garrett worries conservatives

Gee from all the angst and tooth gnashing here the lib voters must really be worried...


Garrett to run for Labor, denies he failed to vote (update)
AAP News
10:23:020 10/06/2004
By Samantha Baden and Selina Day
SYDNEY, June 10 AAP - Environmentalist and former rock star
Peter Garrett today rejected claims he had not voted in elections
for 10 years, saying he had cast his vote but was not aware he was
not on electoral rolls.
The former Midnight Oil frontman confirmed today he would stand
for Labor preselection for the Sydney federal seat of Kingsford
Smith, saying he had accepted Labor leader Mark Latham's invitation
to join the party.
The endorsement of Mr Garrett needs to be ratified by the
national executive, which will meet tomorrow.
Mr Latham, announcing the move at Sydney's Maroubra Beach,
foreshadowed a frontbench position for Mr Garrett should Labor win
the next election, saying he had a big contribution to make.
The announcement ends speculation about Mr Garrett running for
the seat held by Laurie Brereton, who last week announced he would
retire at the next election.
However he faces intense opposition from local ALP branch
members, who want a local Labor Party member to stand, and today he
was forced to respond to reports in News Ltd newspapers that he had
not voted in a federal election for a decade.
Responding to the reports, Mr Garrett said he had voted but that
he was not on the electoral roll, even though he thought he was.
"My understanding was I thought I was on the electoral roll. I
thought I had a silent enrolment. I have voted in previous
elections, I have voted in referenda, I have even voted when I was
overseas," he told reporters.
"I have received no communication from the Electoral Commission
that I'm not on the roll, no communications that I'm aware of, to
tell me I'm not on the roll.
"As of yesterday, I'm on the roll as a regular enrolled
candidate and that's where I'll stay."
Mr Garrett, who yesterday resigned as president of the
Australian Conservation Foundation to run for parliament, stood
alongside Mr Latham at Maroubra Beach and declared he would apply
himself diligently and honestly to the role.
He said he had been impressed by the way Labor had addressed the
most important environmental issue - climate change and global
warming.
"If ever you wanted to see solid policy already in place, it's a
policy that I totally endorse and support, and you see it on
climate change," Mr Garrett said.
"Now that is one of the most compelling environment and social
and national and international issues that we face.
"The Howard government is virtually silent on it, Labor is not.
I feel very comfortable with that."
Asked whether he would offer Mr Garrett a frontbench position,
Mr Latham said: "That of course is a matter for the Labor caucus
but I'd be surprised that if at some time in the future Peter
wasn't a frontline minister in a Labor government.
"He's got a lot to offer. He's got a big contribution to make
and of course we want a contribution to be made in the most
appropriate capacity.
"Inevitably, it's a matter for caucus, but in the fullness of
time I'd expect Peter to be there as one of our frontline
contributors."
AAP smb/sd/sp/de