I was sickened to hear that the NSW Labor Party had secretly paid $348,366.87 to fund the legal expenses of Craig Thomson. The reason for this underhand subsidy was to prevent Thomson’s bankruptcy, resulting in the expulsion of Thomson from Parliament, subsequent collapse of the Gillard Government, and fresh elections.
Perhaps the most disturbing and ironical aspect of this affair resides in the fact that the NSW Labor Party furtively used subscription money collected from rank and file ALP supporters to subsidise the defence of Thomson against charges of misappropriating the dues of Health Service Union members to spend on prostitutes.
Armidale ALP members are entitled to an explanation from Dr Tony Ramsay – Chair of the Armidale ALP Branch – for how things got to this shocking state and what his Branch intends to do about it.
In particular, the time has come for Dr Ramsay to answer the following questions:
Why were ALP members not informed earlier that their ALP subscription fees were being used to fund Thomson’s lawyers?
When will the NSW Labor Party apologise to Health Service Union members for protecting Thomson?
What steps will the NSW Labor Party take to recover these funds from Thomson?
When will these steps be taken?
When will the Armidale ALP Branch take a stand against the disgraceful behaviour of the NSW Labor Party?
Brian Dollery
Armidale
