Look, yesterday the matter was very confusing. I had been presented with a fait accompli that there had been a menu which I said at the time I have not seen was in no position to clarify whether something was there that I hadn’t witnessed. The last thing I wanted to do was make categoric statements which were found to be to be incorrect and as the day unfolded what became very clear was that a former staff member who my understanding has not been on the premises for several months prior to the 28th of March made an allegation to the Labor Party and to others that this document was in fact made available at this activity, and you know that is now quite clear from the proprietor and from all the people that I have spoken to that were in attendance that night that it was not there. So that rather than going off half-cocked and making statements which I may well have found to be incorrect on I said as it was I had not seen it, I condemned it. Let me put this on the record, that neither the Prime Minister nor any other woman should have to tolerate this sort of of language. It is on the Internet. There are incredible vile things on the Internet today and is demeaning to a lot of people. I condemned it yesterday, I condemn it today and I will condemn it tomorrow. What my job is is to do, what it was supposed to be doing yesterday when this occurred, and that is to work for the people of the Sunshine Coast, is to work in the interests of making this a better country. That’s what the government should be doing, that’s what the opposition should be doing.
Are you embarrassed to have been linked to the sort of incident?
You know it’s an extraordinary question really. I am being linked to something which there was nothing there, it didn’t occur. I think I find that the hardest thing to deal with. You ask the question – am I embarrassed about something that didn’t happen.
Why apologise yesterday then?
I apologised for the comments because it was presented as a fait accompli that it was there. Here was a document. I wasn’t to know that it wasn’t there, it has become clear and I am saying if I have been somewhere where this document has been presented and then he doesn’t stand for my principles and values or my family’s and you know it’s the decent thing to do.
Can you categorically rule out that Jo Richards wasn’t told by the party to release that statement?
I can categorically tell you that Mr. Richards has made his statements on his own volition.
What have your conversations now been like with him? Are you disappointed?
Well what do you think. Well seriously, what we have been thru in the last 24 hours, we have been condemned uphill and down dale. Some of the vitriol to the office here has been extraordinary but to be fair some of the people have rung back and and emailed back to apologising for them jumping to conclusions and I thank them for that
You think this was some sort of political attack to get you?
I’m not here to look to – others can speculate. I have a job to do. When I set out to be the LNP candidate it was to win the respect and the trust of the people of Fisher. I think our country is in a lot of trouble. We have people we couldn’t even pick up in our own oceans who are dead trying to get here and we are focusing on things that didn’t even happen. umm look I have an important job to do, I’m going to continue to do it, I’m going to continue to remain focused on what I think is important. I will leave the it in the hands of the people of Fisher to decide whether or not I have actually met up of the to the standards they demand
Just going back to what you said you didn’t even know whether or not menu had gone out so were you even at this fund raiser?
Yes of course I was there, absolutely.
So how come you weren’t aware?
Look, see I never saw any menu. And so, and then to be, it could well have had something I hadn’t seen. I mean there is 15 to 20 people in a room and you get confronted with a document that is real, and told that it has happened, only to find out that it hadn’t happened.
Have you seen this joke, this menu joke, emailed to you previously?
No, never.
Would you have found it funny?
I think I have made my point of very clear here on where I sit on these things. And I can’t make it any clearer than that I disagree vehemently with our prime minister and what she has done to our country. Treating any person or any woman in this way is totally unacceptable.
Anything else you would like to add?
No that’s fine thank you.
