Liberals
BAD TED: Baillieu lashes Vanstone with corruption whip
Liberal insiders are fuming today about Ted Baillieu’s accusation that former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone and other Liberal MPs had acted in a way that warranted investigation by his proposed “anti-corruption commission.”
A senior Liberal told VEXNEWS:
“The Age has run a vendetta against Vanstone on this. An Italian guy goes to a Liberal fundraiser. He puts in an application to stay in Australia with the Immigration Minister. It is later discovered he’s a bad guy. Not even the Age has said Vanstone knew any of this before hearing pleas from his family about whether he should stay. Next thing we know, Baillieu is effectively calling her corrupt. There is something wrong in Victoria and it’s Ted Baillieu’s clueless leadership. What is he thinking?”
The Age has repeatedly suggested that a mafia figure Francesco Madafferi paid “cash-for-visa”, implying that political donations the accused drug dealer made to the Liberal party influenced a decision made by the then government to award him a visa.
Great story if you can get away with it and you can’t begrudge their pursuit of it but the suggestion that political donations influenced Vanstone and other named Liberal MPs does seem a stretch.
Going back to the Age’s earlier coverage, they wrote:
Exactly how much money was given to the Liberal Party and for what purpose remains unclear. At the very least, the donations have created a perception that help was bought by, in at least some cases, some very questionable figures.
And that’s right. And while very messy and a little embarrassing, that hardly makes it the “cash-for-visa scandal” they are willing to call it now. A perception is very much in the eye of the beholder. The suggestion that you can buy help on visas through political donations is a gravely serious one.
Does accusing someone of taking cash for awarding visas with very little to support that sound fair to us? Not on your life, and we’d normally be the first to rip into Ambassador Vanstone.
In the chattering class, particularly the press, the all-too-frequent presumption is that a political donation is akin to a bribe. The strange thing is that advertising revenue in The Age – from all sorts of controversial types ranging from property shonks, real estate agents, government departments, grog shops, strip-joints and high-interest finance companies – is never seen in the same light.
Age journalists would be horrified by the suggestion that ad revenue to the company influences their decisions about what to write. But they’re happy to judge everyone else a crim, unless proven otherwise.
In this case, Vanstone seems to be guilty of not being a mind-reader, not being able to foresee that someone she awarded a visa would later be accused of being in the mafia.
That’s no crime, however embarrassing.
But what’s even more embarrassing, Liberal insiders told VEXNEWS, is a state Liberal leader implying the incidents are corrupt. A prominent Liberal who once backed Baillieu told VEXNEWS:
“All Ted has done is highlight exactly how a Victorian ICAC could be corrupted. Their mere ‘referral’ of an issue to a corruption commission implies that a corrupt act has occurred. Then it’s leapt on by the party’s enemies. It’s madness. He’s a fool.”
Discussion
36 comments for “BAD TED: Baillieu lashes Vanstone with corruption whip”
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I feel sorry for Kelvin Thomson after his reference for Tony Mokbel – an innocent mistake that has cost him a ministerial spot. But you didn’t see Kelvin pocketing any cash from crime figures like the Liberals did.
Ted is a cowardly worm, dumping his own in it like this.
How can Vanstone stay as Ambassador with this cloud over her head?
I hear Bruce Billson screamed abuse at Kapel about this for 30 minutes today.
I like my c-cash freshly laundered thanks.
When you’re born with a silver spoon, you don’t nneed to take cash for visas.
Are you calling Ted corrupt?
Baillieu may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don’t let that fool you. He really is an idiot.
… and if he’d said “NO” to a leading question about referrals to an hypothetical corruption commission, the Vexnews headline would have read:
“BAILLEAU ENDORSES VANSTONE CORRUPTION”
… and if he’d replied “NO” to a leading question about an hypothetical corruption commission, the Vexnews headline would have read:
BAILLEAU ENDORSES VANSTONE CORRUPTION
[VEXNEWS: We're not huge fans of Ted's, that's true, but it's most certainly not true to say that we regard everything he does to be wrong. When he gets it right, like appointing Peter Ryan to be their Police spokesman, we said so. His focus on law and order is smart, it's right and hopefully will be rewarded. But, today's effort really was a disgrace and we're going to keep calling him on these things. Vanstone has clearly not acted 'corruptly' - certainly not if what has been published is any guide and we would never suggest otherwise. Political parties take donations, it doesn't 'buy' them or corrupt them any more than an advertiser 'buys' coverage in the editorial in a newspaper. If corruption has occurred it should be condemned and prosecuted. But otherwise, let's keep things in perspective.]
