Ooops!! – Howard Government has conflict of interest over Qantas sale.
A report in The Australian this morning says that the Howard Government has been caught in a potential conflict of interest over the $11 billion Qantas takeover as the Liberal Party’s pollster and its former campaign director conduct furious lobbying to win support from Coalition MPs for the bidding consortium.
The Australian report goes on to say that Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor, two Liberal Party heroes given most credit for John Howard’s victories, have exploited government connections to the hilt over the past week to win support for the Qantas sale to Airline Partners Australia.
Their firm, Crosby Textor, is also the federal Liberals’ election pollster and works for the party in several states. Promotional material on the Crosby Textor website uses endorsements from the Prime Minister to lure clients.
It quotes Mr Howard describing Mr Crosby, the federal Liberals’ campaign director for two winning elections and deputy for another, as “the outstanding political professional around Australia”.
Mr Crosby is also credited as “one of John Howard’s most trusted confidants” and Mr Textor, the federal Liberals’ principal campaign pollster and consultant for every election since 1996, is described as the best Mr Howard has ever seen.
He is expected to be the Liberals’ principal pollster at this year’s federal election.
A source close to the Qantas sale said the pair – believed to be earning at least $50,000 a month over the Qantas deal – were hired by the APA consortium for their inside knowledge and perceived influence with government ministers and backbenchers.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Wayne Swan said: “Everyone knows Crosby Textor is very close to the Liberal Party and people can draw their own conclusions.”
The Australian says that since last week, a number of Howard government ministers have reportedly received what they call “the Lynton visit”, with Mr Crosby claiming that arguments against the Qantas takeover are overblown.
Mr Crosby is understood to have given Coalition backbenchers assurances that Qantas’s regional services will be protected and the airline’s position on moving engineering jobs offshore will not change.
Tut, tut!
Report by The Mole from The Australian
John Alwyn-Jones
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