$10 A Head, Kirribilli Views Thrown In
The Age
Thursday June 14, 2007
JOHN Howard might have been wishing he had never offered that hour of cheap Kirribilli hospitality to federal Liberal council delegates and business observers as Kevin Rudd raised the spectre of breaches of the law and the ministerial code of conduct.
Mr Rudd pointed to Electoral Act provision that services provided for less than full price and gifts of services or products are considered political donations. The Liberal Party has paid for the food and drink but not the hire of the venue. Mr Rudd asked Mr Howard to confirm whether the taxpayer had thus donated the value of holding a function at Kirribilli. "Will the Prime Minister ensure there is no breach of the Commonwealth electoral law?" Mr Rudd asked in Parliament.Mr Howard said there was no breach of the electoral law but added the qualifier "as always, I will take advice". Mr Rudd pressed on, suggesting Mr Howard had breached his own ministerial code by "gifting Kirribilli to the Liberal Party for a fund-raising function". The code says official facilities should be used for official purposes.Mr Howard retorted: "It was not gifted to the Liberal Party. It was hospitality provided by me on conditions and in circumstances advised by my department as being entirely appropriate."Manager of Opposition business Anthony Albanese asked whether Mr Howard could "identify one other venue in Australia - let alone one with the spectacular harbour views from Kirribilli - where one can entertain 225 people and feed them oysters, prawns and other gourmet food for less than $10 a head?"
© 2007 The Age