Before resigning as Human Rights Commissioner to seek Liberal Party preselection, Tim Wilson met with vastly more Liberal Party members than members of any other party, freedom of information documents reveal.
As part of Wilson’s controversial appointment as the self-proclaimed “freedom” commissioner on the Australian Human Rights Commission (on a $400,000 taxpayer-funded salary) in 2014, Wilson resigned his membership from the Liberal Party after two decades of involvement. This didn’t mean he removed himself from the political process entirely. In a Senate estimates hearing in May last year, Wilson said he was attempting to be impartial but “actively sought to engage political parties” on the issue of human rights. He said he had offered to speak to people on all sides of politics on the issue of human rights:
“Each one of them has been given the same opportunity and the same capacity to host a forum or some sort of meeting to discuss these issues … It just depends on how that political party has chosen to engage.”
But according to a list of all of Wilson’s meetings with political parties during his time as commissioner, obtained by Crikey under freedom of information law, Liberals represented 44 out of the 61 meetings recorded. Wilson met with Labor members five times, Greens members six times, independents five times, and members from multiple parties once.
Many of Wilson’s initial meetings with Liberal MPs were about repealing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, but the majority of his meetings were on gay rights. He met with many Liberal MPs to discuss same-sex marriage and also met with Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to discuss LGBTI asylum seeker issues.
Wilson held a total of 11 meetings with Liberal MPs the day before and the day of the six-hour Coalition party room meeting on same-sex marriage in August last year. Wilson’s interlocutors included gay marriage opponents Cory Bernardi, Philip Ruddock and Scott Morrison. At that party room, just a month before Malcolm Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott, the Coalition agreed to maintain a binding vote against marriage equality up to the election, but decided to embark on a $160 million plebiscite after the election, with a free vote granted to MPs after that.
In his last meeting with MPs as Human Rights Commissioner, Wilson held a $154 breakfast paid for by the Human Rights Commission with Education Minister Simon Birmingham, assistant innovation minister Wyatt Roy, and new North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman on the plebiscite.
Wilson resigned as Human Rights Commissioner in February to seek preselection for the seat of Goldstein in Victoria, following the announcement former trade minister Andrew Robb would retire from politics. At the time nominations closed, Wilson was running against four other candidates, including former foreign minister Alexander Downer’s daughter Georgina.
This week the Australian Law Reform Commission released its report into “traditional freedoms”, notionally the freedoms for which Wilson was appointed to the Human Rights Commission. Wilson is unable to speak publicly until the preselection process is finalised in the coming weeks.
15 thoughts on “Freedom Boy freedomed all over the Libs, but not so much anyone else”
browser
March 4, 2016 at 10:31 amWhere are you going to Norman. The idiots convention or the blowhards or perhaps a primary school reunion.
klewso
March 4, 2016 at 10:41 amA bagging needle – a one-eyed tool of limited, and decreasing, use.
Urban Wronski
March 4, 2016 at 2:18 pmYour imperious tone ill-becomes you or your case, Norman.
The facts about Tim Wilson are well known and easily accessed from reputable sources in the public domain. It’s on the record that George Brandis and Tim Wilson are friends.
Here’s how the SMH described Brandis’ appointment of Tim, the political stooge, a former IPA Policy Director, who was appointed without any job application or even interview, despite being an open advocate of shutting down the HRC.
“Attorney-General George Brandis made it clear Mr Wilson’s $325,000-a-year appointment was made on both political and ideological grounds.
”The appointment of Mr Wilson to this important position will help restore balance to the Australian Human Rights Commission which, during the period of the Labor government, has become increasingly narrow and selective in its view of human rights,” he said.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tim-wilson-appointment-to-human-rights-commission-stirs-controversy-20131217-2zjbk.html#ixzz41teLq0i4
Despite calling for her to resign, claiming her concern with the indefinite detention of children was politically motivated, the government did not succeed with its plan to replace Triggs.
So Wilson did visit Nauru and Manus? Almost everyone else was denied. What were his findings? He’s denied any contribution to the Forgotten Children report to Jenna Price of The Age in February last year.
As a stooge, he could make no comment on the government’s treatment of Gillian Triggs. Nor could he be an advocate for any of those who are held in indefinite detention and deprived of their rights to speak. Nor could he manage even a mention of his distinguished and principled boss in his farewell speech.
What did the Australian tax-payer get for their money in Tim’s appointment. We made a substantial investment.
In the 12 months after he took up the position in February 2014, the former Liberal Party member charged taxpayers $77,763 for expenses. These were in addition to his $332,000 salary package and $40,000 accommodation allowance.
It’s all a bit steep for an appointee who devoted most of his time massaging the prejudices of his own (former) party rather than speak out about abuses happening in detention centres and in other places right under his nose.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbotts-human-rights-man-tim-wilson-racks-up-77000-in-expenses-20150702-gi46m3.html#ixzz41tgY6Pga
bushby jane
March 4, 2016 at 5:15 pmHe was certainly a political stooge, going by his previous utterings while at the IPA.
Peggy Sanders
March 9, 2016 at 9:00 amTim Wilson, George Brandis and the legal boys club love to dine on the public purse. George’s $1000 a bloke dinner in Paris was one of their best. All IPA, born to rule, hard right fascists.