Did Natasha stick the National Executive onto Meg Lees?

Tuesday, 16 July 2002

The Meg Lees’ letter was written in response to the “please explain” the Dems executive shot off in her direction. All the Democrat Senators now seem to feel that the national executive overreacted when it sent its bombshell out let alone when Lees’ response was made public.

If this e-mail is accurate, and Natasha’s office has confirmed she sent it on May 31, it suggests they weren’t the only ones. It means that Stott-Despoja overreacted, too and while not directly telling the executive to get Lees, certainly steered them off in that direction. Judge for yourself:

Dear National Executive

I have seen some of the NE comments regarding Telstra and I make the following assessment:

This morning was our best chance since the election – I believe – to demonstrate our strength; our commitment to maintaining our election promises; and, our unwillingness to cross trade (particularly on the environment or issues relating to social and public infrastructure).

The Gallery was openly sceptical about Bob Brown’s comments and quite scathing in some interviews and reports about his motives and timing.

My press conference today was well received and journalists openly and perhaps a little contritely suggested we were clearly the solid ones on this issue while Bob Brown – who went through the campaign suggesting it would be the Democrats who would fold on Telstra while he pledged to “NEVER EVER” sell Telstra – was after a headline and prepared to put a For Sale sign on public assets.

All that changed by the time I boarded an aeroplane this afternoon. I heard Fran Kelly on Richard Glover discussing the issue of Telstra but then proclaiming the real news was not Bob Brown but that Meg Lees was at odds with the Leader of the Democrats on this issue and that the Dems were divided etc etc.

Yes, one person’s comments managed to change a good news story for us into a negative.“But believing this was a misquote – hey, I was on a plane surrounded by Liberal politicians after the Gorton memorial (but that’s another story!)

I tried spinning that it must be wrong/out of context etc. Having heard the news on the hour I know there was no misquote nor any misrepresentation. I heard the comments verbatim.

As far I am concerned, all Senators signed pledges on this issue at the campaign. Our position is clear. It is non negotiable. The Democrat position is that Telstra is NOT FOR SALE. Any different positions are not Democrat positions.

Today has hurt us. We were all set to capitalise on Bob’s back flip.

One person changed that.

We can not afford for this to happen again.

We are going up in the polls. Our budget performance has been strong.

Division and disunity must be a thing of the past.

I hope Nat Exec recognises our obligations to the membership and the electorate.

We promised NOT TO SELL TELSTRA.

I hope NE will reinforce this position.”

Yours, Natasha