We haven’t heard from Pauline Hanson in a while. The budget and general running the country stuff seems to have overshadowed the normally vocal Senator’s anti-Islam, anti-vaccination, anti-paid parental leave rhetoric.
But One Nation is back in the news today after The Courier Mail revealed they heard explosive tapes in which Senator Hanson’s right hand man James Ashby suggests a plan for the party to make money out of the Queensland election in a really dodgy and illegal fashion.
The recording apparently features Senator Hanson’s chief-of-staff telling the meeting they could make money out of the state election by deceiving candidates and the Electoral Commission alike by selling items purchased for the campaign to candidates for more money.
“There is an opportunity for us to make some money on this if we play this smart,” Mr Ashby says to the gathered folks.
“I will deny I ever said this but what stops us from getting a middle man or gracing … I am happy to grace in cash, double the price of whatever it is.
“We say to the candidates we will fund 50 per cent of this package. So the package might be $5000. You’re going to pay $2500 and we’ll pay the other $2500 of the $5000.
“The other $2500 is the profit. It’s the fat. And I’ll write it off. I don’t want the cash for it. I will make it as a tax deduction or …”
The Courier Mail reports that someone asks: “Where are we making money?”
“Because when you lodge the receipt at the full price with the Electoral Commission of Queensland you get back the full amount that’s been issued to you as an invoice,” he replies.
The Courier Mail contacted Mr Ashby about the tapes and he vehemently denied putting any such plan into action.
“That’s not what the party does and prices are reflective in the invoices paid by the party and candidates. To suggest otherwise is false,” he said.
It’s important to note, no one agrees to enact the plan on the recording and it’s not suggested any illegal behaviour occurred – but the tapes definitely don’t sound too good.
Senator Hanson can reportedly be heard asking how much candidates would be expected to front in the tapes.
“They [candidates] are going to get this back. They will get it back anyway,” Senator Hanson says.
“They have got to put something forward. They have got to take a hit for this as well.”
“We should be selling them [the candidates] these packs … because you make money and they make money,” Mr Ashby allegedly urges.
“Well, they don’t make any money but you make the money.”
“Just look at it [sic] what is the best financial outlook for us, all right, at the end of the day,” Senator Hanson allegedly later says.
Mr Ashby responds: “Well, we don’t need a middle man. We can make money out of this. We buy the corflutes for $5. We sell them to them for $11.”
When a member of the meeting questions whether the party should profit through such means, Mr Ashby assures it’s fine.
“Yes we can. That’s what the Liberal Party do.”
The party blames a disgruntled ex-party member for the leaked tapes and they plan to take the matter to the police.
“This almost has a flavour of blackmail, which has been used over the last 12 months,’ he said.
“We’ll refer the matter on to police.”
Australian politics, hey?
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