Alan Ferguson (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

apart from delegates, who paid their way to go to the federal Liberal council—were people who were business observers. You do not like it when it hurts, Senator Evans, because your arguments are blown out of the water. In the other place today we heard the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rudd, ask the Prime Minister some seven questions. When the Prime Minister replied, talking about the fundraiser that was put on by Prime Minister Hawke in order to gain contributions from the millionaires and multimillionaires that attended, Mr Rudd immediately moved a censure motion. He was not going to ask any more questions once the facts came out, once the truth came out.

We have this ridiculous situation where the Labor Party has come into this place harping on about a function at Kirribilli House—where delegates went for a couple of hours, where business observers had paid to attend the federal council where all of the business took place, where they were spoken to and where they had the opportunity to talk to all of the delegates—and they say that this was a Liberal Party fundraiser. I have never heard such rubbish in my life. If you want to talk about a fundraiser, talk about Richo moving amongst people, asking for contributions of $30,000 to $100,000. That is the real thing, isn’t it, Senator Faulkner? Senator Faulkner, who would probably have been well aware of what was going on at the time, knew that this was the way you raised funds. You have a secret dinner at Kirribilli House where you do not know who is going to the function, and when you get there you have Richo moving amongst them, touching them all for between $30,000 and 100 grand, all to be paid after the election. It was a pretty smart move, Senator Faulkner, but do not come in here painting yourselves as lilywhite and try to describe a function held at Kirribilli House for delegates to a council meeting and for business observers as a fundraiser. That is about the most ridiculous description I have ever heard, Senator Evans. You want to go back and check the history. Just check the history. (Time expired)