Time for a change, just a reflection of what has become the...

Time for a change, just a reflection of what has become the greater mentality over the yars that is now the Liberal Party.


Fake flyer meant as a joke: Lib MP
Posted 1 hour 31 minutes ago
Updated 15 minutes ago

Caught red-handed: Gary Clark distributed the fake flyers (News Limited)

Video: Tony Jones talks to Labor's Penny Wong and Liberal Andrew Robb (Lateline) Video: Libs expelled for distributing bogus Labor party leaflets in marginal seat (Lateline) Audio: Egan denies involvement in bogus pamphlet distribution (AM) Audio: Liberal director refers pamphlet scam to AEC (AM) Audio: Fake pamphlet scam a prank, Kelly says (AM) Audio: Howard condemns fake flyer scam (AM) Audio: Fake flyer scam despicable: Islamic federation (AM) Map: Penrith 2750
Related Story: Labor seizes on Lindsay flyer scandal Related Link: Australia Votes 2007 Retiring Liberal MP Jackie Kelly says a flyer linking Labor to a fake Islamic group in her seat was meant to be a joke.

The Liberal Party has been damaged by revelations that Ms Kelly's husband Gary Clark has been involved in distributing the flyer, which purports to come from the non-existent 'Islamic Australia Foundation', in her marginal Sydney seat of Lindsay.

The fake pamphlet says "we gratefully acknowledge Labor's support to forgive our Muslim brothers who have been unjustly sentenced to death for the Bali bombings" and calls for more mosques to built.

The New South Wales state Liberal Party has expelled two of its members over the flyer and Labor and the Liberals have both referred it to the electoral commission. Labor is also calling for a police investigation.

But Ms Kelly says the flyer is a spoof and people have failed to see the funny side.

"I think its intent is to be a send-up, but it obviously hasn't worked," she said. "Pretty much everyone who's read it chuckles."

But Prime Minister John Howard is among those who are less than amused.

"I condemn it, I dissociate myself from it," he said.

Labor's candidate in Lindsay David Bradbury says it is offensive because it tries to link Labor to Islamic extremism.

"There are insinuations there that the Labor Party is supporting Islamic groups, which is absolutely false."

The President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, says it is disappointing that such tactics have emerged at this stage of the campaign.

"It is very concerning that so far at least from the perspective of race and religion it has been a fairly clean election, and at this late stage for something like this to pop up does not augur well at all for democracy," he said.

Mr Howard is giving his major speech to the National Press Club in Canberra this afternoon
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/22/2097550.htm