MEMBER for New England Tony Windsor has suggested mining magnate Gina Rinehart will be a substantial contributor to Barnaby Joyce’s campaign in a bid to further her mining interests.
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Mr Windsor made the allegations in federal parliament yesterday, prompting a swift denial from Senator Joyce, the Nationals’ candidate for New England.
“There are significant rumours that the National Party candidate for New England ... is to receive a quite substantial donation – some hundreds of dollars, perhaps even $700,000 –from mining magnate Gina Rinehart,” Mr Windsor said.
“One has to ask why she is providing that sort of funding to a candidate in New England.”
Senator Joyce told The Leader yesterday the suggestion was “ludicrous”.
“To the best of my knowledge I haven’t received anything from her ... and I’ve never received $700,000,” he said.
“It’s so ludicrous, it’s nutty.”
Senator Joyce admitted he and Ms Rinehart were friends but she had never given him any money for his campaign.
Mr Windsor told parliament she may have an interest in coal seam gas on the Liverpool Plains or in the amendment to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservatiuon Act that will introduce a water trigger for large-scale mining.
The amendment is currently before the Senate.
“Senator Joyce ... was part of the delaying tactics to prevent that amendment getting through the parliament the week before last,” Mr Windsor said.
“We know that the Senate does not sit again until 17 June. Are any of these things related?”
Senator Joyce denied that suggestion yesterday.
Mr Windsor also called on Opposition leader Tony Abbott to clarify the role local businessman Greg Maguire was playing in Senator Joyce’s campaign,
saying he was with former member for Northern Tablelands and former Nationals’ candidate for New England Richard Torbay the day before his resignation from the NSW parliament.
He also suggested former deputy prime minister John Anderson would head up Senator Joyce’s campaign.
“What do Gina Rinehart, John Anderson, Greg Maguire ... have in common?” Mr Windsor asked. “... in terms of the seat of New England I think they have in common attempts to block the people from having their say in relation to water issues on the Liverpool Plains.”
He referred again to the water trigger amendment before the Senate and “delay tactics”.
“If money is allowed to buy favour in that regard, and if there is a change of government, all of those things will suddenly disappear,” he said.
Senator John Williams said yesterday a number of the claims made by Mr Windsor were “simply not true”.
