QLD: Court refuses temporary stay on One Nation decision

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-1999
QLD: Court refuses temporary stay on One Nation decision

EDS: CHANGES SLUG FROM NATION SHARPLES TO NATION



BRISBANE, Aug 19 AAP - The Queensland Supreme Court today refused to temporarily stay a
decision which found Pauline Hanson's One Nation was invalidly registered as a political party
in Queensland.

Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson said a possible threat to parliamentary entitlements
of the five One Nation MPs was not a good enough reason for a stay pending an appeal.

The court has been told the Queensland Electoral Commission will now delete One Nation from
the Queensland register of political parties.

And it will also seek a repayment of more than $498,000 in electoral funding which was
paid to the party.

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

Earlier today, Queensland Attorney-General Matt Foley said Queensland would review its
State Electoral Act following yesterday's Supreme Court decision to deregister One Nation.

Mr Foley said the electoral laws needed to be tightened.

"We're in new territory. It is an extraordinary state of affairs and clearly we need to
have a look at the Act," Mr Foley said.

Yesterday, Justice Atkinson found there was electoral fraud on the part of three key party
members - Ms Hanson, national director David Ettridge and senior adviser David Oldfield - by
misrepresentation to the Queensland Electoral Commission of the number of party members.

One Nation is to appeal against the decision, in an attempt to stave off possible fraud
charges.

The action was brought by disgruntled former Gold Coast One Nation candidate Terry
Sharples.

Mr Sharples had argued that the 500 people the Queensland Electoral Commission was given to
understand were party members were not members but organisational supporters, and the party
was not entitled to public funding.

The Commission is seeking legal advice on whether to prosecute One Nation's leaders for
electoral fraud, which carries penalties of up to six months imprisonment.

The state government is also seeking Crown Law advice on whether charges should be laid.

The court decision means One Nation will have to return almost $500,000 in electoral
funding.

AAP smk/geb/sd/wjf

KEYWORD: NATION THIRD DAYLEAD

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