'Dirty tricks': Allegra Spender slams teal corruption referral as 'cynical'
The independent MP criticised the Liberal referral of Zoe Daniel to the NACC, while confirming she also asked the AFR to leave Simon Holmes à Court off its 'covert power' list.
Teal independent Allegra Spender has described the Liberal Party’s referral of fellow independent Zoe Daniel to the corruption watchdog over allegations she tried to influence a newspaper’s coverage of a major donor as “cynical” and “dirty tricks”.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Spender confirmed she also requested that The Australian Financial Review leave Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes à Court off its ‘Covert Power’ list, saying she objected to the “insulting” notion that a man was “pulling all the strings”.
The debate highlights the murky nature of the allegation. Political staffers and MPs routinely contact journalists to object to coverage — though such objections are often flimsy — and the teals could be damaged if the perception that they act on Climate 200’s behalf takes hold.
But privately lobbying on behalf of a major donor is another matter entirely. Climate 200 is a significant financial backer of the ‘teal movement’, and Holmes à Court ultimately appeared on the list — alongside figures such as mining magnate Gina Rinehart and the prime minister’s chief-of-staff, Tim Gartrell.
