Fed: Minchin says party stands behind Turnbull over OzCar

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2009
Fed: Minchin says party stands behind Turnbull over OzCar

By Kate Hannon

CANBERRA, Aug 5 AAP - Opposition Senate leader Nick Minchin says Malcolm Turnbull is
innocent in the OzCar affair and has the Liberal Party's full support.

Senator Minchin says Mr Turnbull did what is required of a good opposition leader when
presented with information which casts doubt on government activity.

"When approached with evidence, which on the face of it appears to be a matter of serious
portent for the government ... then it is our responsibility to pursue it," Senator Minchin
told AAP on Wednesday.

"It is, of course, regrettable and unfortunate that the evidence presented to us was inaccurate."

Asked whether Mr Turnbull had been irreparably damaged by information supplied to him
by Treasury official Godwin Grech, which turned out to be false, Senator Minchin said
he stood by his leader.

"I remain fully supportive of the opposition leader, Malcolm Turnbull, he has my and
the party's full support, he's innocent in all of this."

Senator Minchin says it is up to the government to convince the coalition to support
a motion it plans to move in the Senate next week to refer conduct in an upper house inquiry
into OzCar in June to the Senate privileges committee.

The government has received an opinion from the Clerk of the Senate, Harry Evans, that
coaching a witness or rehearsing a script of evidence before a Senate inquiry could possibly
be contempt of the Senate.

The government says an email and two lists of proposed questions released by Mr Turnbull
on Tuesday show that he and opposition deputy leader in the Senate, Eric Abetz, collaborated
with Mr Grech on the OzCar Senate inquiry.

Mr Grech was the Treasury official in charge of OzCar and has admitted he faked an
email the opposition used to accuse Kevin Rudd of seeking favours for a car dealer friend.

An attempt in late June by the government to refer the matter to the privileges committee
was defeated by the coalition and Family First senator Steve Fielding.

Senator Minchin says they remain open to persuasion and would be happy to negotiate
on the terms of reference of any inquiry with the government.

"The onus is on the government to persuade us that this is not an abuse of the privileges
committee, that it's not a political witch hunt but a genuine endeavour," Senator Minchin
said.

Senator Fielding is still considering whether he will support the reference next week.

AAP keh/rl/it/mn

KEYWORD: DEALERS SENATE

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