The new Member for Page really is what's-his-name

This morning in the time session usually occupied by local rural news ABC North Coast local radio presented an election post-mortem.

A voter at a polling place in Grafton told the ABC he likes Tony Abbott so he voted for "what's-his-name in Page". Quite obviously, the voter had no idea know who the National Party's candidate was.

If that wasn't enough to put listeners off their corn flakes an interview the ABC conducted with State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis didn't help.  Gulaptis, who has his own identity problems due to something of an association with the disgraced former MP for Clarence Steve "Speed Camera" Cansdell, told the ABC that voters on Saturday thought he (Gulaptis) was Hogan and wished him well in the election. Gulaptis also said that Hogan has people thinking he is Gulaptis.

The Nationals have an identity crisis.

Readers are invited to match the names of current and former Nat identities (see above) with their mug shots.

Credit: Images from Google images

Cansdellgate - a neverending story

The Daily Examiner and other APN websites are featuring another piece about disgraced former Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell. The report is reproduced below.

DPP yet to act on advice to charge Steve Cansdell with lying

Authorities are "ducking and weaving" when it comes to pursuing criminal charges against disgraced Clarence MP Steve Cansdell, says shadow Attorney-General Paul Lynch.

The Liverpool MP has challenged his political rival, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith, to respond to the advice of retired senior barrister Bruce James that Mr Cansdell could have been charged with lying under oath. 

The advice followed an independent review of the police investigation into Mr Cansdell, who resigned in 2011 when it was revealed he had lied about not being behind the wheel when his car was snapped by a speeding camera. 

Charges against him were dropped when a former female staffer, who Mr Cansdell originally claimed had been driving, refused to give a statement. 

During parliament question time last week Mr Cansdell asked Mr Smith when the community could expect the DPP to respond to Mr James's advice. 

The official reply, which has since been placed on the record, read: "The advice from Mr James QC was unsolicited advice and, as such, it is a matter for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions". 

The DPP has confirmed he received the advice but has yet to announce whether he will act on it.

Give yourself a pat on the back if you picked the blooper in the Examiner's piece.

Hint: How can the disgraced former MP get to ask questions in the parliament? Besides, isn't he flat out doing his new job? Then, again, perhaps he has been moonlighting and making casual appearances while his successor, Mr Walker, attends to extra-curricula activities. 

Oops! Delete that last surname and insert 'Gulaptis'. Constituents in the electorate of Clarence can however be excused for thinking their current local MP is a Mr Walker - that's the Phantom's name and it's also synonymous with the very pedestrian performance the local MP is making.

Credit: The Daily Examiner

Cansdellgate continues

Northern NSW newspapers, including The Northern Star and The Daily Examiner, are carrying reports about the latest 'happening' associated with disgraced former Member for Clarence Steve Cansdell.

Smith won't pressure DPP to charge MP Steve Cansdell 

Attorney-General Greg Smith has told NSW Parliament he will not call on the Director of Public Prosecutions to pursue criminal charges against disgraced Clarence MP Steve Cansdell until "otherwise advised".

Despite lying about not being behind the wheel of his car when it was snapped by a speed camera in 2005, the former police secretary escaped criminal punishment when the staffer he claimed was driving refused to make a statement.

The Government's handling of the investigation has been subject to debate since retired QC Bruce James suggested in February that Mr Cansdell could still have been prosecuted for lying under oath.

He questioned whether the DPP had properly investigated the charges that could have been laid.

Earlier this month Mr Smith told parliament Mr James's concerns were a matter for the DPP.

But in a letter sent to shadow Attorney-General Paul Lynch last week, the DPP advised that Mr James's recommendations must be referred by Mr Smith's office.

Yesterday, Mr Lynch again asked Mr Smith if he would use his power to ask the DPP to consider the senior barrister's advice.

Mr Smith said while he had "great respect" for Mr James, he was willing to "stand by" other well-respected lawyers who did not agree with the advice until "otherwise advised".

Mr Lynch he would not give up, the questions raised must be pursued and instead of "sitting on his hands", Mr Smith needed to ensure the DPP "has another look".

