Victorian Premier Denis Napthine: MP porn claims bizarre and absurd

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine has lashed out at a former senior adviser who has alleged MPs traded in pornography.

Dr Napthine said the claims were from a disgruntled employee who is seeking $67,000 in redundancy payments

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine today lashed out at a former senior adviser who has alleged MPs were among senior Liberal figures who had traded in pornography.

Dr Napthine said the government’s former freedom of information officer Don Coulson had been sacked last year over a matter unrelated to the pornography scandal.

But in the process of cleaning out Mr Coulson’s office, pornography had been discovered, leading to the government seeking to oppose a payout for Mr Coulson.

Mr Coulson is now suing the Napthine government and has made a series of claims against Liberal figures, having previously worked in the office of former premier Ted Baillieu and only briefly for Dr Napthine.

Dr Napthine said the pornography that had been discovered in Mr Coulson’s office had been ``inappropriate’’ but not illegal.

Mr Coulson has reportedly claimed that he had loaned some of the pornography to Coalition MPs and advisers but has not dropped names, claiming today that he was aware MPs and advisers were using memory sticks to circulate sexually explicit material.

This, the ABC reported, was because they were barred from accessing pornography from government computers.

“In order to avoid breaching the codes of conduct certain material was physically handed around and I believe that material was found in my office,” the ABC quoted Mr Coulson as saying.

“The material was found in my office because everyone had access to my office.”

But Dr Napthine said the claims were from a disgruntled employee who is seeking $67,000 in redundancy payments plus costs.

``These claims are absolutely bizarre, absolutely absurd,’’ Dr Napthine said.

``Mr Coulson is a disaffected, sacked former employee. When his office was cleaned out there was totally inappropriate material found.’’

Dr Napthine said that he had no evidence that the pornography had been shared and that he had been informed the material was not illegal but was inappropriate.

The Coulson claims are extremely embarrassing for the government on the final day of parliament before the November 29 election.

The day was meant to have been dominated by the farewell of a string of MPs who are retiring.

But the government again finds itself dealing with scandal and dysfunction, much of which has emanated from within its own ranks.