Port Darwin candidate Toby George defends credentials after questions raised about political ads

A PROMINENT CLP candidate has defended the use of his education and work credentials after questions were raised about how he was using them in political advertising

A PROMINENT Country Liberal Party candidate has defended the use of his education and work credentials after questions were raised about how he was using them in political advertising.

Port Darwin CLP candidate Toby George, who most recently worked as a project manager on a $1.4 billion RAAF Base Tindal upgrade, has been referred to as an “educated candidate” who once worked as a marine conservation biologist.

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Mr George’s LinkedIn profile shows he attended Townsville’s James Cook University between 1999 and 2000 studying a Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology) and later went to Canberra’s Australian National University in 2002 to study a degree in GIS and remote sensing.

In a campaign ad on his Facebook profile, and in CLP advertising material, Mr George is described as a “former Marine Conservation Biologist for the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation”, which is where the questions have been raised as he did not graduate with a degree in marine biology from JCU nor a degree from ANU, though he does have a diploma of project management from Hunter TAFE.

CLP Port Darwin candidate Toby George. Picture Che Chorley

Mr George, through the CLP, confirmed he had never said he had graduated from either of those universities, only that he had studied at them.

“In the Philippines Mr George worked as Volunteer Marine Conservation biologist during a gap year after completing two years at JCU – he then went on to play rugby,” the spokeswoman said.

“Toby has spent the last 10 years working on or leading defence infrastructure projects in the Territory, most recently a $1.4 billion project – which was delivered on time, on budget and to scope – something the Gunner Labor Government will never understand or achieve.

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“Mr George stands by his qualifications, which are readily available.”

Mr George was dealt a blow in the knife-edge seat of Port Darwin this week when Territory Alliance made an eleventh-hour change to its preferences, putting Labor’s Paul Kirby ahead of the CLP instead.

Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills defended the move on Tuesday, saying it was “simply” a decision made by the candidate based on his opposition to fracking.