Mr Cansdell quit shortly after the 2011 election following revelations he had told police his staffer Kath Palmer was driving at the time of the offence to avoid being stripped of his licence.

Source: The Northern Star and The Daily Examiner.

Similar stories, different outcomes (well, so far!)

A comment piece in today's Daily Examiner has put the name Cansdell back in the public arena. Steve Cansdell, the former disgraced Member for Clarence, resigned from the NSW State Parliament on 16 September 2011 after he faked a statutory declaration concerning a speeding fine he received in 2005.




Seems Cansdellgate just won't lie down and die.

Here's what the Examiner's Tim Howard wrote today:

Differing face of 'justice': Identical crimes in separate countries but penalties poles apart

This story has a familiar ring to it, except for the bit right at the end.

A politician's car is clocked speeding and demerit points are to be docked from the driver, but a woman takes the rap, saying she was driving the car at the time.

Years later things between them sour and the woman tells authorities she has taken the fall for the politician, who eventually 'fesses up.

A by-election is called in his seat, the politician is forced to give up a promising post. His political career is over.

In time the politician and his accuser end up in court.

They are both sentenced to eight months' jail after the court found them guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice. There are serious inquiries about how much other senior politicians in the party knew about their indiscretions.

People in the Clarence Valley will recognise parallels to the case of former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell, who resigned his seat over the scandal of a false statutory declaration to save him from a speeding fine.

This is the story of former British MP Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce, who were sentenced in an English court this week.

While the details differ between the two stories, the thrust of the narrative is the same: a person of influence uses another person to avoid a scandal. When the relationship unravels, the truth comes out and there is a price to pay.

As I said, the difference in the story is the bit at the end.

While the court case aired a bit of dirty laundry, the details of the story came out and the British public were left in no doubt justice had been done and, more importantly, seen to be done.

In Australia there was no such satisfaction. Mr Cansdell was well and truly punished for his indiscretion, but in no way was justice seen to be done.

About that stench in the Clarence Valley (No, not the flood mud!)

Today's Sydney Morning Herald reports:

Speed fine MP could be charged for lying on oath - barrister

A leading Sydney barrister has raised doubts about whether authorities properly investigated what criminal charges could be laid against the former state MP Steve Cansdell.

Greg James, QC, who is a retired Supreme Court judge, believes Mr Cansdell could be charged for making a false statement on oath under the provisions of the Crimes Act for his admission he lied on a statutory declaration to avoid losing his driver's licence.
Mr Cansdell, who was the member for Clarence and parliamentary secretary for police, quit the NSW Parliament shortly after the 2011 election after the admission. He said one of his then staff members, Kath Palmer, was driving when his car was caught by a speed camera in 2005.
NSW Police announced last October it would not lay charges against Mr Cansdell, stating Ms Palmer had ''declined to be interviewed''.
Ms Palmer's solicitor denied this, claiming that while Ms Palmer declined to be formally interviewed, she offered to make an ''induced statement'', which would protect her from prosecution.
In his opinion, requested by the NSW opposition, Mr James said that, subject to proof the statutory declaration was falsely sworn, there is ''a sufficient basis to investigate whether the staff member as a principal and Mr Cansdell as an accessory had committed offences …''
Mr James notes the police and DPP have the discretion not to proceed, but says: ''It is hard to see that those discretions have been properly applied … without a detailed consideration of what evidence might be available having been conducted.''
The shadow attorney-general, Paul Lynch, said the government had ''questions to answer about the lack of investigation''.

Source: SMH, 28/2/13

An update on Steve 'Houdini' Cansdell

Sydney Morning Herald journalist Sean Nicholls is like a dog with a bone. And for that the public (and those in the NSW electorate of Clarence in particular) should be most grateful.

Cansdell, the disgraced former MP for Clarence, has pedalled off into the sunset with his taxpayer-funded booty (aka a state parliamentary pension) despite significant questions remaining unanswered about his involvement in Cansdellgate.

