In 2013, the AEC conducted a compliance review of Tony Abbott's fundraising body, The Warringah Club, and found the figures didn't add up, writes Sydney bureau chief Ross Jones.
(Image via Flickr / Lock the Gate Alliance)
I’ve just finished a major project and now find myself with a bit of time on my hands.
My office is really a cupboard attached to the back of the house and, as such, it doubles as storage for a seldom-used lawnmower and a scuba outfit that dates back to Lloyd Bridges. But it contains life’s essentials – a beer fridge, a digital radio and a Mac with a filthy keyboard.
Accordingly, I have been drinking beer, listening to a wide range of weird stuff and trawling the Twitter spectrum.
A recipe for psychosis, you might think. Probably right, but thankfully I am of an age where no-one really notices.
My topic is #Auspol. I can sit and watch this go round for hours, a bit like sitting in front of a front-loader washing machine. Tub spins right, tub spins left... Look! There go my undies!
But it’s unsettling. The #Auspol Maytag recycles Chris Murphy’s shirts and First Dog On The Moon cartoons, then throws up gems such as:
The essential notion of a socialist society is fundamentally force. #AusPol
— . (@MiltonFriedmanS) July 4, 2014
Okay.
Or:
"@Tony_Cilla: #auspol Albrechtsen, Bolt and Jones EAT ABBOTT SHIT #auspol pic.twitter.com/oGBSwslHgS
— WORMTONGUE Budgie (@RunawayBudgie) December 12, 2014
Which is at least less ambiguous.
But add a bit more biodegradable detergent and some entertaining tid bits can fluoresce.
For example, had I not persevered to the spin cycle, I would never have known that in 2013 the Australian Electoral Commission conducted a compliance review of The Waringah Club — Tony Abbott’s local fundraising organisation, akin to Joe Hockey’s North Sydney operation, with its tables of mates, including AWH.
#auspol Financial discrepancies emerge in fundraising body, The Warringah Club linked to @TonyAbbottMHR: http://t.co/QJwQL27W3J
— David Marler (@Qldaah) December 10, 2014
(As an aside, the Hockey/Sinodinos links are irresistible. Hockey v Fairfax in March 2015 is going to be quality entertainment).
#auspol The 'f*ck him' texts: @JoeHockey to take stand in 'Treasurer for sale' defamation against Fairfax: http://t.co/PimoFY5Hpl
— David Marler (@Qldaah) December 10, 2014
To put you out of your suspense, the AEC review concluded:
Except for the matters noted above.
And:
$11k — bugger all you’d think.
But it means that at the very core of Abbott’s heartland, things just don’t add up.
(Click on image to access the full report)
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The 'membership packages' of Joe Hockey's secretive political donations group. (Photo: @smh) #auspol pic.twitter.com/jemz2wv1vg
— Christmas Ham D (@SamCD01) May 4, 2014
Dump Abbott and get an original (not a print) @JohnGrahamArt cartoon from IA instead: http://t.co/MMGcyR0wlN pic.twitter.com/f8zsg4EII9
— IndependentAustralia (@independentaus) December 14, 2014
