In explosive evidence before ICAC, former minister Ian Macdonald continues to assert that he used an atlas and randomly (but unknowingly) pointed to a plot for the Mt Penny allotment.
Counsel assisting the Commission, Geoffrey Watson
I’m going to suggest that all this business about you finding it in an atlas, that’s a load of hooey; you made it up because you knew you were in trouble
Mr Macdonald
I disagree with it
Mr Watson
Are you telling us that you bypassed the world’s leading experts on the matter and just happened to put your thumb right onto Eddie Obeid’s farm, don’t you see that’s silly?
Mr Macdonald
I disagree with you entirely
Mr Macdonald failed to locate Mt Penny on an atlas presented to him by Mr Watson at the inquiry, Mr Macdonald saying he was
pretty good at geography.
Here is an image from Mr Macdonald’s atlas.
I do sympathise with Mr Macdonald. After all, randomly pointing at a map to allocate a plot of land to a favoured supporter is a time-honoured technique. It was the way in which Augustus, Antony and Lepidus divided the Roman empire amongst themselves under the Triumvirate. And busy men can’t be expected to remember the exact location of lands that have been allocated thus – that is the role of the servant.
And can you imagine the harried underling having the temerity to point out to Hadrian when he is deciding where he wanted his wall built
But, Imperator, that runs over land owned by Mr Obeid.
…. Mr Macdonald maintains he did nothing wrong.
manalive
13 Feb 13 at 6:51 pm
Should be an interesting trial…….seeing he did nothing wrong and all.
Alfonso
13 Feb 13 at 6:54 pm
If a five year old tried this load of bollocks on you’d think they were being extremely childish for their age.
Mk50 of Brisbane
13 Feb 13 at 7:11 pm
Why is this %*^& walking around with a passport.
WhaleHunt Fun
13 Feb 13 at 7:14 pm
Me thinks Mr Macdonald is in line for a stay at the Malabar Hilton.
Brett
13 Feb 13 at 7:23 pm
Ian MacDonald’s atlas is a mate of Craig Thomson’s credit card. Have they both consorted with Slipper’s cabcharge cheques? I’d test them for STD’s before handling if I were ICAC.
Bruce
13 Feb 13 at 7:48 pm
The one stimulus program I would support is a new penitentiary to house the ALP. Looks like we’ll need it soon.
Infidel Tiger
13 Feb 13 at 7:49 pm
Everyone, even the ABC, has commented that the smile – well, more of a frozen, stagey rictus – has died today.
blogstrop
13 Feb 13 at 7:49 pm
No. He used an ALP version of the old classroom maps that showed the British Empire in pink. The sun never set on it or some such. Same principle. The pink is where the friendlies are. Do what you like in the pink jobs right.
Pickles
13 Feb 13 at 7:57 pm
The Vitamins in Sport “scandal” is running out of steam but the tawdry MacDonald/Obeid/AWU/Slippery Pete/HSU/Thommo-the-Brothel-Creeper still has a full head of steam.
Leigh Lowe
13 Feb 13 at 7:57 pm
ALP Inc.
With friends like these …
stackja
13 Feb 13 at 7:59 pm
Yeah, right!
And Thommo was just sitting around in his hotel room one night studying the Bed-Pan Scrubbers EBA and, just for a lark, he dropped the Yellow Pages on it’s spine.
Well bugger me!
It fell open at “Tiffany’s Hot Blondes”.
“I wonder what they do” mused Craig to himself. “I might just give them a call”
Leigh Lowe
13 Feb 13 at 8:10 pm
I hear that the prisoners at Long Bay Jail are planning to go on strike and run a campaign of disruption.
They are incensed at the coming influx of A.L.P. Federal and State pollies and union bosses who will soon be moving in and lodging with them ‘en mass’.
“It’s lowering the tone of the joint. This place is becoming a doss-house for no-hopers and deadbeats”, said a Mr Ivan Milat. “A man has to draw the line somewhere!”
“What sort of people do they think we are?”
Up The Workers!
13 Feb 13 at 8:15 pm
It would be good if the opposition could run a ‘Labor Values’ ad, with photos of the Labor and union miscreants over captions setting out the value of the resources that they have swindled from taxpayers and union members.
Ronaldo
13 Feb 13 at 8:29 pm
If not for this contretemps, ‘Macca’ – student leader to Labor minister – would have been a shoe-in for a LaTrobe University ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’, given almost entirely to Labor politicians and Labor maaates who attended at Victoria’s third best university.
He may get one even yet. Latrobe doesn’t seem to be too fussy in these matters, and a recent Awardee was one Tony Sheehan, formerly Mrs Kirner’s Treasurer, although there is no evidence that he was actually corrupt.