Nicholls wrote:

Lessons from political Houdini

The award for the most outstanding public escape act of recent times must surely go to the former member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell.
You recall Cansdell: he was the former professional boxer and parliamentary secretary for police who became the O'Farrell government's first political casualty only months after it took office.
The then 60-year-old quit Parliament after his admission that he had falsified a statutory declaration to claim a staff member was driving when his car was snapped by a speed camera.
Cansdell was trying to avoid losing his driver's licence. Despite the incident occurring back in September 2005, he fell on his sword in September 2011, amid a chorus of sympathy from his Nationals colleagues.
Cansdell was "paying a very heavy price for a lapse of judgment six years ago", the leader of the Nationals and Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner, said at the time.
Only later did it emerge that shortly before Cansdell put his hands up, the staff member in question, Kath Palmer, had blown the whistle on the episode to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
So if Cansdell was not quite pushed - he claimed he quit to save the government and the party from embarrassment - he was very firmly nudged.
Not only had Palmer alleged the statutory declaration fraud, she alleged that Cansdell had also rorted a parliamentary staffing allowance by wrongly claiming it for the period she worked on the 2010 campaign of a Nationals colleague, Kevin Hogan, who was contesting the federal seat of Page.
And so began a very strange - many would say disturbing - series of events involving the ICAC, the police and the Speaker of the NSW Parliament that remain unresolved to this day.
In October last year, just over a year after Cansdell walked into Grafton police station with his lawyer to make his admission, police announced they had concluded their investigation into the statutory declaration matter.
"NSW Police Force will not instigate criminal proceedings," they said in a statement.
What had happened? The statement explained police from the Coffs-Clarence local area command had identified the woman who signed the declaration but that "she declined to be interviewed by officers".
Futhermore, it added, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions had said it was "not satisfied there are reasonable prospects for conviction for a Commonwealth offence".
For the NSW police, that was the end of the matter. But they omitted a couple of key details.
While it was true Palmer, through her lawyer, had refused to be formally interviewed, she had offered to make what is known as an "induced statement" - one given in return for indemnity from prosecution.
According to Palmer's lawyer, Mark Spagnolo, the police had earlier made it known they intended to charge Palmer with perverting the course of justice for her role in the false statutory declaration. Any admission in an interview was likely to lead to her being charged.
Police deny she was threatened with a charge but their decision to refuse her offer to supply an induced statement was rather ambitiously twisted to become Palmer "declined to be interviewed".
Second, the Commonwealth DPP claimed it had been verballed. It said it had simply advised the NSW police that they were not satisfied it was a Commonwealth offence - a subtle but important difference.
Things became even more intriguing when it emerged the ICAC had referred the allegation that Cansdell had rorted his parliamentary allowance to the Speaker of the NSW Parliament, Shelley Hancock, who was technically Palmer's employer.
The ICAC referred the matter "for action as considered appropriate". But no action was taken for a year by Hancock, until Spagnolo released the letter publicly through Fairfax.
After that Hancock, who is also the Liberal member for South Coast, promised that parliamentary officers would "review the material" sent by the ICAC. This included a spreadsheet containing the dates on which Palmer alleged Cansdell submitted claims for the allowance that differed from the days she worked. That was last October.
What has happened since then? Hancock passed the matter to the executive manager of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Rob Stefanic, who responded that he was "unable to reach any conclusions regarding the veracity of the claims made by the former electorate officer".
Stefanic added that because, in his opinion, the allegations were "of minor significance", that so much time had elapsed and that both Palmer and Cansdell had resigned, no further action should be taken "in the absence of more conclusive information". (Never mind that the allegations, if proven, are similar to those which saw two former Labor MPs, Angela D'Amore and Karyn Paluzzano, branded corrupt by ICAC.)
When Hancock was asked if the Parliament would contact Palmer to request "more conclusive information", she said it would not.
"As Ms Palmer did not make a complaint directly to the Parliament, the Parliament will not be contacting the complainant for further information."
So, 18 months since Palmer made her official complaint, there the matter lies: a tangled mess of contradictory claims, dead ends and official inertia.
Palmer is understood to be considering whether to pursue the matter with Parliament or drop it altogether to get on with her life.
Spagnolo has called for an inquiry into the police handling of the matter. The silence has been deafening.
Cansdell now says he has gone bankrupt.
And, while there is no suggestion he is implicated, the man he is alleged to have helped out by fiddling his taxpayer-funded entitlements, Kevin Hogan, has won Nationals preselection to contest Page at this year's federal election.
As a lesson in the frustrations of being a political whistleblower, it doesn't get much more instructive than that.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 19/1/2013

What's happened to Steve's friends?

