Liberals expel members over 'offensive' flyer

[Kiwi]

Wednesday November 21, 06:38 PM
Liberals expel members over 'offensive' flyer

The Liberal Party has expelled a number of its members working on the campaign for the Sydney seat of Lindsay, after they handed out material described as offensive and false.

The flyer purported to be from an Islamic Group and it urged people to vote for the Labor candidate David Bradbury.

The Liberal Party's New South Wales director, Graham Jaeschke, says the activity was carried out without any authorisation or knowledge of the party's head office.

He says the matter has been reported to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), and action has been taken against those involved.

"Some individuals working on our campaign were distributing an unauthorised flyer," he said.

"As soon as we found out this morning we've acted accordingly and if they were members of the party are no longer members of the party and the others who were not members of the party are now no longer working on the campaign."


LMAO this was funny making out Labour loves Muslims 

[AussieJTFer]

What exactly is on the flyer that isn't true?

[Kiwi]

Labour is not the ones that allowed the Islamic Council of Victoria to have a political party.

It was the Liberal womens husband that created it.

[JTFFan]

Labour is not the ones that allowed the Islamic Council of Victoria to have a political party.

It was the Liberal womens husband that created it.

I doubt it was labour, most likely with what you said.

[Kiwi]

One of the comments in the flyer stated that Labour supported the muslims bombing Bali to killed over 200 people.

Which is beyond reason and totally UNACCEPTABLE!

NO REAL AUSTRALIAN SUPPORTED THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN BALI OR ANYWHERE ELSE!!

[Kiwi]

Yeah really funny joke 

Retiring Liberal MP Jackie Kelly says a flyer linking Labor to a fake Islamic group in her seat was meant to be a joke.

The Liberal Party has been damaged by revelations that Ms Kelly's husband Gary Clark has been involved in distributing the flyer, which purports to come from the non-existent 'Islamic Australia Foundation', in her marginal Sydney seat of Lindsay.

The fake pamphlet says "we gratefully acknowledge Labor's support to forgive our Muslim brothers who have been unjustly sentenced to death for the Bali bombings" and calls for more mosques to built.

The New South Wales state Liberal Party has expelled two of its members over the flyer and Labor and the Liberals have both referred it to the electoral commission. Labor is also calling for a police investigation.

But Ms Kelly says the flyer is a spoof and people have failed to see the funny side.

"I think its intent is to be a send-up, but it obviously hasn't worked," she said. "Pretty much everyone who's read it chuckles."

But Prime Minister John Howard is among those who are less than amused.

"I condemn it, I dissociate myself from it," he said.

Labor's candidate in Lindsay David Bradbury says it is offensive because it tries to link Labor to Islamic extremism.

"There are insinuations there that the Labor Party is supporting Islamic groups, which is absolutely false."

The President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, says it is disappointing that such tactics have emerged at this stage of the campaign.

"It is very concerning that so far at least from the perspective of race and religion it has been a fairly clean election, and at this late stage for something like this to pop up does not augur well at all for democracy," he said.

Mr Howard is giving his major speech to the National Press Club in Canberra this afternoon.

[Kiwi]

The men responsible for the bogus Islamic leaflet distributed in the Liberal electorate of Lindsay in New South Wales have apologised.

Both have been forced to resign as members of the Liberal Party after the distribution of campaign flyers which falsely linked the ALP with Islamic extremists.

The pamphlet suggests Labor supports the Bali bombers and calls for more mosques to be built.

The men behind the controversy are the husbands of the retiring Liberal MP Jackie Kelly and the woman who hopes to replace her, Karen Chijoff.

Ms Kelly laughed off the incident this morning but her husband Gary Clark has since written to the NSW Liberal Party, saying he now recognises producing the flyer was a foolish action.

He has apologised in particular to the Muslim community and says he bears no malice.

Greg Chijoff has also apologised, saying his wife was outraged when she heard about the incident.

He says she is a warm and genuine woman who has always been a passionate supporter of different cultures and he is saddened to have caused such embarrassment to the Liberal Party.

A member of the Liberals state executive, Jeff Egan, has already been expelled from the party over the flyer.

Prime Minister John Howard fielded several questions about the scandal during his appearance at the National Press Club today.

He says Ms Chijoff should not be sacked for her husband's involvement.

"We, I hope, live in a society where we treat husbands and wives - although we respect the closeness of their relationship - we treat them as individuals and we shouldn't automatically transfer blame for the deeds of one onto the other," he said.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd says he is not surprised the Liberals have resorted to such tactics.

"[It's] the absolute desperate and deceptive and negative nature of these Liberal Party tactics on the eve of an election, which summarises in itself the desperate and negative nature of the entire Liberal Party advertising campaign." he said.

"It has been desperate and negative."

Mr Rudd's deputy Julia Gillard says Ms Chijoff must break her silence about the flyers.

"She could certainly make a full and frank statement to the people of Lindsay about everything she knows about this matter," she said.

"We are very shortly to be on voting day, she is presenting as a candidate for the Australian Parliament, she should answer for her own actions.

"She should do that fully, frankly and publicly."

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has referred Labor complaints over the flyers to the Australian Federal Police.

Ms Kelly laughed off the incident this morning but her husband Gary Clark has since written to the NSW Liberal Party, saying he now recognises producing the flyer was a foolish action.

She how much she is worth a pinch of cockys poo. The husband at least has the guts to admit to his actions.