What Will Slippery Do?

Well - he will resign at the eleventh hour, won't he?

This man knows how to work the system, so he will be looking after No. 1, no doubt about that.

I was going to blog about Peter Slipper when the story recently broke about his impending appearance in the Canberra Magistrates Court on or about the 15th February, 2013 but the story has developed rather quickly since then.  We now know what charges will be pursued.

Of course, Peter Slipper with all his peccadilloes represents the standards of behaviour acceptable to the Gillard Government.  The man has had a less than stunning parliamentary career for 23 odd years and his dubious history was well-known.  Yet, in an amazing example of political strategy, Julia Gillard placed him in the most influential role within the Federal government - that of Speaker.  A strategy the Gillard Government thought was too clever by half!  After tanking a probable vote for Team Gillard in the form of Tasmanian Independent, Andrew Wilkie.   Gillard broke yet another promise by sinking Wilkie's proposed Pokies legislation having previously indicated support for it, she needed a White Knight.  Appointment of disaffected Slipper ensued.   Slipper resigned from the Liberal Party and became an instant Independent. One vote less amid Coalition ranks was a stroke of ALP genius!

As Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott said recently in words similar:  Slipper is their problem now.  He is right, of course.  As I said, Slipper represents Labor standards to a T!

Voters in the country must be constantly reminded of Labor standards, personal, professional and political right up to the second we cast our votes for the next Federal Government some time during 2013.

The following article is from The Age's website.

*Mind you, I have not been able to locate a similar story on the ABC's website.  It appears they prefer to avoid public interest stories that may cast a critical beam on the Gillard Government.  Nothing new there, I suppose although the taxpayer pays dearly for their balanced, unbiased reportage!

Slipper faces pension dilemma

January 10, 2013


FORMER parliamentary Speaker Peter Slipper risks losing millions of dollars in retirement benefits if he is convicted of using his government Cabcharge card to tour restaurants and wineries.

When he retires, Mr Slipper can expect to receive a yearly pension of about $157,000 for the rest of his life.

However, if he is found guilty of the alleged fraud, Mr Slipper is likely to lose everything besides a refund of his superannuation contributions (without interest).

Mr Slipper's retirement package is especially lucrative because of his long service - 23 years as an MP - and his occupation of highly paid roles including Speaker of the House of Representatives, where he earned an annual salary of $371,463.

The threat to his entitlements provides an incentive for him to resign before he faces court next month, if he fears a guilty verdict and wants to protect his pension.

There is little precedent for Mr Slipper's predicament but legal experts and public servants familiar with politicians' entitlements said an early resignation would likely protect his lucrative pension package in the event of a later conviction, although they could provide no guarantee.

Either way, if he remains in Parliament and is convicted, he will lose much of his entitlements regardless of how severe any sentence is.

Mr Slipper has been accused of using a taxpayer-funded hire car to tour half a dozen of Canberra's finest wineries.

The summons document, released on Tuesday by the ACT Magistrates Court, alleges that on three occasions in 2010, Mr Slipper took a hire car to visit wineries that include the top-rated Clonakilla winery, well-known for its $100-a-bottle shiraz viognier.

The trips described in the document - including journeys within Canberra - cost $1194.

The documents suggest Mr Slipper holds a particular fondness for Poachers Pantry, well known for its gourmet smoked meats.

Mr Slipper has not responded to calls and emails.

However, he has described earlier accusations of Cabcharge fraud as a ''complete fabrication''.

He is believed to be employing Brisbane lawyer Peter Russo, who defended Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef when he was wrongly accused by the Commonwealth of assisting a terrorist organisation.

If convicted, Mr Slipper will have to resign as an MP because the offence is ''punishable under the law of the Commonwealth … by imprisonment for one year or longer'', according to section 44 of the constitution.

The former Speaker faces a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

But even if he were sentenced to less than a year in prison, he would still be forced to resign because his alleged offence carries a maximum sentence of longer than one year, said Anne Twomey, a constitutional law expert at the University of Sydney.

If Mr Slipper is forced to resign because of a conviction, the constitution says he is entitled to ''a refund of his [superannuation] contributions, but to no other benefit''.

Former MPs are also subject to the Crimes (Superannuation Benefits) Act 1989, which addresses the forfeiture of benefits if MPs are convicted of corruption offences.

Leaving aside his retirement package, Mr Slipper is likely to be losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.