The former and disgraced Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, has resurfaced on Facebook and it would seem he can now hold get-togethers with his friends in telephone boxes. Yes, that's right, Steve has so few friends he can count them on one hand ... one, two, three, four.

NSW Police accused of lying about Cansdell case

The Sydney Morning Herald 13 October 2012:

THE lawyer for the woman who blew the whistle on the disgraced former MP Steve Cansdell for falsifying a statutory declaration has accused police of threatening her and then lying about their reasons for not pursuing charges against him.

He is also calling for an independent inquiry into the way police have handled the case.

Mr Cansdell, who was parliamentary secretary for police, resigned from State Parliament in September last year after admitting to signing a false statutory declaration that an aide, Kath Palmer, was driving when he was caught speeding in 2005.

On Wednesday NSW police issued a statement saying they would not pursue charges as the Commonwealth director of public prosecutions said there were not reasonable prospects of a conviction for a federal offence. It noted that Ms Palmer ''declined to be interviewed by officers''.

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But Ms Palmer's solicitor, Mark Spagnolo, said yesterday the statement was ''a lie''. In an email to police on October 19 last year, seen by the Herald, Mr Spagnolo said while Ms Palmer declined to be formally interviewed she would make an ''induced statement'' which would protect her from prosecution.

Mr Spagnolo said this was because the investigator, Detective Peter O'Reilly, had earlier told him police were considering charging Ms Palmer with ''perverting the course of justice'' for her part in the false statutory declaration.

Mr Spagnolo said Detective O'Reilly rejected the offer of an induced statement.

According to a file note made by Mr Spagnolo, Detective O'Reilly said ''he did not have to go down that path as Mr Cansdell was going to, using his words, throw his hands up to the matter and therefore as Kath made it public in the newspapers the police will be investigating charges of her''.

Yesterday Mr Spagnolo said Ms Palmer felt ''completely wronged'' and called for an independent investigation.

''After having the courage to blow the whistle on a member of Parliament who was also a parliamentary secretary for the police, my client was threatened by the police with charges of perverting the course of justice,'' he said. ''She was devastated by the fact that going public to report on a politician who was prepared to swear a false statutory declaration and lie to save his driver's licence led her to face the threat of criminal charges''.

Mr Spagnolo said that ''the message from the police is, put in a politician linked to the police by his office for falsifying documents and we will charge you.''

A police spokesman said Ms Palmer was offered a formal interview under caution ''but this was declined''…..

O'Farrell, Stoner, Cansdell, NSW DPP and Police set a dangerous precedent

The Daily Examiner 12 October 2012:

AN ASSOCIATE Professor of Law says the NSW Government's decision not to pursue charges against former Clarence MP Steve

Cansdell sets a dangerous precedent.

Associate Professor Sam Garkawe from the Southern Cross University School of Law said the outcome of the Cansdell case eroded the credibility of a statutory declaration as a legal document.

"I think it does set a very bad precedent and I would suspect the State and the Commonwealth will get their heads together to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again," he said.

"It seems as though he has got off on a technicality where he has wrongly signed a Commonwealth stat dec when he should have signed a NSW stat dec."

Assoc Prof Garkawe said without seeing all the evidence it was difficult to comment on specifics, but he believed Mr Cansdell had still committed an offence under Commonwealth law……

Cansdellgate - the matter of 'bankruptcy'

Shortly after the latest news about former and disgraced MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell went into the public domain on Wednesday mention was made by a number of reputable sources about the bloke's bankruptcy. Now, it seems, any mention of bankruptcy was a big mistake.

