Fed: Deal in Swan s seat not part of national agreement: ALP man

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2000
Fed: Deal in Swan s seat not part of national agreement: ALP man

By James Grubel, Chief Political Correspondent

CANBERRA, Dec 1 AAP - The man who raised concerns about payments to the Australian
Democrats during the 1996 federal election said today that preferences in the seat held
by Labor frontbencher Wayne Swan were decided after a national deal on four other seats.

Labor's Wayne Swan stood down from the federal opposition front bench today after police
began an investigation into the cash payment to the Democrats in his seat in 1996.

Mr Swan has admitted there was a payment, but said it was not in return for Democrats'
preferences, which were worked out nationally and not by candidates in individual seats.

But Labor insider Lee Bermingham, who said he delivered the money to the Democrats,
said the preferences in Mr Swan's seat of Lilley were not part of the original national
deal.

"My understanding is Lilley was included afterwards and was not part of the four seats
that were in the national negotiations between Labor federally and the Democrats federally,"

Mr Bermingham told ABC television's 7.30 Report.

Earlier this week, Democrat officials said an agreement had been made with the ALP
to direct preferences to Labor in only four seats, in return for ALP preferences to then
Democrats leader Cheryl Kernot in the Senate.

However, Democrats campaign manager Senator Andrew Bartlett said today the 1996 deal
covered five seats, including Lilley.

"They were all decided on at the same time," Senator Bartlett told the 7.30 Report.

"As I understand it, the seats in Queensland were Lilley, Griffith, Moreton, Brisbane
and Bowman."

Senator Bartlett said the statement earlier this week mistakenly mentioned only four seats.

Earlier today, Senator Bartlett called for the media to be accurate in its reporting
of the issue, and said a payment to a Democrats campaign manager did not constitute a
payment to the party.

Meanwhile, Mr Swan said he welcomed the chance to clear his name through the police inquiry.

"I welcome this opportunity to fully clear my name," Mr Swan said in a statement.

"I wish to state for the record again, that these and other allegations are malicious
and are designed to smear my name.

"I deny absolutely that any payment was made in order to influence or affect the preference
decisions of the Australian Democrats."

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said Mr Swan had stood aside to demonstrate Labor's commitment
to high standards.

"On the standards I have set down for my shadow ministers, I am obliged to require
Mr Swan to stand aside," he told reporters in Sydney.

"I am applying here a standard which does not normally apply in Australian politics,
and I should say that the standard I'm applying does not go to any presumption that Mr
Swan is not innocent."

AAP jg/wjf

KEYWORD: SWAN SECOND NIGHTLEAD

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