We can learn sumthin' from G'Die Oz!:)

from NEWS.com.au

Howard angry as Santoro departs
March 17, 2007 12:00am


PM forced to rejig cabinet for third time


JOHN Howard faces his third ministerial reshuffle this year after Ageing Minister Santo Santoro resigned yesterday, revealing he had failed to declare holdings in dozens of shares.

Under pressure since it was revealed this week he had held shares in Brisbane biotech company CBio in a breach of the ministerial code of conduct, Senator Santoro yesterday confessed he was also "negligent" in relation to the reporting of 72 investments.

The Prime Minister will now write to all MPs and senators, requesting they review their shareholdings to ensure they are "absolutely in order" and have not breached the requirements of the pecuniary interest register.

Senator Santoro maintained yesterday there was no impropriety or conflicts of interest in relation to the shareholdings, but the Queensland factional powerbroker refused to disclose the cash value of the shares.

A "frankly angry" Mr Howard said last night that Senator Santoro had no choice but to resign.

"This is a clear breach of the Senate rules and of his obligation to me - he had no alternative but to resign," Mr Howard said in Abu Dhabi, where he has returned after a lightning visit to Afghanistan.

"Frankly, I am angry and disappointed at the senator's conduct. There is no excuse for somebody not complying with the rules. The share investments were not in his area of responsibility and it would have been acceptable if he had made disclosure. But he didn't."

Refusing to sack Senator Santoro over the CBio incident earlier this week, Mr Howard said the minister had been "very proactive" about the problem when he discovered his shareholdings in October.

However, the Queensland senator confirmed yesterday that he did not disclose the other investments as required by the Senate, even though he had discovered scores of them when he was appointed to the ministry in January last year and dumped stocks in health-related companies. It was already known he had discovered the CBio shares last October but did not update the Senate records until December.

"I wish to stress at this point - as I have been stressing all week - that I have done nothing that is illegal, nothing that is dishonest and, more importantly from a ministerial point of view, nothing that has a conflict of interest attached to it," Senator Santoro said. "I never made any statements, extended favour, either overtly, covertly or in any other way.

"There are standards that need to be observed by senators, members of parliament and ministers. I failed to a considerable extent in some areas of disclosure and for that there is a price to pay and as a result of that I'm paying that price."

When asked how he could have possibly been unaware of so many share trades, Senator Santoro quipped: "I now have an accountant."

He also admitted falsely claiming to journalists that he had donated the $6000 profit of the CBio shares to charity when it was in fact a non-profit political lobby group that promoted pro-family, anti-abortion policies. The president of the group, Family Council of Queensland's Alan Baker, is the same man who offered him the financial advice to purchase the CBio shares.

Senator Santoro is the second Howard minister forced to resign in the past fortnight. West Australian senator Ian Campbell quit as human services minister earlier this month after The Weekend Australian revealed he had had a meeting with disgraced former West Australian premier Brian Burke.

The Prime Minister is dealing with a string of scandals among Queensland Liberals, including an AFP investigation into the printing entitlements of three MPs: Andrew Laming, Ross Vasta and Gary Hardgrave. All have denied any impropriety.

Mr Hardgrave, who was dumped from the ministry in January by Mr Howard to spend more time fighting to retain his marginal seat, is now in Taiwan on a free trip with his girlfriend and former private secretary Lorraine Ralph.

It was revealed this week that Mr Laming invited the Prime Minister to a fundraising lunch with a Brisbane pornographer in 2004. Mr Howard yesterday defended his own actions, saying he did not know Scott Gregory Phillips's background and "wouldn't have gone within a mile of that dinner" if he had.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has not been immune from party scandal, with legal affairs spokesman Kelvin Thomson forced to step down last week after it emerged he provided a reference to drug trafficker Tony Mokbel.

Following Senator Santoro's resignation, Queensland senator Russell Trood, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and a player in a backbench revolt over the asylum-seeker laws, is tipped for promotion as Mr Howard is confronted with the task of finding another Queensland senator to fill the spot.

Senator Santoro was forced to clarify comments made yesterday suggesting Mr Howard did not ask him to check his records until Tuesday, instead of when he informed the Prime Minister of his first failure to dispose of the CBio issue last year.

In a statement issued after his press conference yesterday, Senator Santoro said that last year Mr Howard had "told me that I must ensure I had fully satisfied the requirements of the reporting of interests both to him and the Senate".


CONTRAST:

The The NST frontpage March 17, 2007:


RM5 million bribery allegations
STOP THIS
OUTBURST

PM says Johari should explain
everything if he's clean


KEPALA BATAS, SAT:

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum should answer the allegations of corruption against him and stop blaming others, the Prime Minister said.

“I have spoken to him about it and I have asked him to reply to the allegations. He has said that he is not guilty. If he is not guilty, then he can explain everything,” said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah was asked if the graft allegations against Johari and Anti-Corruption Agency directorgeneral Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor had tarnished the government’s credibility.

He said it would be a problem for the government if such cases continued to surface.

“I have spoken to both sides and told them that such things should not be happening.” Johari is being investigated for allegedly releasing Emergency Ordinance detainees for RM5 million.

A posting on the Internet, whose source is unknown, said Johari had corruptly revoked preventive detention orders on three men suspected of gangland activities, including loan-sharking, extortion, prostitution, assault and illegal gambling.

He denied the allegations and appeared to blame police for procedural irregularities in submitting files to his office.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz responded that police would conduct an internal investigation into the documentation for the three men alleged to have been freed.

Najib was quoted to have said that police were scrutinising the standard operating procedures involving the detention of suspects under the ordinance.

DESIDERATA:

As usual, the highlights in both news reports (THUS BOLDED) are Desi's -- not the usual suspects out dare in Blogosphere with no face, no face, and hardly any scruples! -- so The Minister of Propaganda is duly informed and need not go on a wild goose chase. The Tourism Minister can continue with his chasing after skirts. LOL! We do have time/dime for some h(R)umour, Yes?

We must hold our Government and Pak Lah's Cabinet to the same standards as any developed nation's (including Aussie's to which I have some loving inclinations because it paid me my salary for some 13 blardy years! The prize I had to pay was to keep my mouth shuit within four grey walls off Jalan Ampang, Koala Lumpuh' othervice the B'g, B'd Wolves would get Desi!:)

By now, if PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was serious, the least JOHARI could do was to "stand down" from his deputy minister's post until and unless he (and his name) was completely cleared by any wrongdoing as alleged by very serious charges.

Maybe Desi was too demanding of Pak Lah's high sounding office with his loud battle cry against corruption.

Did someone quote in blogsworld (I read yesterdie!) it is "all sound and fury"?

I enjoy Howard's type of fury.

Pak Lah, by CONtrast, it's awe mega-bytes. Or is it Hi!-Desibelles?

G'Day, mates!:)


PS:
Sweetspirits, how art thou Down Under?
Hope awe is wellA!