Belinda Neal loses appeal against Amnesty expulsion

Once again, we are writing about Amnesty International Australia. Once again, we are focused on the organisation’s commitment to tortuous internal feuding rather than its work advancing the cause of human rights. Once again, outspoken former Labor senator Belinda Neal, of Iguana Joe’s fame, is at the centre of it all.

Neal, as CBD regulars may recall, was elected to Amnesty’s board in 2023 after four unsuccessful attempts. But last November, she was removed at an extraordinary general meeting shortly after winning a spot on Central Coast council, a gig apparently inconsistent with the organisation’s constitution.

Lawyer up! Belinda Neal, pictured in 2008, is caught in a legal stoush with Amnesty International Australia.Credit: Glenn McCurtayne

Neal has since lawyered up and is challenging that removal in the NSW Supreme Court. But in late December, she was expelled from Amnesty International altogether following an alleged breach of the organisation’s values and behaviours charter, an Amnesty spokesperson confirmed.

That removal was based on two “protected disclosures” and a confidential report by an independent investigator. In her response to the report, Neal called the allegations “imprecise, vague and unsupported by any evidence”.

On Wednesday night, Neal’s appeal against her expulsion was overwhelmingly rejected, with 95 per cent of general meeting voters voting against her readmission as a member and affirming her removal from the board.

Ahead of that, Neal wrote a statement repeatedly blaming her removal on what she rather ominously refers to as “the regime” in charge of Amnesty International.

She claimed her removal from the board after being elected to council violated Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, enshrining the right to take part in government.

“Actions by the regime to remove me as a director for taking part in the government is a parody of a human rights organisation,” she thundered.

In response, an Amnesty spokesperson said: “This claim has no legal merit and does not make sense.

“AIA are not preventing Ms Neal from participating in local government, and she continues to hold her local government position.”

In her statement, the former senator accused the organisation of overlooking voting irregularities at its last annual general meeting, allegations Amnesty said were “without basis”.

Neal also said she’d been “victimised, ostracised and harassed” due to her different views on the war in Gaza, claiming Amnesty had preferenced one side by giving insufficient coverage to the plight of Israeli hostages.

Still, despite Wednesday’s loss we can’t imagine Neal will go quietly, with the court proceedings still afoot. After all, don’t they know who she is?

Gareth goes south

SPOTTED: With federal parliament back this week, the usual swarm of lobbyists, staffers and miscellaneous grifters have descended on Canberra.

That includes former Liberal turned independent NSW MP Gareth Ward, who was seen dining at “the trough”, as the staff canteen which serves the inmates of Parliament House is affectionately known.

Ward, who faces trial this year over historic sex offences (which he denies) was evasive about the reason for his Canberra jaunt, telling us it was “just meetings”.

Let it go, lads!

As the 2025 poll inches closer, some of the Liberal casualties of the last election are getting back on the tools. Kind of.

Julian Simmonds and Jason Falinski, felled by the Greens and teals respectively, are the brains behind Australians for Prosperity, a new pressure group devoted to running back the greatest hits of free market technocracy – a taxpayer bill of rights, boosting productivity, cutting down on wasteful spending, bringing down housing costs and reforming industrial relations laws. Real sexy stuff.

While the group’s website has sections on “Keep the Greens focused” and “Keep the teals focused”, the boys aren’t just out here to settle old scores.

“This is about policy, not people – we’re going to be holding everyone’s feet to the fire,” Falinski told CBD.

Meanwhile, the former Mackellar MP has another project up his sleeve. He’s just unveiled a new podcast – Beyond Politics – co-hosted with former Australian Financial Review scribe Aaron Patrick, who in turn has a new gig as chief writer at Seven West Media’s big mining-backed online outlet The Nightly.

Speedy return

And so, the end of road for Jo Haylen, whose ministerial career began with a “jobs for mates” scandal she barely survived and ended after it was revealed she used a taxpayer-funded chauffeur to take her to a boozy lunch in the Hunter Valley.

Paying his own way: NSW Labor minister John Graham.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Meanwhile, Roads and Arts Minister John Graham is set to be sworn in as Haylen’s temporary replacement in the transport portfolio, a move that could become permanent. When the Haylen scandal smashed the state Labor government, Graham was in Birmingham in England to attend a nighttime economy summit, but hopped on the first flight home so he could get back earlier.

He’d been invited to speak at the conference, but didn’t think he could justify the flight, so took annual leave and bought his own ticket to the UK. We think there’s an important lesson there for any of his colleagues watching along.

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