Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to once again express my disgust at just how low the Labor Party will stoop, as I inform the House of the latest in a series of cheap political stunts. Failed ALP candidate and so-called spokesperson for Dobell, Mr David Mehan, has attempted to use a well-known community based charitable event for his own political gain.

The House would be aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which puts this stunt in particularly poor taste. I welcome the federal budget announcement of an additional $235 million in medical research funding, which includes a grant of $259,000 to Professor John Forbes and his team from the University of Newcastle. This is to investigate the response of breast cancers to new drug treatments, which may allow breast-conserving surgery rather than mastectomy for patients.

David Mehan is building a reputation on the Central Coast as a person who looks for any opportunity to encourage members of the ALP to commit acts of public nuisance. In his latest attempt to raise his own profile, David Mehan has appeared in our local community newspaper—

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I think it has been determined that any imputations against a nonmember should be proceeded with by way of a notice of motion. I think allegations that someone has perpetuated a public nuisance are going too far.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I heard the member for Barton. I will listen carefully to the member for Dobell.

Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Mehan dressed in his ‘your rights at work’ campaign shirt to announce that ‘his team’—Mr Mehan being the only member of his so-called Central Coast unions team—would be pulling out of the Central Coast Cancer Council Relay for Life. Mr Mehan cited his disapproval of the totally unrelated employment practices of another cancer council across the country in South Australia. He said: ‘The Cancer Council does a great job raising money for cancer research and promoting the issue. However, we could not continue our support when we learned about the Cancer Council’s individual contracts.’

Mr Mehan was also quoted in the Central Coast Express Advocate, saying, ‘We had formed a team and were well on our way to meeting our donation target.’ I should hope that he would be decent enough to ensure that all, if any, funds raised were sent to the Cancer Council. I am a keen supporter of the Cancer Council New South Wales and was honoured by being given the opportunity to officially launch the Mingara Relay for Life on 31 July at the Mingara Recreation Club in my electorate of Dobell. I am in total dismay that the ALP could use such an admirable organisation as a political tool. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Lesley Chart, Community Relations Coordinator for the Cancer Council of New South Wales, and the Central Coast region in particular, for her tireless efforts in ensuring the success of such an important event. Over 70 teams participated in the event last weekend, raising $40,000 towards the continuation of vital cancer research, support and education programs.

This is not the first time that this so-called Labor spokesperson, Mr Mehan, has relied on opportunism to enhance his own self-importance. An event which occurred in recent months in my electorate office involved Mr Mehan instigating an unruly protest at my office, causing considerable disruption to other building occupants when around 50 car loads of flag-carrying unionists blockaded the car park and then marched through the building to my office, yelling abuse at my staff. One would expect that Mr Mehan, as Assistant Secretary of Central Coast Unions, would have the interests of his members at heart. However, his actions show this is not the case. Mr Mehan is only out for his own political self-interest and has shown a blatant disregard for his followers. He continues down the path of the failed union scare campaign of misinformation and untruths about the very successful changes to the industrial relations laws. As Prime Minister John Howard has so perfectly stated on many occasions, ‘Don’t listen to what Labor says; look at what Labor does.’