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Light Foot or Loose Cannon? Australian Senator's Awfully Big Adventure

TUESDAY MARCH 22 2005 10:25 AM

Submitted by TheFuckOffKid. Edited By legionnaire.

Ross Lightfoot, a federal government senator in Western Australia, Australia's far-away-from-anywhere state, has apparently had not just some interesting times away in the Middle East recently, but has kicked up a storm upon arriving home this week, much to the embarrassment of the Prime Minister.

Senator Lightfoot is embroiled in a scandal after News Limited papers reported allegations on Wednesday that he smuggled $US20,000 ($25,000) on behalf of Australian oil giant Woodside Petroleum as a donation to an Iraqi children's hospital in January and that he was packing a .38-calibre pistol at the time.

It has also been revealed since the allegations were first raised that Senator Lightfoot told The Weekend Australian's Middle East correspondent, Nicolas Rothwell, at a breakfast meeting on January 30, the day of the Iraqi elections, he had handed over a "small contribution" from Woodside because he believed "it was the right thing to do".

Senator Lightfoot has since denied the smuggling claims in a statement to parliament.

And his revised claim that the $US20,000 was carried in by a Kurdish government official, Simko Halmet, travelling with him, were supported yesterday when Mr Halmet said Senator Lightfoot had no knowledge of it until the money changed hands.

But several versions of what Senator Lightfoot did with a gun lent to him by his security detail on the trip prompted Mr Howard to concede his account had been confusing.

"I would agree, having listened to the interviews, that there were some differences of emphasis," Mr Howard said.

Woodside Petroleum is not enjoying the attention. (Free registration: Use SGNews/SGNews]

Woodside denies any relationship with Senator Lightfoot, although both his trips to Iraq were sponsored by Professor Robert Amin, who is chairman of the Woodside Hydrocarbon Research facility at Curtin University in Perth and an energy consultant for the company.

And the Federal Opposition is now looking into what kinds of investigations might be launched into the Lightfoot of Arabia Affair.

Meanwhile, in The Australian newspaper, where the story originally broke, Middle East reporter Nicolas Rothwell came out to confirm that he too had had a conversation with Lightfoot during his travels that confirmed the original version.

Curiouser and curiouser.

26 Comments

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FrankMask

Saint Paul, MN

June 2003

MAR 22, 2005 10:40 AM

So... He gave a bunch of money to a children's hospital?

Michael_DeSade

Seattle, WA

OLD SKOOL

MAR 22, 2005 10:43 AM

Frank said:
So... He gave a bunch of money to a children's hospital?

While packing a .38, apparently.....oh the humanity!!

freshprncebelair

Ellicott City, MD

June 2004

MAR 22, 2005 10:45 AM

This guy sounds cool.

Snottlebocket

Netherlands

March 2004

MAR 22, 2005 10:49 AM

if i were carrying a ton of money across a war torn country i'd like to have some protection too.

Lotusmonger

Chicago, IL

May 2004

MAR 22, 2005 10:57 AM

I'd need two .38's to feel safe with that amount of cash ANYWHERE.

legionnaire

United Kingdom

November 2003

MAR 22, 2005 10:59 AM

Michael_DeSade said:

Frank said:
So... He gave a bunch of money to a children's hospital?

While packing a .38, apparently.....oh the humanity!!

Well, it's illegal in Australia to do so.

Imagine if a US senator went to Amsterdam and publicly smoked a big joint. Sure, he wouldn't have broken any Dutch or US laws in the process, but do you think people would let it pass without comment?

Vestril

Coronado, CA

February 2003

MAR 22, 2005 11:04 AM

legionnaire said:

Michael_DeSade said:

Frank said:
So... He gave a bunch of money to a children's hospital?

While packing a .38, apparently.....oh the humanity!!

He wasn't in Australia at the time though, was he?

adjunct

Philadelphia, PA

July 2002

MAR 22, 2005 11:12 AM

legionnaire said:

Michael_DeSade said:

Frank said:
So... He gave a bunch of money to a children's hospital?

While packing a .38, apparently.....oh the humanity!!

I think, more to the point, he seems to be treading on thin ice regarding the smuggling aspect. The first story mentions that you need to get clearance to carry that much Australian money out of the country (hence smuggling), regardless of whether or not you're packing a.38 as protection from� I dunno, what's a .38 going to do in a country full of people carrying semiautomatic rifles? It seems like a bit of a stupid move, IMO.