Wednesday night’s Midwinter Ball seems to have been more than just the occasion for drunken groping and possible assault, with a senior Prime Ministerial staffer, economist and Ozonomics author Andrew Charlton, releasing a statement about a clash with Malcolm Turnbull in which Turnbull appeared to threaten Charlton in relation to the Ozcar issue.
A “mutual aquaintance” referred to in the statement is understood to be housing guru Christopher Joye.
Wayne Swan hastily called a press conference this morning to criticise Turnbull, who yesterday had to get shadow minister Sophie Mirabella to move swiftly on claims that one of her electorate office staff, Anthony Scrinis, had assaulted several female Ball attendees. Scrinis resigned immediately.
The Charlton statement comes just before this afternoon’s Ozcar senate committee hearings, which will test repeated Opposition claims that the Prime Minister and Treasurer made inappropriate representation on behalf of a friend of Rudd’s, car dealer John Grant.
It’s clear that, in the aftermath of the departure of Peter Costello, the Government has decided to take off the gloves with Turnbull, who has aggressively pursued as yet unclear allegations of impropriety on the part of Rudd.
While the full weight of the Labor machine, backed by Government resources, will be brought to bear on a man whose background has plenty of interesting deals, Turnbull, who appears happier in a fight to the death than out of one, will be unfazed. He knows he only has one shot at the Prime Ministership, and won’t die wondering about what he could have done to get it.
While at home for lunch today I tuned in to the Senate Committee hearings on Ozcar. What a bloody shambles to behold. Sen Abetz being his usual obnoxious bullying self, points of order, a chairperson completely unable to control the loud interjections and for what? To score points over the legality of a 5000 dollar 1980’s vehicle being used by the PM’s electorate offfice. Of course led by the brilliant Sen (Minister) Faulknor, Labor were no better when in Opoosition, but Abetz has neither the class or the tact of Faulknor. A bull in a china shop is the attitude of the bully from Tasmania, all hot air and rude with it. This is yet another example of self indulgence and petty political point scoring under the guise of legitimate questioning of departmental heads. More tens of thousands of tax payers dollars down the gurgler to satisfy enormous egos. Frankly if someone gave Kev a dunger to drive around in when he was a nobody wow, quite frankly I don’t give a damn. No this more about trying to score points about giving a car dealer an unfair advantage and trying to snare the PM and the Treasurer. From what I heard today, give it away Eric, you are looking like a fool on a fools mission.
David1, you’re not seeing the wood for the trees. The issue is now one of the PM misleading parliament. And based on the first hand statement of the senior public servant involved, there was in fact high level intervention on behalf of the car donor. Time to take off the rose tinted glasses my friend:
1. The suggestion is there was considerable quid pro quo given for the dunger;
2. Somebody told a fib; and
3. Misleading parliament is very naughty.
And it looks like your hero, Senator Abets may have been aware of the existence of an incriminating email all along. And if a copy of that email, that for some reason nobody can now find, should happen to turn up, presumably all hell will break loose. And it would then not be the good Eric looking the fool.
And the suspicion is: was the issue first raised by a Malcolm who already knew the answer, on the off chance a certain Kev would dig himself a hole.
All very subtle, ain’t it, Dave?
…Greg