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TV OR NOT TV?

How about the gall, the greed, the arrogance of Senator Richard Alston?

He takes a $10,000 plasma screen TV set from Telstra –supposedly on loan. He has had it for more than a year and sees nothing wrong with it. And neither does Prime Minister Howard.

Alston is the Communications Minister. He deals with decisions affecting Telstra. And he can’t see the impropriety?

This is Noddyland. No minister should gifts like that and even if every other frontbencher got one the one who certainly shouldn’t take it is the Minister for Communications.

And how about his limp[excuse ? That he took it because if people wanted him to make decisions from an informed knowledge then he had to see what high definition TV was all about.

He also said he used it to watch sport!

If a $10,000 TV set was crucial to the Minister doing his job the Government should have sent someone to Harvey Norman’s to buy him one.

The sad thing is some people won’t see anything wrong with this. Bit of a perk. Don’t be such a spoilsport.

Next we’ll see the Minister for Transport getting a Mercedes Benz on loan to see what it’s like. Or free first class tickets on Qantas.

There is no such thing as a free lunch and Ministers have been criticized before for getting to cosy with big business in corporate boxes at sporting events.

I am old enough to remember when President Eisenhower’s chief of staff, Sherman Adams, received a Christmas present from a businessman. It was an overcoat. A vicuna coat. Adams was sacked.

That won’t happen to Senator Alston but at least he should admit an error of judgment and give it back.

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2002