THE Greens candidate for the state election in March, Harriett Swift, has come under fire for what she termed an “April Fool’s joke” in 2005.
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Former Member for Eden-Monaro Gary Nairn has questioned Ms Swift’s suitability as a parliamentarian.
“As the former Special Minister of State and Member for Eden-Monaro in the Howard Government I am quite amazed that the Greens have selected Harriet Swift as their candidate,” Mr Nairn said.
“Ms Swift by her own actions is a totally unacceptable person to contest an election, let alone be elected to the Parliament of NSW.”
Mr Nairn’s concern centres on Ms Swift being found to be in contempt of the Australian Parliament in 2007, by using his name, signature and letterheads on several documents.
One was a letter sent in 2005 to Phil Mathie of Bruce Mathie and Sons, a south east logging company, saying that a recently announced grant of $165,400 had been rescinded.
Two others were to John Sparkes, of South East Fibre Exports and Mr Mathie which said that Mr Nairn was writing as the Member for Eden Monaro, but also in “my recently acquired role as Special Minister of State.
“Without beating around the bush, I want to nominate you for the Australian honour, the Order of Australia.”
Mr Sparkes died before his letter was delivered.
In another incident during 2005, media outlets called Mr Nairn’s office about a media release titled New Vision for Timber Industry.
“When I learned about the dodgy press release I was inclined to let it go,” Mr Nairn told the BDN this week.
“But those two letters were appalling and to tell someone their grant had been taken away could have led to any sort of reaction from Phil, including a heart attack.
“That’s when I said that it wasn’t right and raised it with the Speaker (of the House of Representatives) who took it to the Privileges Committee.”
After its deliberations, the committee found: “that Ms Harriett Swift, on five occasions in 2005 and 2006, deliberately misrepresented the Hon Gary Nairn MP by producing and distributing documents that fabricated Mr Nairn’s letterhead and signature to make it appear that the documents were prepared and sent by Mr Nairn”.
The committee found Ms Swift guilty of contempt of the House in that she had undertaken conduct which amounted to an improper interference in the free performance of Mr Nairn in his duties as a member.
The Australian Federal Police gave evidence to the inquiry, saying that after a search of premises on Dr George Mountain Road, Tarraganda, and subsequent findings that there was “a clear and manifest connection of Ms Harriett Swift to the activities” or preparing the press release and letters purporting to be from Mr Nairn.
The AFP said another person was also involved.
When asked by the Privileges Committee chair whether she was responsible for the “preparation and distribution of that correspondence or those press releases, Ms Swift answered “Yes”.
However, the AFP did not proceed with a criminal prosecution after discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
There was a time difference between the matter happening and Mr Nairn raising it, due mainly, Mr Nairn said, to caring for his wife, who subsequently died
from cancer.
“That was all going on in my life and I was trying to get my head around what she (Ms Swift) had done,” he said.
“It was a trying time.”
While Ms Swift says it was all an April Fool’s joke (see story this page) Mr Nairn said it happened twice.
“Because the AFP were taking a long time to investigate the matter, she actually wrote to the Committee, purporting to be me again, complaining about the process taking too long.
“If that’s not sticking your finger up at the parliament I don’t know what is – it was despicable.”
According to Mr Nairn, that was not the first time Ms Swift was brought before Parliament.
“In 1981 the Senate Privileges Committee found ‘that it is a contempt of the Parliament for any person to harass a Senator by repeated offensive telephone calls’,” he said.
“This was at the inquiry into harassing early morning phone calls made to Senator Brian Harradine and Ms Swift’s then home phone was found to be where the calls came from.”
Mr Nairn said: “Ms Swift’s defence then was she didn’t remember if it was her that made the calls as she was probably drunk”.
Mr Nairn said that people have every right to be passionate about their particular cause but “in the great democracy we have in Australia there are many ways to do that legally”.
“Someone who on two separate occasions has been found to be in contempt of the Australian Parliament, in my opinion, is in no way suitable to be a representative in the NSW Parliament,” he said.
“It is important that all voters in the electorate of Bega understand fully the previous actions of someone seeking their vote at the March election.”