A bit of excitement. Peter Garrett has retracted an earlier claim that he received a wad of cash in an envelope from the poker machine lobby (a lobby that got a serve in "Truganini"):
.
PG says he had a memory lapse. It was a cheque not cash. And the money came before he was a Minister.
But others including federal Independent MP Andrew Wilkie have since come forward and said that PG's original claim deserves investigation. And others have heard of similar claims by other politicians.
The ABC's "7.30" report has also covered the story tonight (at 9 mins 30 secs):
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/7-30/NC1505H177S00#playing
(And here's the ABC Online's version of the story):
Peter Garrett, former Labor minister, retracts details of alleged Clubs NSW money offer
By the National Reporting Team's James Thomas
Updated
about an hour ago
Former Labor minister Peter Garrett has retracted
comments he made during an interview for a documentary that he was
offered "hundreds, if not thousands of dollars" by Clubs NSW shortly
after he entered federal politics.
Labor's star recruit at the
2004 election, Mr Garrett said he was handed an envelope at a function
hosted by the clubs and hotels industry welcoming newly elected MPs.
"A
representative came to me and said, 'look, great to see you coming into
politics, and we're happy to provide some support'," Mr Garrett said.
The former member for Kingsford-Smith in Sydney said he returned the envelope once he discovered there was money inside it.
"I didn't count it," he said.
"But it was hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
"I wasn't going to accept money from them or from anyone in that way.
"But it was a very early taste of the way in which this sector could actually operate."Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.
[scary big black rectangle that can't be moved - just like in "2001"]
This revelation was meant to be included in
an upcoming ABC documentary, Kaching! Pokie Nation, as well as in Mr
Garrett's autobiography.
But after being contacted by the ABC for this story, the former Midnight Oil frontman disowned those comments.
The
former minister now says after speaking with his former staffer Kate
Pasterfield, who was also there, that the envelope did not contain cash,
but instead a cheque made out to his electorate office, which he said
he returned.
He also said the event in question took place before
he was elected, which would mean the possible offence of bribery or
attempted bribery of a public official would not apply.
Wilkie 'deeply shocked' by allegations
Mr
Garrett has requested his original comments be excised from both the
documentary and the book, in light of his memory failure.
Publisher
Allen & Unwin and the documentary makers are now scrambling to
amend the record according to Mr Garrett's new recollection.
Federal
independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who signed an agreement with the former
Labor government to curb problem gambling, said he was "deeply shocked"
by the allegations and Mr Garrett's response.
Why he would now abandon that story and talk about there just being a cheque in an envelope, it beggars belief.
Federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie
"For him to turn around now with a completely different
story is unfathomable, completely out of character for the man," Mr
Wilkie said.
"Why he would now abandon that story and talk about there just being a cheque in an envelope, it beggars belief."
International
Bar Association anti-corruption committee co-chair Robert Wyld said Mr
Garrett's original claims deserve closer scrutiny.
"I've been told
by politicians, former politicians and their staffers of a number of
such payments being made across the board from all corners of the
political spectrum," he said.
Monash University's Dr Charles Livingstone has researched the public health impacts of gambling addiction for two decades.
He
said he was aware of two federal politicians — an independent and a
Liberal — as well four NSW MPs who were offered substantial sums of
unreceipted cash.
Mr Wilkie and others believe the industry's attempts to buy political influence were obvious.
"How then do you explain so many politicians not acting in the public interest?" Mr Wilkie said.
"Something must explain their behaviour."
Clubs NSW has denied making any payment — cash, cheque or otherwise — to Mr Garrett.
The Australian Hotels Association did not respond to the ABC's request for comment.