Page 4664 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 November 2005
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I would like to raise another matter that came to my attention late this afternoon. I will quote from a report from a national website. It says:
Labor’s Senate whip George Campbell has taken time out from his busy schedule playing solitaire on his parliamentary PC to flick around an invite to members of the Parliamentary Irish group to come and hear …
And he names the person—
Leader of Sinn Fein in the European Parliament, next Tuesday at the Woden Tradesmen’s Club in Canberra.
Let us forget about the ethics of our parliamentarians dining with a representative of an organised crime and terrorism combo … whose last link to Australia was nicking more than 20 million quid from the Irish subsidiary of an Australian owned bank ...
What seems to be more interesting is the fact that the invite comes from ACT Labor Senator Kate Lundy and gives the ACT Labor branch office as the contact point.
If this information is confirmed as accurate, I will be shocked. Here we have the Chief Minister, who was again extolling last night on television how he is a man of principle who wants the right to extol his principles and international values. Where does he line up on Sinn Fein and using them to raise money for the local ALP? I quote here from the Sunday Times a few months ago. It reads:
Penalties could be imposed on Sinn Fein this week as part of a growing backlash against the IRA’s alleged role in Britain’s biggest-ever bank robbery.
The sanctions are believed to be considered in a report into the £26.5m raid written by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), the body that examines paramilitary activity.
It comes as Sinn Fein is looking increasingly isolated with the United States government condemning “paramilitarism and associated criminality” as the central obstacle to peace.
I find it extraordinarily incongruous that any person who is elected to this Assembly and sworn to uphold the constitutional provisions that govern this territory under the self-government act and the rule of law would want to identify themselves with an organisation such as Sinn Fein. I have talked with many Irish people. One of the problems that we face in this country is what I call the romantic Irish notion that there is some relationship between the IRA of today and the IRA of 1916. There is no link. It is a masquerading body that is involved with thuggery.
MR SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.
Behaviour of opposition members
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (6.15): This afternoon we have seen absolutely extraordinary behaviour from the opposition. I do not think it is inappropriate to describe the behaviour as petulant, juvenile and childish—and I could go on. I am sure there are many adjectives I could use to describe their behaviour this afternoon. Members on the
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