Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] More PG news

Tari, Vince Vince.Tari at nmhg.com
Wed Jun 9 17:16:34 MDT 2004


Guess PG better get used to such increased media scrutiny now that he is set
to become a public figure. Soon they'll be going through his rubbish bin !!

Voting is compulsory in Oz.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9797046%255E421,00.html

Garrett hasn't voted for 10 years
June 10, 2004

THE Labor Party's new star candidate Peter Garrett has not voted in the
three federal elections and one referendum held in the past 10 years.

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has revealed that the rock star
contesting the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith has not been enrolled since
1994. 

The bombshell came as Garrett formally applied to join the Labor Party. 

The party's national executive will meet tomorrow to endorse Opposition
Leader Mark Latham's wish for Garrett to become the candidate for the safe
seat.

Garrett's apparent lack of interest in the democratic process will severely
embarrass Mr Latham, who has touted Garrett as the breath of fresh air the
Labor Party needs.

The former Midnight Oil frontman yesterday was given the green light by ALP
head office to contest the seat vacated by Labor heavyweight Laurie Brereton
at the next election. 

He also resigned as president of the Australian Conservation Foundation. 

The last time Peter Robert Garrett appeared on the electoral records was in
1994, when he was living with his wife, Doris, in the northern Sydney suburb
of Balgowlah. 

The Garrett family has since moved to semi-rural Mittagong, in the NSW
Southern Highlands, but the Australian Electoral Commission has no record of
their move. 

Garrett could not be contacted for comment yesterday. 

Senior NSW Labor Senator John Faulkner yesterday arranged for Garrett to
lodge an "open enrolment" to the AEC to correct the bungle. 

Garrett is understood to have told party officials he might have been
touring with his band Midnight Oil in the late 1990s and this explained his
failure to vote. 

He now has until next Thursday to enrol or face disqualification from
contesting Kingsford Smith under Labor Party rules, which state that
candidates must be on the electoral roll at the time of nomination. 

A spokesman for the Australian Elec toral Commission said last night a small
number of voters were entitled to be "silent electors". But he added: "Being
a celebrity is not a good enough reason." 

- Additional reporting Lillian Saleh