Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to place on the record my concerns about a pattern of activity around the office of the Member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby. This involves claims spanning a decade that he has housed a taxpayer-funded 'dirt unit' in his electorate office.

On 25 November last year, journalist Brad Norington with Rosie Lewis published a story in The Australian revealing that a blogger by the name of Peter Wicks, who runs a website called Wixxyleaks, is actually a taxpayer-funded staffer working for the Member for Melbourne Ports. Mr Wicks' Wixxyleaks website claims to be independent, but it often smears members of the Labor Party, the Greens, coalition parties and others, while promoting certain Labor factional players, like Senator Kitching.

According to the story, Wicks is close to new Labor senator and Danby ally, and now senator, Kimberley Kitching, as well as being close to Ms Kitching's husband, Andrew Landeryou, the backroom operator, former blogger and friend of Labor leader, Bill Shorten. According to The Australian:

Mr Wicks has not disclosed his role as a paid political staffer on his Wixxyleaks website—