ABC local radio aired an interview with Cansdell where he said,  "I've had probably the worst 12 months of my life, plus the bankruptcy, although things are getting better." [emphasis added]

Listen to the interview here.

However, the ABC website now reports Cansdell said, "I've had probably the worst 12 months of my life, close to bankruptcy, although things are getting better." [emphasis added]

Today's Daily Examiner carries a piece titled "Clarification". It states:

Former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell was quoted in yesterday's Daily Examiner as saying "I've had probably the worst 12 months of my life plus the bankruptcy although things are getting better." Mr Cansdell was referring to narrowly avoiding bankruptcy - he was never actually bankrupt during those 12 months. The Daily Examiner apologises for any confusion.

So, there you have it! Simple, isn't it?!

Was the former and disgraced MP loose with the truth when he spoke with ABC radio or was he simply bankrupt of good ideas? Perhaps, being a former pollie, he was simply appealing for more sympathy votes.

Image from forbes.com

Cansdellgate - what a joke!

 

Like many, many others in the NSW electorate of Clarence and elsewhere, this writer is currently stuck for words. Former, and disgraced, MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell won the "lottery" today when it was announced that he's off scot-free after previously admitting he provided something significantly less than the truth in a statutory declaration about his driving behaviour.

Read The Daily Examiner's report here.

Cansdellgate: Daily Examiner says "justice has to be done and seen to be done"

The Examiner which has been on the Cansdell case since the outset marked the first anniversary of the scandalous matter with an opinion piece that merits further airing. Unfortunately, the Examiner hasn't put it online, so here it is ...

It might now be seen as small beer given what has happened in the Clarence Valley in the past few months, but just over a year ago the former Member for Clarence Steve Cansdell handed in his resignation from Parliament.

On September 16 last year, Mr Cansdell admitted falsifying a statutory declaration to avoid a speeding fine and turned himself in to police.

Despite this, he has yet to be charged, let alone face court, for doing something serious enough to warrant his resignation from office.

In February, six months after the resignation, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith dropped a bombshell in parliament when he said Mr Cansdell could not be charged under state law because he had signed a Commonwealth declaration.

There were screams of "cover-up" from the opposition, but so far no-one has been able to discover a way of pursuing the case. The actions of the authorities on this issue do not give the community confidence proper procedures have been followed.

Months of police investigation went to the DPP and then the case was dropped on what most people would call a technicality.

The Attorney-General's reasoning also strains credulity as the most cursory investigation reveals fines issued by the NSW State Debt Recovery Office have always been printed with NSW statutory declarations on the back.

Mr Cansdell may never have to answer for his transgression - indeed many supporters would say his fall from grace was punishment enough - but justice has to be done and seen to be done.

Cansdellgate: one year down the track and we're still waiting

Yes, one year ago today The Daily Examiner informed its readers their local MP Steve Cansdell was resigning from state parliament.

Ok, so what has happened since? When will someone in a position of authority bite the bullet and have this matter addressed?

Image credit: The Daily Examiner, 17/9/12

Cansdellgate - an update

It's unbelievable. He's still yet to face charges!

The Northern Star reports:

Almost 12 months after disgraced former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell walked into Grafton police station with documents proving he falsified a statutory declaration, he is yet to be charged.

On the morning of September 16, Mr Cansdell walked into the station with documentary evidence former staffer Kath Palmer signed a statutory declaration claiming she was driving his car when he was caught speeding by the Woodburn speed camera. As a result, Mr Cansdell would have lost his licence through accumulated demerit points in the lead up to the 2006 state election.

The electorate of Clarence that Mr Cansdell formerly represented stretches from Grafton, north to Casino and east to Evans Head.

On September 16, the former Parliamentary Secretary to Police Minister Michael Gallacher admitted his mistake, claiming at the time he hadn't understood the gravity of the situation.

"I made a dumb choice six years ago and just didn't realise the consequences," he said.

After months of investigation the NSW Police prosecution referred Mr Cansdell's matter to the Commonwealth DPP on March 8.

At the time NSW Attorney General Greg Smith said as Mr Cansdell had signed a Commonwealth statutory declaration on the back of the speeding fine, he could not be prosecuted by the state.

