I am posting the article below to illustrate the hypocricy of
politicians and in particular this government. Remember how the Jawoyn
had to trade their land rights for a kidney dialalysis machine? How
Herron dared to criticise Pat Dodson et al for spending too much for the
Aboriginal gettogether in Broome while he spent three times as much on
the flights alone? How this government holds Aboriginal land councils
accountable for every penny spent?
It's enough to make you froth at the mouth!
Trudy
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Exposed - MPs go on 'lap' of honour' junkets
By MATTHEW HORAN in Canberra
7mar99
ELEVEN former MPs were given farewell overseas trips on
taxpayer-funded junkets just before they retired at the last
election.
The overseas delegations, nicknamed a "lap of honour" by MPs in
their final term, included visits to the Trooping of the Colour in
London and the lost city of Petra in Jordan.
One MP � disgraced National Party politician Michael Cobb � took a
trip to Korea and Malaysia just three months before he stood trial
and was convicted on travel rorts charges.
Another MP, Labor's Steve Dargavel, had been in Parliament for
just over a year but had already announced his retirement to allow
a fellow MP, whose seat had been abolished in a redistribution, to
stand in his place.
Four Liberals, four Labor MPs and three National MPs who had
decided not to stand again were selected by their colleagues for the
journeys in the eight months before last year's election. Eighteen
MPs retired at the poll.
The trips are highly prized because they are wholly funded by the
Government without the need for MPs to dip into their private
"study trip" allowance to pay for it.
The Government does not publicise the trips, which are usually
shared around between the three major parties.
But reports obtained by The Sunday Telegraph reveal almost one
third of all MPs on delegations last year retired at the election.
The reports, quietly tabled in Parliament with no fanfare, are usually
compiled by public servants travelling with the politicians.
On one trip, former Liberal Speaker Bob Halverson and the man
who replaced him, National Ian Sinclair, were able to swap stories
about their retirement plans as they travelled through the Middle
East.
They were joined on the trip by Liberal Senator David MacGibbon,
who was not retiring at the time, but had been given the
unwinnable third spot on the Queensland Senate ticket.
He was not re-elected and retires in June.
The trip included meetings with Middle Eastern politicians,
interspersed with trips to markets and tourist sites such as
Jerusalem's Old City.
Mr Halverson's farewell trip came only weeks before he was
appointed as Australia's ambassador to Dublin and the Holy See.
Mr Cobb took his trip knowing he would have to face trial on travel
rorts charges within a few months of his return in July. He was
convicted of fraud last October.
The rorting MP is pictured in the report of the parliamentary
delegation to Korea and Malaysia examining sheep at a Malaysian
farm, and posing with produce at a palm oil plantation.
Three of the six MPs on a delegation to Luxembourg and Brussels
last April retired in October � National MP Noel Hicks and the ALP's
Ted Grace and Steve Dargavel.
They were treated to a 90-minute boat tour of Strasbourg on
arrival, and their trip also featured a wine tasting and guided tours
of World War I battlefields.
The other retiring MPs who went on delegations meeting
government officials and ambassadors included Labor's Clyde
Holding, who went to Zimbabwe and the Liberals' Bruce Reid, who
travelled to Korea and Malaysia mid-last year with Mr Cobb.
The Liberal's Bill Taylor went to Korea in January last year and
Labor's Peter Morris travelled to the UK and Germany mid-last year
to meet government representatives.
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