David Marler

David Marler

Queensland reporter at No Fibs
David is a full time Queensland carer for his son and in quiet times contributes to NoFibs.
David Marler

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David Marler
https://nofibs.com.au/meeting-david-marler-nofibs-twitter-activist-by-griffithelects
The Liberal Party’s Parakeelia laundering scheme
The Parakeelia files

Table of contents
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Background.
(June 13, 2016) – Taxpayer funded staff worked on Parakeelia.
(June 14, 2016) – Donations? What donations?.
(June 15, 2016) – Turnbull Govt avoids questions.
(June 16, 2016) – Done nothing wrong.
(June 17, 2016) – Commentary.
(June 18, 2016) – The inner workings.
(June 19, 2016) – Parakeelia makes ABC Insiders.
(June 20, 2016) – Parakeelia rented Lib office space.
(June 23, 2016) – What’s happening with Parakeelia?
(September 12, 2016) – Nothing to see here.
(February 1, 2016) – Parakeelia injects $900,000 into the Liberal Party.
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Background

Sky News - Liberal Party associated Parakeelia has as its directors Liberal Party federal director Tony Nutt and president Richard Alston. The company makes large donations back to the Liberal Party. Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos says it is a legitimate use of taxpayer funds for his office.

Sky News – Liberal Party associated Parakeelia has as its directors Liberal Party federal director Tony Nutt and president Richard Alston. The company makes large donations back to the Liberal Party. Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos says it is a legitimate use of taxpayer funds for his office.

Parakeelia Pty Ltd is a wholly owned entity of the Liberal Party with federal party director Tony Nutt and party president Richard Alston as directors. The company was established in 1989 by the then Liberal Party treasurer, Ron Walker and shares the same address in Canberra as the headquarters of the federal Liberal party.

It makes & sells a piece of software called Feedback which MPs and senators purchase for $2,500 using their taxpayer funded office allowance. This allows the party to collate constituent details, requests, issues, etc.

The company makes large yearly donations back to the Liberal Party, effectively laundering taxpayer money. A search of the Australian Electoral Commission shows donor records dating back to 1998-99.

On ABC 730, former Liberal MP for Tangney, Dennis Jensen said, “There was a very clear understanding there’s Feedback training provided to staff members and basically the training is to use it as a database politically rather than to assist constituents. Indeed the instruction given by Feedback trainers is that if there’s not a vote in it, don’t do it.”

Former advisor to Arthur Sinodinos, John Adams, said the scheme was “money laundering”.

ABC The Drum - Former Arthur Sinodinos advisor John Adams says Parakeelia scheme is money laundering.

ABC The Drum – Former Arthur Sinodinos advisor John Adams says Parakeelia scheme is money laundering.

ABC 730 - Parakeelia and the shocking abuse of taxpayer money by the Liberal Party.

ABC 730 – Parakeelia and the shocking abuse of taxpayer money by the Liberal Party.

Arthur doesn’t know (again)

  • Tom McIlroy reported, “Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos said he doesn’t know if taxpayer funds have been paid to a private company controlled by Liberal Party bosses, which in turn transferred $500,000 to the Coalition.”: Arthur Sinodinos ‘doesn’t know’ if taxpayer cash goes to Liberal donor Parakeelia.
  • From 2007, David Marr reported, “DESPITE assurances that he had broken all links with the Liberal Party, Fairfax Media chairman Ron Walker remains the principal shareholder in a software company operated by the party. Parakeelia Pty Ltd was set up in 1989 shortly after Mr Walker became Liberal Party treasurer. For the past decade the company has been developing and selling controversial Feedback software that allows MPs to collate and store information on their constituents.”: Walker linked to Liberal company.
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(June 13, 2016) – Taxpayer funded staff worked on Parakeelia

It has been revealed that taxpayer funded parliamentary staff worked on the Liberal Party’s Parakeelia software, Feedback.

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(June 14, 2016) – Donations? What donations?

Today it has been clarified that the funds transferred to the Liberal Party from wholly owned Parakeelia are classed as “other receipts” for Australian Electoral Commission purposes and not as “donations”.

ABC News 24 - Bill Shorten comments on #Parakeelia and donation reform.

ABC News 24 – Bill Shorten comments on #Parakeelia and donation reform.

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(June 15, 2016) – Turnbull Govt avoids questions

Malcolm Turnbull and Mathias Corrman have both referred questions over the Parakeelia scheme back to the Liberal Party management. Turnbull commented that the practise of supplying software to Liberal MPs has been going on for many years.

ABC News 24 - Malcolm Turnbull says Parakeelia a matter for the party but has been in place many years.

ABC News 24 – Malcolm Turnbull says Parakeelia a matter for the party but has been in place many years.

https://twitter.com/alicia_wood/status/742910237951168514


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(June 16, 2016) – Done nothing wrong

The Parakeelia saga has spread further into Queensland with revelations that Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk’s LNP council has used ratepayer money to access the Feedback software. Labor’s Brisbane council opposition leader Peter Cumming today highlighted the problem.

“The problem with Parakeelia, as we see it, is it’s a Liberal Party company – 100 per cent owned by the Liberal Party – so any money that goes into it gets sent back to the Liberal Party,” Cumming was quoted as saying in the Brisbane Times.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull, Mathias Cormann and Tony Nutt have continued to deny there is anything unlawful about the scheme.

Also, records provided by the initiator of the scheme, former Liberal Party treasurer Ron Walker, show Malcolm Turnbull would have been aware of the scheme when he took over the treasury role in 2002.

ABC News 24 - Mathias Cormann says Parakeelia complies with all the rules.

ABC News 24 – Mathias Cormann says Parakeelia complies with all the rules.

ABC News 24 - Tony Nutt says Liberal Party has done nothing wrong over Parakeelia.

ABC News 24 – Tony Nutt says Liberal Party has done nothing wrong over Parakeelia.


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(June 17, 2016) – Commentary

ABC The Drum - What do controversies like #Parakeelia do to voter trust?

ABC The Drum – What do controversies like #Parakeelia do to voter trust?


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(June 18, 2016) – The inner workings

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(June 19, 2016) – Parakeelia makes ABC Insiders

ABC Insiders - Bill Shorten has referred the Parakeelia scheme to the auditor-general. Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull continues to distance himself from the entity.

ABC Insiders – Bill Shorten has referred the Parakeelia scheme to the auditor-general. Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull continues to distance himself from the entity.

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(June 20, 2016) – Parakeelia rented Lib office space

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(June 23, 2016) – What’s happening with Parakeelia?

ABC News 24 - We still haven't heard what's going on with the Liberal washing machine, Parakeelia.

ABC News 24 – We still haven’t heard what’s going on with the Liberal washing machine, Parakeelia.

ABC News 24 - Bill Shorten says Malcolm Turnbull needs to clean up his party on donations and the Parakeelia saga.

ABC News 24 – Bill Shorten says Malcolm Turnbull needs to clean up his party on donations and the Parakeelia saga.

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(September 12, 2016) – Nothing to see here

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(February 1, 2016) – Parakeelia injects $900,000 into the Liberal Party

-Ends
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