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Position clarified

Staff ReporterSouthern Gazette

NOT for the first time, Swan MHR Steve Irons has seen fit to use my name in Federal Parliament, this time in an aptly named ‘Grievance Debate’ on March 17, where he made a speech about the Belmont Community Group and its membership.

The speech I refer to led to the report headlined ‘Group hits back at Trojan horse claims’ in last week’s Gazette.

It is interesting to note in his speech that Mr Irons often reads my letters to the Gazette because he refers to a letter of mine in March 2012, about Cassie Rowe’s endorsement as the ALP candidate for Belmont.

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Moreover, in reference to me at least, he said it was probably most sensible letter he had seen me write.

Nevertheless, because of Mr Irons’ continual utterances about me in Federal Parliament, I would like to clarify to everyone that I haven’t taken leave of my senses and nor have I lowered my high sense of personal morals and standards of having my name associated in this way with the Liberal Party.

The closest I have ever been to any sort of meeting of Liberal Party members was when I was a Belmont councillor at council meetings, then albeit, briefly.

For the record Mr Irons, and before any more mentions of my name by you in Federal Parliament, I am not a member of the Belmont Community Group and I am not a member of any political party.

I think Mr Irons could do better with his time than whingeing in Parliament about community groups and serve the people of Belmont by doing what he has been complaining about for years that Labour didn’t do: provide a noise insulation program for those affected be noise from aircraft using Perth airport.

KEVIN BETTRIDGE, Rivervale