Fed: Former ACT opposition frontbencher expelled from party

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2007
Fed: Former ACT opposition frontbencher expelled from party

CANBERRA, Dec 10 AAP - Former ACT Liberal frontbencher Richard Mulcahy has been expelled
from the party.

Leader Bill Stefaniak expelled Mr Mulcahy after he failed to attend two party room meetings.

The ACT Liberals passed a unanimous motion to expel Mr Mulcahy from membership of the
Liberal Party for bringing the party into disrepute.

Mr Mulcahy's position has been under scrutiny because of a federal tribunal investigation
into the financial management of the Australian Hotels Association during the time Mr
Mulcahy headed the organisation.

"The role of the ACT Liberal Party is to hold the Labor government to account. It is
what the people of the ACT expect of us," Mr Stefaniak said in a statement.

"This is what I and my colleagues are determined to do."

Mr Mulcahy immediately held a press conference saying he was "resigning" from the Liberal Party.

He will remain on the cross benches of the ACT's Legislative Assembly.

"It's a matter of regret that after 33 years membership of the Liberal Party of Australia
... I will be resigning from the Liberal Party today," Mr Mulcahy told reporters in Canberra.

Mr Mulcahy said Mr Stefaniak and former leader Brendan Smyth had been "abject failures"

and he believed the party was currently "un-electable".

Mr Mulcahy said it was his intention to remain on in the Legislative Assembly as an
independent and said he would contest the 2008 ACT election on that basis.

AAP ag/kc/so/sb/sco/bwl

KEYWORD: MULCAHY EXPEL

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