Yesterday, Mr Baillieu accused the Labor Party of targeting his family, calling such action ”totally inappropriate”.
”It was a well-directed release and I think it was pretty clear [the Baillieu family was targeted],” he said.
Ted, let me give you a quiet word of advice.
If you want to have ANY chance of securing the State Government benches in November 2010, then stop meddling in things that are absolutely NONE of your business! There’s MORE than enough for you to be focussing on for the next 54 weeks and five days to be messing in Federal affairs.
GET YOUR FOCUS RIGHT, MAN!
Brumby’s your opponent, NOT other Liberals. Tell me how many voters in Ballarat West (or East, for that matter), or Bendigo West (or East for that matter) or Ripon etc and other seats you HAVE to win know or are interested in what the hell Vanstone did or did not do? NONE!
Every time you want to do or say something in the next 54 and a half weeks, ask yourself “Will this actually win me any votes?”. If the answer is “Yes!”, then go for it. If the answer is “No!”, then don’t do or say it. Got it? (Extract from “Politics 101″).
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER MAN!
Cheers,
Observer
Ted does not know how to prosecute a political case, has no policies, is petty and vindictive, provides no focus for the parliamentary party and has lost the support of the rank and file.
Ted, please resign and give the party a fresh chance. You are simply a dud!!
Even by Ted standards, this one is a whopper.
The human spine allows us to walk upright. There are no spines in the Victorian Liberal party. That is why Ted is still in the job and the rest crawl around on their belly’s.
Maybe they could get lessons in fraud from the Marco Bolano team in the HSU elections.
Kelvin Thomson is a great member. He did what almost all MPs do and gave a constituent a reference. It is disgraceful that he lost a Ministerial spot, for which he is much better qualified that almost all the other members of Team Rudd, just for doing his job. Disgraceful. Bring back Kelvin.
YUK – imagine whipping Vanstone.
I’m innocent I swear.
I’m lefty Liberal with a conscience.
If Ted showed half the zeal for attacking Brumby that he shows when kicking other Liberals he wouldn’t be 14 points behind.
Ted – you know you are going to lose the next election with a loss of more seats if you remain as leader – please go nicely before Christmas. please.
Yes such a good minister that deserves better. Firm but fair, who would never do anything untoward. When I look at mother Teressa I see our Amanda……..yes she probably ate her the darling, she was hungry.
There are morons and there are morons…then there is also Vandstone
Ted is proposing to do something that the ALP would never do. Put his own to the torch. Just look at Suleyman, Seitz,Madden & Co. Got off scot free. Bet they will be hoping that Ted doesn’t win and implement the ICAC!
Leave the dear old lady alone – SHE IS THE “GURU OF FATTYNESS”.
Brimbank Banter get a life.
Take me to the April Sun in Cuba
what did bruce bilson do?
to Tim Fischer ,Vandstone should not resign she should be the Ambassador for life paid by the taxpayers of Australia and not to mention her pretty pension she gets on top…
All Ted has done is highlight exactly how a Victorian ICAC could be corrupted. Their mere ‘referral’ of an issue to a corruption commission implies that a corrupt act has occurred. Then it’s leapt on by the party’s enemies. It’s madness. He’s a fool.”
What is acutally a bigger scandal is the $60,000 of taxpayers’ money Vanstone spent on Chinese language lessons when she was Immigration Minister. Mandy was a complete waste of space, yet she, as with her sopping wet liberal mates, such Robert Hill were all looked after by Howard. Don’t get me started on Howard…
Ted is a shoe in for Premier November 2010, once corruption details comes out against two key Labor Ministers.
How is it that Vandstone didnt know that Madaferri was wanted by the Italian Police for a previous matter and that he was to be deported for his illegal entry. Ironically she ended up as an Ambassador for Italy and he allegedly is part of a major drug ring awaiting trial.good one amanda, I am glad you were looking after our safety!! Ted was spot on
We have a State opposition leader putting his foot in his mouth and a federal opposition leader doing the same.
Do Liberals want to be in government? If so,the party needs policies which give voters a choice and leaders who understand how to represent their voters, and they need it now.
Oh well Couldn’t be worse than the newly endorsed candidate for Higgins.
With Labours deals for donations with the building industry, seeing developers now giving more to the ALP than Unions, they will need to tread very lightly on corruption issues. If all the dirty deals came out, half the Brumby Govt Ministers could be in jail.
alp member who can’t spell properly talks absolute shit. Name the deals anonymis!!!!! You should stop reading the age!