Case closed. James Ashby’s claims of harassment against his former boss — and the parliamentary speaker — Peter Slipper have been thrown out of court. Slipper has no case to answer.
Nobody emerges from this sordid saga with a squeaky clean reputation. But Slipper, remarkably, goes closest.
As Margot Saville reports from the courtroom, Mal Brough, the former Howard government minister who is now running for the Liberal-National Party in Slipper’s seat, was in this up to his neck, according to Justice Steven Rares. And as Bernard Keane notes, it was shadow attorney-general George Brandis who in October insulted government officials and claimed a Commonwealth attempt to have Ashby’s case struck out was motivated by politics. The court, clearly, disagrees.
There’s no doubt this was about politics, the grubbiest kind, but everyone played a part: from the colourful MP and his adviser, to Brough and the LNP machine working behind him, to a Labor government that put Slipper in the chair in a desperate political act — knowing much of what could come out.
It all stinks. But maybe, just maybe, we can move on.
“Utegate”, “AWUgate” and now “Slipper-rail”, what’s their next trick?
And this is why my subscription to your newsletter is not being renewed. This editorial could have been found in any hard copy newspaper in the country. You no longer have a point of difference from them. Rather than reporting on just how bad the whole situation was for the Liberal party (and being able to use extensive quotes from the judge who held that point of view) you decided to use the well worn tactic of saying both sides of politics were to blame.
Did the judge in Ashby’s case actually hear Brough or counsel representing him before saying highly derogatory things about him? If so, isn’t that a serious scandal?
how many people forecast here that this would turn to shit in the lying mouths? Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving cohort of contemptibles.
Now if only the CraigT imbroglio also turns to dust in their maws, pleeeez Santa.
Surely the Coalition has gone beyond the pale here..