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WhoÕs paying for BishopÕs mail?
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On Monday August 30, we received a letter from Liberal Curtin MP Julie Bishop asking for our vote. The envelope was postage paid and carried a government crest. Inside was a return-paid envelope to "Julie Bishop MP" for the enclosed Liberal postal vote application form. Can Ms Bishop assure us the production and postage of this party political correspondence were paid for by herself or the Liberal party, and not from public funds, i.e. paid for by the taxpayer? Can Ms Bishop explain why the return-paid envelope for the postal vote application is addressed to her and not the Australian Electorial Commission? Will Ms Bishop or the Liberal party pay the postage for the return-paid envelope? What assurance can Ms Bishop give that a postal vote application will actually reach the Australian Electoral Commission? I. Wilson • Ms Bishop responds: "At each federal election, I have arranged for postal vote applications to be sent to Curtin voters in the event they are unable to attend a polling booth on election day. "Assistance with postal vote applications is a community service carried out by members and senators across Australia. "Upon receipt of postal vote applications, we check that applications have been properly completed and then my office hand delivers them daily to the Australian Electoral Commission for speedier processing. "The application is registered and a ballot paper is sent to the voter about two weeks before polling day. "The letter and postal vote application have been paid for in part by me and in part with my postal allowance under the Parliamentary Entitlements Act 1990 and Remuneration Tribunal Determination Number 14/2003." |
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