Qld: Beattie says there ll be no Labor stooges at next election

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2000
Qld: Beattie says there ll be no Labor stooges at next election

BRISBANE, Dec 21 AAP - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie vowed Labor would not stand
dummy candidates at the next election, as fresh allegations of electoral impropriety aired
today.

Self-confessed vote-rigger Lee Bermingham today claimed Labor had benefitted from "stooge"

candidates in two separate state by-elections in the 1990s.

Mr Bermingham said in one case an ALP member had been taken off the party's books to
run as an independent.

He said Labor party figures had also channelled money to an independent candidate in
the crucial 1996 Mundingburra by-election through a Townsville garage.

Mr Beattie said Mr Bermingham should outline what he knew of dummy candidates to the
Shepherdson Inquiry.

The premier said as far as he was aware, Labor had not stood "stooge" candidates in state seats.

"I have never supported, never encouraged, never organised a dummy candidate to run
anywhere," he said. "I don't support the practice.

"I've heard stories, like folklore that you hear in the Labor Party as you'd hear in
other political parties, but I don't know whether they (the stories) are true or not."

Mr Beattie said the conservative parties had taken the practice of dummy candidates
to an art form in local government elections.

"I think it's one of those things that bring politics into disrepute," he said.

"People should know who they're voting for, people should be honest when they offer
themselves (for election)."

Opposition leader Rob Borbidge, meanwhile, said Mr Beattie should be asking backbencher
Mike Kaiser, the former ALP state secretary, what he knew of "stooge" candidates in Mundingburra,
the by-election that ended the Goss government's term.

Mr Borbidge has repeatedly called for Mr Beattie to discipline Mr Kaiser and two other
Labor MPs named at the Shepherdson Inquiry.

All three have denied any wrongdoing and Mr Beattie has said he would not act until
the inquiry's final report cleared or condemned the MPs.

AAP bja/jhm/mg/bwl F

KEYWORD: STACKING (CARRIED EARLIER)

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