QLD: One Nation officially off the register = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-1999
QLD: One Nation officially off the register = 2

Ms Aurisch said steps would be taken immediately to ensure the immediate return of the
payment of electoral monies, which totalled $498,637.33.

The funds were paid to One Nation on the basis that the party had secured a certain
percentage of the vote at last year's state election.

"We'll be proceeding to do our utmost to get those monies back," she said.

"We're getting legal advice as to the exact way to do it.

"I think the first step is a letter of demand ... requesting the monies go back.

"That should happen very shortly. If the letter of demand doesn't work, court action will
have to commence to get the monies back."

Ms Aurisch said the electoral commission would not have to wait until the appeal process
was exhausted before taking steps to recover the money.

"We feel as responsible people under the Electoral Act we've got to proceed straight away.
It won't await any appeal."

Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson ruled today that a possible threat to parliamentary
entitlements of the five One Nation politicians was not a good enough reason for a 14-day stay
pending an appeal.

"The possibility of prejudice (to One Nation politicians) is not enough, in my view, to
represent a special circumstance," Justice Atkinson said.

She ruled yesterday that the party's registration had been induced by fraud and
misrepresentation and that One Nation was therefore not entitled to registration as a
political party in Queensland.

AAP jhm/sd/wjf

KEYWORD: NATION QEC 2 BRISBANE

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