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Former Incompetent alcoholic Police Chief to head Inquiry into Election Fraud
by Katharine Murphy via baz - The Guardian Saturday, Nov 2 2013, 12:33am
international / prose / post

There can only be one reason for this extraordinary selection -- someone wants a predetermined outcome! Get right on it Clive Palmer.

Mick 'drunken dropkick' Keelty

In an astonishing development in the case of missing Senate votes in WA, known substance abuser (alcohol and tranquilisers) and proven gross incompetent ‘dropkick' ($8.2 million in a failed attempt to frame innocent Indian doctor, M. Haneef on terrorist charges for mate John Howard) former Federal Police chief Mick Keelty has been dragged out of rehab, or a doss-house, and asked to head an inquiry into election fraud in Western Australia, what!

Rather than listing all Keelty’s previous questionable behaviours it would probably serve the interests of the nation and the LAW to scrutinise the Keelty led inquiry; particular focus should be directed at the palms of various hands throughout this inquiry involving a man of highly questionable character with a history of incompetence that shames an entire nation and incriminates former politicians -- bust this thing wide open, Clive, it reeks! Keelty is a powder keg of compromising information that only requires a match, Mr Palmer.


Story from The Guardian follows:

Mick Keelty to lead inquiry into 1375 missing ballots
by Katharine Murphy

The electoral commission has been forced to call in the services of respected former federal police commissioner Mick Keelty for an investigation after 1375 Senate ballots vanished during a critical Western Australian recount.

The missing ballots are a substantial reputational embarrassment for the Australian Electoral Commission, raise serious questions over the integrity of the electoral system, and could ultimately trigger a re-run of the WA Senate election.

The special minister of state, Michael Ronaldson, has issued a strong public rebuke to the AEC.

“I have personally expressed to the electoral commissioner my strong view that this situation is totally unsatisfactory and that I, as the responsible minister, view this matter very dimly.”

Ronaldson said in a statement that “incidents such as this go to the heart of the AEC’s reputation”.

“As is appropriate in the circumstances, the electoral commissioner has moved to establish an independent inquiry into the missing ballot papers to be led by Mr Mick Keelty,” he said.

“I would expect no less and neither would the wider community.”

The electoral commissioner, Ed Killesteyn, has apologised. “On behalf of the AEC I apologise to the electors of Western Australia and to the candidates and parties for this failure of the AEC.”

A statement from the AEC on Thursday says the missing votes came to light during the recent recount of the tight state Senate result requested by the Greens senator Scott Ludlam.

“Specifically, 1375 votes – all of which had been verified during the initial WA Senate count – could not be located, rechecked or verified in the recount process,” the AEC’s statement says. “These votes were classified as 1255 formal above-the-line ballots and 120 informal votes.”

The missing votes follow criticism about the integrity of the electoral system from mining magnate Clive Palmer.

Liberal party federal director Brian Loughnane has also put integrity issues on the public agenda, advocating a new inquiry by parliament’s joint standing committee on electoral matters canvassing issues flowing from the 2013 campaign, including voter identification and the senate voting system.

The missing ballots in WA is not the only questionable incident arising during the 2013 poll. A batch of ballots were also located at the last minute in the lower house seat of Indi in Victoria.

The AEC’s spokesman, Phil Diak, told the ABC on Thursday the WA poll would be declared and the writ would be returned despite the misplaced ballots.

But Ludlam urged the AEC not to proceed down that path.

He told reporters in Sydney the result should not be declared. Australian voters would be disconcerted, he said, both by the missing ballots, and by any pre-emptive move by the AEC to declare the result.

Ludlam said despite the controversy he retained confidence in the commission and the commissioner. But he said Keelty must refer any suspected instance of fraud or misconduct to the police.

Ludlam was asked whether the process could trigger a fresh Senate election in WA. “That’s potentially possible,” he said. He declined to say at this point whether the Greens would petition the Court of Disputed Returns.

Palmer demanded the AEC declare the WA count invalid. He accused the AEC of “trying to rig the election” and deprive the Palmer United Party of Senate balance of power.

“How do you lose ballot papers that are supposed to be kept secure under the law? There needs to be a full judicial inquiry into the AEC officers that have been involved in this fiasco,” Palmer told the ABC.

Diak told reporters there had not been a Senate recount in 33 years and the commission would take on board “whatever learnings come out of this”.

The commission has left open the prospect that it may itself petition the Court of Disputed Returns. Once the writ is returned, it triggers a 40-day period to petition the court.

© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited

MP Clive Palmer

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