Sterle “bamboozled” by Culleton farm inaction

But WA Labor Senator Glenn Sterle was forced to question whether the former WA One Nation turned independent Senator was ever actually lured into parliament, to represent farmers as claimed, due to his lack of committee action.

Senator Sterle has served on the Senate’s Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (RRAT) for almost 12-years and has tackled significant inquiries into critical agricultural dilemmas, like wheat exports deregulation.

He now chairs the RRAT References Committee which has investigated other serious issues in recent times like; competition within the red meat processing sector; the merits of agricultural levies; ownership arrangements in the grain handling supply chain; and restrictions on the import of various horticultural products in different markets.

But Senator Sterle said he was surprised Mr Culleton hadn’t sought to engage with the Committee or contacted him or Chair of the RRAT Legislation Committee, Queensland Nationals Senator Barry O’Sullivan, despite being an ex-farmer, elected on a platform of wanting to represent sector interests.

“You would think if there was a farmer coming into the Senate as part of a party, who wanted to make a contribution in the agricultural area, they would be interested in working with our Committee,” he said.

“But I’ve never had Rodney Culleton at one single meeting or one single hearing, since he was elected.

“My cohort on the government side Senator O’Sullivan has never had Mr Culleton at any of his meetings either and we’ve not even been approached.

“Senators can participate on every inquiry and on every committee but he’s come nowhere near us and I’m bamboozled.”

Senator Sterle said when NSW Liberal Democratic Senator David Leoynhjelm was elected in 2013 he immediately “came to annoy our Committee” on farm policy.

He said that approach was to be expected given Senator Leyonhjelm’s pre-political career, working as a veterinary practitioner and an agribusiness consultant from 1989 to 2014.

But there was “no sign” of Mr Culleton or any conversations during his brief but controversial time in Canberra following the 2016 poll, he said.

Senator Sterle said he didn’t think Mr Culleton came into federal parliament to represent Australian farmers on “a myriad of issues that are important to them” and from his observations the ex-farmer’s only political focus was to, “attack the banking system”.

“And the banks need a good kick in the pants at times – but he didn’t show any interest towards the agriculture sector,” he said.

“I’m very, very surprised that I wasn’t graced with his presence in any of the Committee’s regular weekly meetings or any of our inquiries.

“Fair enough we haven’t done a lot on agriculture since we returned (after the 2016 election) but I’m quite surprised we have a farmer who has not shown any interest in that Committee.

“If you enter parliament, what better way is there to have an influence on an industry that you have a passion for than to get onto a Committee that handles those issues?”

But Mr Culleton said he believed his time in Canberra had been far better spent trying to prevent more farmers from “hitting the deck” in terms of bank foreclosures.

He said he was also focussed on “fixing up the courts and making it a fair and affordable jurisdiction to go and get a remedy”.

He also claimed victory in raising matters regarding the federal constitution that he believes have been long ignored also assisting in delivering an extra $100 million to Landcare funding, during the final sitting week of parliament laste year over the backpacker tax legislation.

“Going around the table and talking about this and that (is a waste of time); agriculture can support itself,” he said of his absence form RRAT Committee’s deliberations.

“It’s a sustainable industry - we have the best commodity in Australia - everyone wants it.

“Why do we need to have these review committees just to talk a bit of waft-off?”

The High Court today ruled that Mr Culleton was not eligible for election as per constitutional rules and a vacancy in WA’s political representation will now be filled by a recount of ballot votes that is set to see his brother-in-law Peter Georgiou appointed for One Nation after he was second on the party’s WA Senate ticket.

In outlining its reasons for the ruling, the Court said Mr Culleton was a person who had been convicted and subject to be sentenced for an offence punishable by imprisonment for one year or longer at the date of the 2016 election.

“That was so, both as a matter of fact and as a matter of law,” the ruling said.

“The subsequent annulment of the conviction had no effect on that state of affairs.

“It follows from s 44(ii) that Senator Culleton was “incapable of being chosen” as a Senator.”