence - 'I only remember 4 drinks'.
From the Courier Mail:
She said she recalled having four glasses of red wine between 6.30pm and 10.30pm when she made an "absolutely bad call" of driving a friend to get a taxi.
Asked why so many Beattie government members were appearing in court, Ms Struthers replied: "We are human."
11:59 AM, August 28, 2007
Four glasses of red in four hours would put her well below 0.05. Can't any Qld MP tell the truth?
12:33 PM, August 28, 2007
maybe it was 4 bottles of red
12:50 PM, August 28, 2007
Just another example of public officials falling short of standards expected of them
12:54 PM, August 29, 2007
Post a Comment
<< Home