http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/wa/content/2006/s2637150.htm

Mrs Ramsay Catania was particularly offended by Mr Ripper’s accusations that her husband did not spend enough time in his electorate.

She was “basically a single mother” because her husband was away so much with work commitments. The couple, who will celebrate their first wedding anniversary tomorrow, have homes in Carnarvon and East Victoria Park.

“When Parliament’s sitting, he is in Perth but the hours are very unfriendly so by the time he gets home, Nicholas is in bed and I’m in bed,” she said.

“When Parliament is sitting, he’s in Perth but we don’t see him. When Parliament’s not sitting, he’s in the electorate. We travel with him as much as we can and as much as is feasible.”

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=146&ContentID=157978

Agreed. Perhaps it’s just semantics, perhaps it’s just that I’d prefer to think that he’d not achieved anything of significance, other than achieving preselection, rather than give him the credit for reshaping internal Labor politics.

Also, it’s worth reminding people about the “no sockpuppets” rule — especially when one character is presenting himself as a “well placed WA Labor insider” and the other is claiming to just be a bloke from Adelaide who now lives in Melbourne and has nothing to do with WA politics.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/26/2636548.htm

I reject the suggestion that I have ‘interests’….I don’t live or work in WA, and to be frank couldn’t really care less what Vince Catania does with his time any more. He ratted, sure, but life will go on.

I have a few views about Labor policy and general politcal strategy, but what job I do or don’t have is irrelevant. I’m not pushing a candidate or a policy, and if you want to argue the points I’m making fine. But who I worked or didn’t work for isn’t really relevant, is it?

If I was Vince’s current staffer, or worked in Rippers office now or aspired to do so, that’d be different. But I don’t so it isn’t.

I’ll be happy to disclose all my positions when everyone else does

I will say, however, that it’s unfortunate that Helen Bullock’s seen as a city person. As a qualified, experienced practising accountant who was based on-site in a fly-in-fly-out role for a mining company for 4 or 5 years prior to her election, she’s pretty well connected and experienced to speak for the region she represents.

Catania says the decision to defect was based on disagreements with Ripper about the direction Labor was heading.

In a letter to Ripper this month Catania accuses Labor of having lost direction, having become city-centric, having ignored former senator Robert Ray’s report into Labor’s disastrous 2008 election loss and having an unpopular leader who was not improving.

But sources close to the North-West MP say the real reason for the defection was that he was spooked by the amount of money the National Party had at its disposal to pork-barrel the bush through Royalties for Regions funding.

It’s claimed Catania decided to join the party he believed was best placed to win North-West at the next election.

Ultimately Catania’s electorate will decide his fate.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25834932-5005374,00.html

“Catania is a country member”.

Ok, I’ll remember.

The National Party has broken its promise to discount Government Regional Officers’ Housing (GROH) rental charges for police, teachers and nurses working in rural and remote areas, Member for North West Vincent Catania said today.

“At the last election the National Party made an unrealistic promise to discount rental charges for teachers, police and nurses by up to 50 per cent and provide rent free accommodation for officers serving more than three continuous years in regional WA,” he said.

“That promise, as well as an additional commitment to provide 2000 new houses, is not provided for in the Government’s budget or the four year financial plan.

“The National Party made unsustainable promises to its voters and will be held accountable for its failure to honour these promises.”

Mr Catania said a number of police branches had raised the issue of GROH at the WA Police Union of Workers conference.

“Regional police branches are questioning why the Nationals have broken its promise, why routine maintenance is not being carried out in a timely way and why larger families are being forced to live in sub-standard housing,” he said.

“The Barnett Government has a responsibility to ensure that police, teachers and nurses have access to suitable accommodation that is adequately maintained.

“Regional officers and their families who have made the decision to relocate to work in some of the most rural locations in the State deserve to have access to housing that suits their needs.

“The National Party misled the voting public at the last election by making a promise that was impossible to fund and now the officers posted in these areas deserve to know why.”

http://www.wapou.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113&Itemid=61

Vince certainly walked some significant numbers (enough to get an MP up) over the fence when he left – and he was, arguably, the first to break the New Right solidarity when he did so.

Liam:

It’s not so much about everyone having to disclose, it’s about Luke being deliberately disingenuous about his interests in the matter, despite a number of the people on thread knowing exactly who he is.