Return to Press Release MenuCanberra, March 4:
FOLLOWING today's brouhaha regarding the alleged use of a single piece of her electorate letterhead to get an urgent notice to Ipswich City Council, Independent MP for Oxley Pauline Hanson has turned the tables on her accuser, Ald. Paul Tully, saying that his blatantly political pointscoring attempted ploy has cost the Australian taxpayer so far $420.41.
The cost of Ms Hanson's alleged 'sin' is 0.3029 cents (1 sheet of paper: 0.0329c + 1 fax call: 0.27c). "On top of five and half hours of time he could have spent dealing with looking after the people of my electorate, my senior adviser has had to spend dealing with this storm in a teacup at a total cost of $201.46," Ms Hanson said. "I have spent just over one hour directly involved, which I cost out at $38.95.
"And Ald. Tully, who is on the public payroll of Ipswich City Council ratepayers must have spent between 2-3 hours (as he reads and writes very slowly and would have had great difficulty in preparing his own press statement) which has cost those ratepayers I would estimate about $180."
On top of this and not calculated, Ald Tully's puerile allegation has involved the time of the Speaker's Clerk and other staff in the overworked Speaker's office in dealing with both the allegation and the media. There will be extensive further ongoing costs if the Speaker decides to investigate the allegation.
Also to be taken into account is studio time for two network TV studios, interviewers and production staff, as well as line time to send the story to Brisbane; STD phone calls to Canberra from seven media outlets in Brisbane, plus the time of the journalists involved, as well as another five media contacts in Canberra. At a minimum, the cost to the media to deal with this frivolous exercise would have to be at least $300.
"On top of this, the question must be asked how Ald. Tully has been allowed to remove from Council chambers what is essentially a private document between myself and one of council's departments?" Ms Hanson said. "I will be certainly taking this up with the Mayor and, if necessary, the Minister for Local Government to ascertain whether Ald. Tully has breached the confidentiality of his position as a councillor for what he sees as his political purpose."
[For further information or personal comment from Mrs Hanson contact:
DAVID THOMAS, Press Secretary on (06) 277 2044 or (015) 631 366]
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