In the light of the piece run on Margot Kingston’s No Fibs and reproduced here, it is important to clarify my position. The decision not to stand as the candidate for the Greens in Griffith was mine and mine alone. Andrew Bartlett called me to let me know he was considering standing, and I stood aside to allow him to stand unopposed and maximize the energy and unity in the party behind one candidate.
Jan Bowman’s piece is based on an interview made in October and reflects on the general election and the state of Australian politics. It was not conducted in the context of a by-election. The most pertinent part of her piece is the opening paragraph. A year long campaign has been a serious drain on my finances and I am currently working to rebuild them. From that point of view the last thing I need right now is another stint as a political candidate.
I had not intended to comment on this prior to the ratification of the Greens candidate on Thursday evening at 8:00pm but have judged it is better to head off any potential for damage to the Greens and make this statement to clarify my position.
Declaration of interest I am fifty percent owner of Westender and currently supporting my media habit by selling document processing solutions and office equipment.