Labor pollster hangs on to $200,000

A BRAWL has erupted between Labor and its pollsters over demands for the refund of $200,000 for “research” in Kevin Rudd’s seat of Griffith.

A BRAWL has erupted between Labor and its pollsters over demands for the refund of $200,000 for election-eve “research” in Kevin Rudd’s seat of Griffith that was funded by a secret overseas donation to the then prime minister’s local ALP branch.

UMR Research Australia has refused to return the money after Queensland Labor officials sent a letter of demand this week following legal advice that the donation from Taiwanese businessman Kung Chin Yuan may have breached electoral laws.

The donation from the former prime minister’s long-time friend was paid directly into the Griffith electorate branch bank account on September 3, allegedly without the knowledge of the state and federal Labor officials who are legally responsible for campaign contributions.

Within hours, the money was handed over to UMR, which says it paid for a “program of research” involving focus groups and “robo” calls to voters — commissioned by Mr Rudd during last year’s federal election campaign.

The 26-member administrative committee of Queensland Labor voted on Wednesday to demand that UMR refund the $200,000 so it could be returned to Mr Kung. But UMR, which has been Labor’s pollster for a decade, is refusing to do so.

ALP state secretary Anthony Chisholm said Labor was still pursuing the money.

ALP officials discovered the donation earlier this month during an audit that was ordered after the Griffith federal electoral council failed to file its twice-yearly financial report to head office in late January.

Bill Shorten said yesterday that Queensland Labor should refund the money to Mr Kung if it believed it had breached electoral laws. Speaking in Melbourne, the Opposition Leader said he had no knowledge of the donation but any wrongdoing should be rectified.

“There are clear laws in Australia and the laws have got to be adhered to. Full stop. No excuses. No exceptions,” he said.

Under Queensland laws, any donation of $100,000 or more has to be disclosed to the state electoral commission within weeks of its receipt. Mr Rudd says all disclosures were the responsibility of the party.

Griffith electorate treasurer Lesley Henning told The Weekend Australian yesterday that the failure to declare the donation or file the report was his mistake:

“With the campaign, an overseas trip and then the by-election ... the whole thing got overlooked — it was an oversight.”