Investigations by the Northern Star revealed fines issued by the NSW State Debt Recovery Office had always been printed with NSW statutory declarations on the back. Mr Cansdell lost his licence in 2009 after he was caught doing 100kmh in an 80kmh zone at Clarenza.

A Commonwealth DPP representative said "the CDPP has no comment".

Acting NSW Opposition leader Linda Burney said it was unbelievable Mr Cansdell was yet to be charged.

"Nearly one year after Steve Cansdell admitted to the criminal offence of signing a false statutory declaration, it defies belief that he is still yet to face charges," she said.

Source: The Northern Star

NSW local government elections: there's to be no party politics, unless ...

A correspondent writing in The Coffs Advocate (Wednesday, 1 August) has caught the local member Andrew Fraser with his pants down.

It seems Fraser doesn't want candidates in the September council elections to have any political affiliatiions. If that's to be the case, Fraser should have added a retrospective factor to his comments and called for a number of his parliamentary coalition mates to be shown the door. Chris Gulaptis, the local member for Clarence who is still on trainer wheels would have to go. Hey, that idea has some merit! Plus, Steve Cansdell would never have got a guernsey in the chamber. Oh, by the way, what's happening on the Scansdellsgate scene? Have federal authorities finally got their act together? Are they going to throw the book at Cansdell? Or, has that matter vapourised into thin air?

Here's John Vernon's letter in yesterday's Advocate.

Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser said people interested in running for local government should not have political affiliations - "Coffs MP wants 'independent' future councillors" - ABC posted July 6, 2012.

How many current National Party MPs started their career in politics as an "independent" councillor? Chris Gulaptis, Stephen Bromhead, John Barilaro and Paul Toole come to mind as "independent councillors" who have graduated to being a National Party MP. There are many more examples from past governments and many councillors who are National and Liberal party members although they have campaigned as "independent" councillors.

Why would Andrew Fraser make these comments? Is he concerned the Greens believe in honest and transparent government and are calling for all prospective councillors to pledge to abstain from voting when they have a conflict of interest, pecuniary or otherwise? The O'Farrell government has of course changed the law so abstention from a vote when a councillor has a personal interest is no longer required.

Is it because the O'Farrell government is pushing through new planning laws that will severely restrict the right of residents to oppose inappropriate planning developments? Indeed the deadline for submissions on these proposals will be an astonishing, restrictive six days after the local government elections. The same date is also the restrictive deadline for submissions on the future of local government. That review opens the door to further local government amalgamations.

Greens' councillors will work to maintain council's powers and protect residents' rights in regard to planning. It is therefore no surprise a National Party MP is stating that "people interested in standing for local government should not have political affiliations".

JOHN VERNON

Grafton Gaol and Cansdellgate - on the same agenda

In a timely reminder for readers of The Daily Examiner a Lower Clarence resident has asked in a letter to the editor:

What action has this (O"Farrell) Government (in NSW) taken on the previous member (Steve Cansdell) on his action regarding his speeding fine?

The writer added, "It appears that members of parliament are immune to action being taken against them, no matter what the offence. What a disgraceful lot we have governing us at the moment."

Here's the complete text of Charles Lincoln of Gulmarrad's letter to the Examiner.

National Party 'stooges' failing to deliver

Regretfully, I have to put pen to paper and place my objections to the manner in which this present State Government is neglecting, wrecking and displaying complete disregard for the voters of this area, the Clarence Valley.

We have a Coalition Government which is only interested in looking after its voting power base, ie, Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong, and having a complete disregard for its National Party constituents in this area.

We have a National Party representative who is completely out of his depth and is failing his constituents badly.

First it was the loss of Telstra jobs; then the closure of the meatworks at South Grafton; and now it is the loss of 92 jobs at the Grafton Jail.

What this Government is doing by its actions is propping up its swinging seats down Kempsey and Cessnock way at the expense of the Clarence Valley.

The National Party representatives are only "Liberal Party lackeys or stooges", and the voters of this area cannot see past the end of their noses, as they continue to elect them - and for what reasons?