Des Deskperson
13 Feb 13 at 8:56 pm
Hey? Thought Macca found Mt Penny in a matter of seconds when everyone else took several minutes. Implication being Macca knew exactly where to find this random spot…
ar
13 Feb 13 at 8:57 pm
It would be hard to blame them for this, even the average robber has to have some standards.
Carpe Jugulum
13 Feb 13 at 8:58 pm
I can’t believe the ICAC Commissioner doesn’t believe McDonald. Why just the other day I opened a phone book and randomly rang the number and it was Eddie Obeids company. Coincidences like this happen all the time to Labor mates.
I hear Senator Bob Carr plans on convening the 20th Anniversary of his 1995 election win in the visitors centre at Long Bay Prison as most of his Cabinet Colleagues are or will be long term residents by then.
John Comnenus
13 Feb 13 at 8:59 pm
Wouldn’t they send them a juvenile prison, because they don’t know how to men.
face ache
13 Feb 13 at 9:28 pm
Jesus!
He’s had two years to come up with a story and the best he can do is “I fired the Arrow of Allocation at the Cartography of Carbon, and … lo and behold …. it hit Eddie’s Cowshed!!!”
When I was an eight year old and there may have (allegedly) been a broken window, or an immolated pet, or some missing lollies, I could come up with a semi-plausible alibi in about five minutes.
Why doesn’t Macca have a better story?
Well, he is shitting himself that as soon as he mouths the words of his plausible alibi, they will play a contradictory phone-tap, and, bingo, you can add perjury to the burgeoning charge sheet.
Leigh Lowe
13 Feb 13 at 9:28 pm
be
face ache
13 Feb 13 at 9:29 pm
There is at least one that isn’t allowed to be anywhere near juveniles.
Rob
13 Feb 13 at 9:39 pm
Hopefully McDonald will drag what remains of the NSW Labor party down with him for the next fifteen to twenty years.
H B Bear
13 Feb 13 at 10:00 pm
We need a Federal ICAC.
Econocrat
13 Feb 13 at 10:05 pm
Even if it were true, how could such a method of random selection be considered as anything but a depraved act of maladminstration?
The same map contained some important heritage sites and a natural tourist attraction known as ‘the drip’ – would each of those areas have been taken out, too, if the arrow of allocation just happened to land on them?
2dogs
13 Feb 13 at 10:33 pm
A bit OT, but from the sounds coming out of Michael Smith’s blog, Victoria Police cold soon be asking Ms Julia Eileen Gillard to assist them with their inquiries into a false statement about a power of attorney.
This is mammoth. I don’t think we’ll have to wait until September, things are unravelling v. quickly. Kevin Dudd sure knows it.
I am the Walrus, koo koo k'choo
13 Feb 13 at 10:42 pm
They aren’t some minnow just thrown together to make ‘the boys’ rich(er), they’re really really experienced at coal mining stuff and know what they’re doing…
Dun worry bout the grammar ya dun need spelling to dig coal out of the Ground.
Harold
13 Feb 13 at 11:26 pm
Indeed, the allegedly fraudulent witnessing of the POA was always Julia’s main prob…….while the lerts here waxed lyrical about cheques etc.
It’s deadliness lies in its easily proven simplicity.
The coppers have a huge problem , how do they AVOID charging Julia? Their usual technique is to make some giant procedural error and have it chucked out…but this is so straightforward hard to do that….mickey mouse could prosecute this one.
Alfonso
13 Feb 13 at 11:38 pm
Hard to believe, I know, but out of 100 million of his father’s sperm, Ian McDonald was once (but ONLY once) actually the QUICKEST!
He’s obviously been slowing down ever since.
Maybe the effort was too much for him?
(P.S. That raises the question: If McDonald was the quickest, can you imagine what the other 99 million, 999 thousand, 999 sperm might have turned out like?)
Contemplating this Ian McDonald character, and also Wayne Swan, I was wondering whether anyone knows whether some sperm cheat? Maybe we should get the A.C.C. to investigate?
Up The Workers!
14 Feb 13 at 12:07 am
Exactly, Alfonso, it is a textbook open and shut case. My impression is that the coppers are playing this one by the book, and being very careful. They know that careers are on the line if something goes wrong. So they have been methodical in building a body of evidence which is overwhelming in its thoroughness.
There is now a high probability that the coppers will ask a sitting prime minister to assist them with their inquiries. Given that she has responded to her failure by removing herself from reality and lashing out, I can’t see her complying willingly. The coppers will have to go and get her, a la Craig Thomson. Constitutional crisis, anyone? Where is the GG in all this, what ought she to do, is she paying attention?
Popcorn-munchin’ time!
How anyone could vote for the Labor party, after this and the Obeid revelations, is beyond me.
