Harkins caught out by his own deception - need for full AEC investigation
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:51
Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has renewed calls for The Australian Electoral Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal from the seat of Franklin by Tasmanian union leader Kevin Harkins.
Mr Harkins has now revealed to the ABC’s 730 Report last night he was encouraged by Prime Minister Rudd’s former Chief of Staff, David Epstein in 2007 that he should stand down and that at a secret meeting later he was told if he agreed to stand aside he would be given a free run at the next preselection without any “blockers or veto or interference”.
Yet on 9/8/07 on ABC Radio in Hobart in an interview with Tim Cox, Mr Harkins said:
Cox: Alright, what about the latest round, you were offered, I guess, a bribe is the only way to describe it?
Harkins: Yeah I don’t need any inducements to do the right thing. Some people, probably, from the Liberal Party may need to do that...
Whilst we fully agree with the decision by the Labor Party not to endorse Mr Harkins, it beggars belief that Tasmanian Labor leader David Bartlett would say just the other day that Kevin Harkins was a “good bloke”. That Mr Harkins was seriously put up as a candidate not once but twice, shows Labor’s gene pool is very shallow.
Just like the grubby deal that Labor has done in Tasmania following the State election, Federal Labor and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd need to fully explain what deals were done regarding attempts by Kevin Harkins to seek preselection for the Senate.
Clearly under electoral rules it is illegal to influence potential candidates through inducement which may affect the outcome of an elected position and I call on the AEC to re open its investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Harkin’s withdrawal from Franklin.
