Page 447 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 18 February 2015
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Ms Lawder can stand and say whichever way she likes that it was us that brought my son’s name into it. I ask anybody to go back and to listen to Mr Hanson on radio yesterday. It was appalling. And I challenge any one of the Canberra Liberals to take my son’s name out and put your son or daughter’s name in and how would you feel about that? Be aware, Mr Hanson has shown that he will throw anyone under the bus for his own political gain. So heaven help you if you cross him, because he will throw you and your family under the bus with the same free abandon because he knows no bounds of personal integrity.
Mr Hanson has quoted quite at length from the Canberra Times because it suits his purpose. But let me quote from Menslink, as has been done today—the organisation that, through this persistent, biased and uninformed, ill-informed or indeed malicious debate, is being brought into disrepute. I will stand by Menslink. I will say they are a champion organisation. And, as I said yesterday, I cannot thank that organisation enough for the work and the support they provided my son. I cannot and will not be able to thank them enough.
What the Canberra Liberals are doing, what Mr Hanson is doing, is calling that into question. He would rather quote misinformation and innuendo from the Canberra Times than make any reference to a statement that I provided from Menslink yesterday and that Mr Barr has provided today. But let me, in closing, just say this—and this is a quote from the release that I know that every one of the Canberra Liberals has received:
Subsequently … the Menslink CEO approached Lloyd Burch directly to talk in schools, after learning of his sentencing deferral. Martin confirmed that the sole intent of this approach was to assist a young man repay his debt to society through community service and provide a real-life warning to other young men about the dangers of drug use and crime.
The purpose of silence is deadly is to do that. The release continues:
At no point in time did Minister Burch and her staff approach Martin Fisk or any other Menslink staff or Board member to request her son be involved in the school-based programs conducted by Menslink.
He then goes on to say:
Students were not placed at risk due to this breach …
It is very clear. This statement is on the public record. It is on Menslink’s website. Anyone in the community that has an interest in this, that wants the honesty in this, that wants to maintain support to Menslink, can see it there in black and white. Menslink are a great organisation. They supported my son.
I have nothing to answer to, other than being a mother whose son needed help and gratefully, thankfully, Menslink were able to provide that to my son. For any one of the Canberra Liberals to continue this after today, when this motion will be put down, is nothing but a personal vendetta and a malicious attack on me, my son and Menslink. The final paragraph of the letter from Michael Battenally states:
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