I am the Walrus, koo koo k'choo
14 Feb 13 at 7:11 am
I do love the exquisite way in which gillard’s black deeds have come back to haunt her. She had Michael Smith sacked for asking entirely reasonable questions, and he has used his suspicions to build a case which is going to get her sacked in turn. It is so exquisitely beautiful.
For mine, there isn’t a medal big enough to pin on Smith’s chest. The guy has coordinated a campaign to bring down a sub-prime national leader. And all usng nothing more than public documents and a website. Australian of the year, at least.
I am the Walrus, koo koo k'choo
14 Feb 13 at 7:17 am
I dunno why you dcn’t believe this Labor spin: we are paying ( and paying and paying…) for an NBN conceived by Rudd and a cohort ,on the back of an envelope, during a flight
Methinks all Labor has got for anyone,crony or constituent is some self supporting thought bubble and trivia like honesty integrity and the law of the land don
t apply, cos Labor talks the talk not walks the talk and everyone of course, “means well”
Sarcasm now turned off.
Jazza
14 Feb 13 at 7:28 am
Funds allocated using a whiteboard, titles determined by the atlas version of pin the tail on the donkey, and a $60 billion dollar project presented on the back of an envelope.
What could possibly go wrong?
HRT
14 Feb 13 at 7:54 am
The alleged POA might be the final Deliverance for Lu Kewen.
If Julia has a percentage chance of being charged, Labor will want her gone when it happens. The coppers will understandably give the ALP a heads up on that.
My name’s Kev and I’m here to help in any way I can.
Alfonso
14 Feb 13 at 9:05 am
Well considering they investigated Thomo for over a year before charging him, and that was after more than three years of FWA investigation giving them a few clues to start with, I would say the investigation into TLS will take at least another 12 months.
jupes
14 Feb 13 at 9:05 am
“Where is the GG in all this, what ought she to do, is she paying attention?”
Trick question right?
Paul
14 Feb 13 at 9:19 am
I suggest that Rudd will be slipped back into power at a time when the honeymoon effect is working its magic on the incurious voter, and Julia will be spirited out of the country (perhaps to join Tony Hodges) and will never be spoken of again in our fearless media.
Paul
14 Feb 13 at 9:23 am
Agreed, Alfonso – Dudd has seen his chance. You can bet he is pushing hard in all directions for the party to draft him back into the job.
Gillard is goneski. Smith reports the police as saying they will be ready to wrap this up by the end of the month. Events are about to overtake gillard and Goose.
Goose must be nervous. Dudd has a particularly large and rough pineapple ready to insert up his fundament.
And yes I don’t expect the GG to do anything. She is a creature of the Labor party.
I am the Walrus, koo koo k'choo
14 Feb 13 at 9:46 am
Wonderful imagery!
Rabz
14 Feb 13 at 9:50 am
But would Rudd now want the job? This would be the mother AND father of all poisoned chalices!
Nuke Gray
14 Feb 13 at 10:32 am
Dudd might have his own problems with the Queensland Child Protection Inquiry underway.The Heiner affair in which our hero and Goss had starring roles is certain to come under the spotlight.
Bruce
14 Feb 13 at 10:34 am
Don’t underestimate the sheer venality of the GG – I think this is where the Constitutional Crisis will come from – her lack of, or refusal to act in regard to the snowball rolling down the hill to demolish our current Parliament.
Winston SMITH
14 Feb 13 at 10:51 am
Seems pretty natural to me, so many labor identities are able to get the hands on eddie’s property very easily.
Rob
14 Feb 13 at 12:07 pm
This is accelerating. It is all unravelling as we speak. The backbench – finally! – are dismayed with Goose. It’s all coming apart.
There is now a good chance, i think, that Gillard and Goose may not survive a week, and an even higher chance of them being gone in a fortnight.
Amazing!
I am the Walrus, koo koo k'choo
14 Feb 13 at 1:22 pm
I’m almost prepared to wager that McDonald won’t be prosecuted, let alone spend time in the big house. Unless they can catch him lying, the evidence that he committed fraud won’t reach criminal standard.
He knows that full well, as do the Obeids. Hence the rambling evasive answers. Say nothing concrete that can be used against you.
DavidLeyonhjelm
14 Feb 13 at 5:02 pm
Hee, hee…..conclusive DNA evidence is presented with a say 1 in 100 million chance of coincidence with a non perp.
Macca, with his random roving pin allocating mining leases by coincidence in NSW must be similar odds to land on Eddie’s plot…..which Eddie had no idea about because govt mining surveys are confidential anyway.
I believe the circumstantial stuff will do him……unless the NSW Judiciary decide that permanent extreme damage will be done to the NSW Establishment and “confidence” in it’s Institutions.
Why then he’ll do a minor bookkeeping charge 2 year stint on a prison farm with pay tv.
Alfonso
14 Feb 13 at 6:09 pm
its
Alfonso
14 Feb 13 at 7:39 pm