Federal election: Labor gaffe allows Turnbull to lock up Wentworth ...
Excerpt from Sydney Morning Herald:
Legal blow to Labor bid for key seat
14 November 2007
A cloud hangs over the crucial seat of Wentworth in the federal election, with evidence suggesting the nomination of one of Labor's star candidates may be invalid.
Last night George Newhouse was fighting off claims that a legal oversight could scupper his chances of taking the knife-edge marginal seat, even if he beats the Liberal incumbent and Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, on November 24.
Mr Newhouse would face the prospect of a byelection if a challenger could establish he failed to resign from his position as a paid member of the state's consumer disputes tribunal before lodging his nomination for Wentworth.
The state Minister for Fair Trading, Linda Burney, told the Herald she did not receive Mr Newhouse's resignation until November 2, the day the Electoral Commission announced the nominations. Under the Constitution, a candidate seeking election to Parliament must resign from any office of profit under the Crown at least 24 hours before the Electoral Commission formally declares the nomination.
Mr Newhouse insists he resigned on October 22, but the Herald has learnt the letter sent to Ms Burney was undated. Neither Mr Newhouse nor his campaign staff will say when he sent the letter. And Ms Burney's office has refused to release the letter.
But one of her senior staff confirmed it was undated, and that there was only a reference in the letter to the date of October 22, signalling an intention to resign.
Adding to the confusion, the Commissioner for Fair Trading, Lyn Baker, told the Herald "something flashed past" her desk indicating Mr Newhouse's resignation only last Friday, November 9.
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See - Labor in a spin in Wentworth.
If this is true, Minister Turnbull will not be able to believe his luck ...
Also read the email exchange between the Labor candidate and the News Limited journo:
Overington 11.08am "Hey there … Let's chat today, shall we? I could come out to Bondi, since I live there. And now you are single, I might even make a pass at you."
...
Overington, 11.35am "Either you say yes to a photograph smiling and happy and out campaigning, or we stake you out at [street name and number deleted] and get you looking like a cat caught in a trap, in your PJs. Your choice."
See - Emails explore reporter's own preferences, then turn nasty.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 7:52 AM
5 Comments:
This issue is becoming quite the story of the day.
12:26 PM, November 14, 2007
Excerpt from SMH:
14 November 2007
Labor candidate George Newhouse says he is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign, following claims he is ineligible to stand for the federal Sydney seat of Wentworth.
It is alleged Mr Newhouse may have failed to resign from his position as a paid member of the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal before lodging his nomination for the eastern suburbs seat.
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"There's no bungle,'' he told Macquarie Radio.
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"It's obvious that people are throwing up sand.''
"You only have to look at the Wentworth campaign to see that Mr Turnbull is a very high-profile candidate and very concerned about maintaining his seat in parliament and I'm not prepared to say any more than that,'' Mr Newhouse said before abruptly ending the interview.
...
12:28 PM, November 14, 2007
Excerpt from SMH:
14 November 2007
NSW Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney says George Newhouse resigned as a paid member of the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal days before he nominated to run for Federal Parliament.
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"I received a letter from George Newhouse tendering his resignation effective 22 October as a part-time member of the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal," Ms Burney said in a statement.
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However, a spokeswoman for Ms Burney later said the minister's office had date-stamped Mr Newhouse's letter on November 2.
The Electoral Commission announced the nominations on November 2.
"The letter was date stamped November 2," the spokeswoman said.
"But, we don't know when the letter was sent."
Ms Burney told the Herald yesterday she did not receive Mr Newhouse's resignation until November 2.
Mr Newhouse insists he resigned on October 22, but the Herald has learnt the letter sent to Ms Burney was undated.
Neither Mr Newhouse nor his campaign staff will say when he sent the letter. And Ms Burney's office has refused to release the letter.
But one of her senior staff confirmed it was undated, and said that there was only a reference in the letter to the date of October 22, signalling an intention to resign.
According to Electoral Commission records, Mr Newhouse lodged his nomination form and a declaration he was eligible under the constitution on October 25. At 10.45am the next day the commission dated and signed his nomination. But this was then crossed out, suggesting the form was returned and resubmitted. At 8.50am on October 30 another nomination form from Mr Newhouse was dated and signed as received by the commission.
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12:37 PM, November 14, 2007
certainly knocked newhouse off message for a few days
1:05 PM, November 14, 2007
Excerpt from News.com.au:
Labor's Newhouse pulls out of debate
15 November 2007
Beleaguered ALP candidate for the New South Wales seat of Wentworth, George Newhouse, has dodged a candidates' debate in the electorate, pulling out at the last minute for "personal reasons".
More than 200 people crammed into the St Matthias Anglican church in Paddington tonight to hear a debate between nine of the candidates from the federal electorate, including sitting MP Malcolm Turnbull.
They had also been expecting to hear from Mr Newhouse.
However, the MC for the evening, St Matthias' Gillian Davidson, informed the audience that Mr Newhouse had pulled out at 5.30pm, saying he was doing so for personal reasons
9:52 PM, November 15, 2007
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