Legal threat to Brough as feud erupts
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 21 Aug 2008: 4.
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Abstract
Former Queensland Liberal Party state director Geoffrey Greene yesterday alleged the bad blood between him and Mr [Brough] stemmed from incidents surrounding Mr Brough's loss of his federal seat of Longman in Queensland last November.
According to Mr Greene, $107,000 was left over in the Longman campaign account after the federal poll, which was transferred to theLiberal Party secretariat's main account. In a statement provided to his lawyers, obtained by The Australian, Mr Greene claims that when Mr Brough discovered the account had been cleaned out, he rang him in February and demanded "his" funds be returned.
In May, a letter from Mr Greene's lawyers to Mr Brough claimed that at Liberal meetings in the state: "You have made allegations intended to convey ... that Mr Greene is corrupt and that there is financial mismanagement in his administration".
MAL Brough is embroiled in a bitter dispute over campaign finance, with another senior Liberal figure threatening to sue him amid claims the former indigenous affairs minister provided a false invoice for $43,000 in election expenses.
Former Queensland Liberal Party state director Geoffrey Greene yesterday alleged the bad blood between him and Mr Brough stemmed from incidents surrounding Mr Brough's loss of his federal seat of Longman in Queensland last November.
According to Mr Greene, $107,000 was left over in the Longman campaign account after the federal poll, which was transferred to theLiberal Party secretariat's main account. In a statement provided to his lawyers, obtained by The Australian, Mr Greene claims that when Mr Brough discovered the account had been cleaned out, he rang him in February and demanded "his" funds be returned.
Mr Brough reportedly said: "I don't give a f..k what you think, those funds were raised by me and not for the Liberal Party. If you do not return those funds immediately, I will take over the party and see you are sacked, your future with the party is over and your reputation will be destroyed.
"You have stolen money and you have absolutely no right to do that ... the people who donated that money would never have done so if they knew it could go to the Liberal Party. You are a f..king disgrace and I will see to it that you are finished."
Asked about the alleged exchange, Mr Brough said last night: "I have no comment about private conversations."
Mr Greene said that in mid-February the party received an invoice from Mr Brough, dated January 31, for $43,758 for the use of cars he claimed were used over a 153-day period from July to November last year.
Mr Brough's father-in-law, Stan Bishop, who was treasurer of the Longman campaign account, presented the invoice to the Liberal Party again on March 2.
Mr Greene said the party refused to pay the $43,758 claim, which he described as false; the original invoice of $872 for the loan cars, provided by Mr Brough on January 16, was paid, however.
Mr Brough said last night the invoice for $43,758 was for eight cars used over that period for the purposes of his campaign, and thatthe $872 was a separate claim for car repairs.
The feud between Mr Brough, who became the Queensland president of the Liberal Party in May, and Mr Greene has simmered behind the scenes throughout this year. It came amid wrangling within the Liberals and Nationals over a merger, which was approved last month.
In May, a letter from Mr Greene's lawyers to Mr Brough claimed that at Liberal meetings in the state: "You have made allegations intended to convey ... that Mr Greene is corrupt and that there is financial mismanagement in his administration".
As reported in The Australian this month, Mr Greene sent an email addressed to Queensland National Party president Bruce McIver that was allegedly misdirected to Mr Brough.
The message detailed Mr Greene's generous payout after leaving his job as state director on August 7, including $115,000 in annual consultancy fees. Mr Greene claimed Mr Brough leaked the message to the media.
A letter to Mr Brough from Mr Greene's lawyers states: "As you were the only person who received the email ... the contents of which were obviously confidential ... Mr Greene reserves his (legal) rights against you."
Mr Brough denies leaking any information about Mr Greene.
Credit: John Stapleton
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