Failure to deliver, inexperience in government, and engaging in nepotistic practices seems to be the norm.

No thought has been given to the jail workers who reside down here on the Lower River, who have bought houses, have their children attending local schools and are set up trying to exist with mortgages over their heads.

And now they may have to relocate, take their children out of their existing schools and make a new start at another school.

In many cases, this may be a retrograde step and cause a child to fall back a couple of years with his/her education.

What a miserable lot this incumbent government is.

Their only concern is a "grab for money to build up their own egos".

And while I am writing in this vein, may I ask: what action has this Government taken on the previous member on his action regarding his speeding fine?

It appears that members of parliament are immune to action being taken against them, no matter what the offence.

What a disgraceful lot we have governing us at the moment.

And National Party voters have the hide to claim that the previous Labor Government stank.

But be reminded, this lot have only just started, and the stench is starting to emanate from the Queensland border nearly down to Sydney.

Many people were dissatisfied with the previous Labor government after 15 years on the treasury benches and said that they had to go.

They possessed one outstanding quality and that was they showed empathy and compassion for the average person.

But this lot is only interested lining their own pockets and supporting those with vested interests who can donate to their party and provide a secure board job for them after they have retired from politics.

Charles Lincoln, Gulmarrad

Credits: Letter (Daily Examiner, 5/7/12) and images (dailyexaminer.com.au)

A $64 question: who is the current Member for Clarence?

Chris Gulaptis, a bloke who's keeping a green leather bench in the NSW Lower House warm, must spend half his time looking over his shoulder to see what his old mate Steve "Scandal" Cansdell is up to.

The occupants of premises in the village of Harwood Island have a poster of their pin-up boy on the wall of their building. And guess what! It's not Chris. Yes, that's right, it's good old Steve.

That has to be a real vote of confidence for the newcomer.

Did the NSW Attorney-General tell the truth to the NSW Parliament? O'Farrell and Fraser need to answer questions about Cansdell Affair

The burning questions raised by this media report; Did the NSW Attorney-General tell the truth to the NSW Parliament about the Cansdell statutory declaration? Did Cansdell not sign the back of the original infringement notice he received or was a second false stat dec created in 2011 for presentation to NSW Police?

The Daily Examiner 7 April 2012:

THE woman who took the fall for disgraced MP Steve Cansdell has revealed details of the statutory declaration she signed to prevent the former member for Clarence from losing his licence over a speeding fine in 2005.
On Thursday, Kath Palmer told The Daily Examiner the statutory declaration she signed was on the back of a NSW speeding infringement notice.
Inquiries to the Office of State Revenue yesterday confirmed all NSW infringement notices were printed with NSW statutory declarations on the back.
But this information is at odds with what NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith revealed when he passed the matter on to the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) on March 7.
"The office of the NSW DPP has advised me that Mr Cansdell signed a Commonwealth Statutory Declaration and therefore it's not expected that any state charge will be brought," he told the NSW Parliament during question time……

Will Clarence MP speak up?

Yesterday in the NSW Legislative Assembly the Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Offender Nomination) Bill had another airing. The Bill is designed primarily to get companies to reveal the identity of persons driving their vehicles when they are guilty of road camera offences.

Proceedings in the chamber made for interesting viewing via the parliamentary webcast.

However, this viewer was disappointed one local MP, Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence didn't push himself forward and remind the house that his very presence in that place was due to a parallel act of skulduggery committed by his predecessor, the disgraced former Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell.

Government members queued to speak and support the bill, but Mark Coure, the Liberal Member for Oatley, said it all by remarking that companies had to stop implementing the deliberate ploy of shielding their offending drivers by not nominating them and having them take responsibility for the offences.

Perhaps, if he had the chance to do it all over again, Cansdell could have obtained an ABN and used a company car whenever he risked going within lens reach of those !@#! road cameras.

Cansdellgate - believe it or not!

A Daily Examiner correspondent has expressed his amazement [and it's most likely the same view that thousands of others have] about the speed with which the NSW DPP worked on the stat dec matter associated with disgraced former MP for Clarence, Steve Cansdell.

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 14/3/12