ACT Frontbencher stood down amid dispute

A report in The Australia says that the next Liberal team to face an election, the ACT division, is descending into chaos after the party’s leader, Bill Stefaniak, yesterday stood down Richard Mulcahy from his shadow ministry.

Mr Stefaniak made the decision over a long-running dispute in the Industrial Relations Commission dealing with Mr Mulcahy’s former role as the national executive director of the Australian Hotels Association.

The dispute, over payments made in relation to superannuation trust duties, have been before the IRC for some time. But Mr Stefaniak decided to suspend Mr Mulcahy from his roles, including Opposition Treasury spokesman, on the weekend after details of the case were again raised in the local press.

Mr Mulcahy denounced the move. “To remove me from the shadow ministry on the basis of unsubstantiated, untested and false assertions … is unjustified and reflects poorly on Mr Stefaniak’s judgment,” he said.

Mr Mulcahy, a leadership rival, accused Mr Stefaniak of making a poor decision after he handed former leader Brendan Smyth the Treasury portfolio.

“One can only conclude Mr Stefaniak is pursuing another agenda and this is the real motivation behind his actions in standing me aside,” Mr Mulcahy said.

The ACT will go to the polls late next year. Labor’s Jon Stanhope was re-elected in 2004, winning outright control of the Legislative Assembly.

A Report by The Mole