Page 2682 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 1993
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This finding is an adverse finding against Mr Burke. It is notorious that that has been dealt with. It is before the courts in Western Australia. From my recollection, there were also some adverse findings in this royal commission about Mrs Brush. But all you have here is a passing reference by the royal commission that Mr Wright employed Mrs Brush for a period on the basis that her salary would be paid - - -
Mr De Domenico: No. Read it. He did not employ her.
MR CONNOLLY: Listen. It was suggested to Mr Wright that Mrs Brush needed a job. He - that is, Mr Wright - said that he had no objection to employing her but could not afford to pay her. Mr Burke said that he would arrange for payment. So there it is. The money came from Mr Burke. It was later found to have come from a wrong source. But there is no finding here that Mr Wright acted wrongly.
Mr De Domenico, Mrs Carnell and Mr Humphries, if you can produce an adverse finding from that royal commission - a finding that Mr Wright acted wrongly - the Government will consider its position again. But all you have - the high water mark of your gutter attack against Mr Wright - is this passing reference. It is not an adverse finding against Mr Wright. It is not a finding of impropriety. It is a finding of impropriety against Mr Burke but not against Mr Wright.
Mr Wright is entitled, on the basis of what you have read out, to be regarded as a person of entirely appropriate character. There is no finding of impropriety here. For you to get up here and talk about adverse findings, being named, being a bagman, is just grubby gutter politics. Mrs Carnell, your standing in the Canberra community is going rapidly downhill. You are acting in a way which is a disgrace to a leader of any great political party, and in a way in which I am sure that any of the predecessors in your position would not have acted when they were leader of the Liberal Party.
You have certain standards to uphold, Mrs Carnell. I can understand the gutter politics from Mr De Domenico, but I would have expected better from you. If you are going to stand up in this place and accuse a prominent member of the community - the person who was second in charge for that enormously successful Vietnam veterans memorial day last year - of being a bagman, of having had an adverse finding against him in a royal commission, you had - - -
Mr De Domenico: A conduit.
MR CONNOLLY: The word "conduit" - - -
Mr De Domenico: What does it mean?
MR CONNOLLY: It simply means the passing of a commodity from A to B.
Mr De Domenico: Money.
MR CONNOLLY: Yes, and there is nothing wrong with passing money on, Mr De Domenico, if you have no knowledge of the source of the money.
Mr De Domenico: Even though the money has come from improper sources, in your words?
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