Notice given 19 August 2002

120  Senator Ray: To move—That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the claims in the Age newspaper of 15 August 2002 that the McGauran family is financially supporting the Democratic Labour Party of Australia (DLP) in its attempt to retain registration under the provisions of the Electoral Act,

(ii) that two of the three Victorian National Party representatives in the Federal Parliament are from the McGauran family and have, on occasions, relied on DLP preferences,

(iii) the comments of the DLP Secretary, Mr John Mulholland, when he said, ‘It would be in Senator Julian McGauran’s interests for the DLP to survive this de-registration moved by the Electoral Commission’, and

(iv) the immense amount of money made by the McGauran family from its poker machine interests in Altona, some of which is apparently going to fund the DLP’s legal expenses; and

(b) calls on Senator McGauran and the Minister for Science (Mr McGauran), to explain their knowledge of their family’s involvement in funding the DLP’s legal bills.