Sabotage fear over campaigning MP's crash bus

INDEPENDENT NSW MP Peter Besseling has rejected speculation that his campaign bus was unroadworthy before it was involved in an accident on Wednesday that left three people in hospital.

Sabotage fear

INDEPENDENT NSW MP Peter Besseling has rejected speculation that his campaign bus was unroadworthy before it was involved in an accident on Wednesday that left three people in hospital.

In the wake of the collision, Mr Besseling, the member for Port Macquarie on the state's mid-north coast, claimed the bus may have been tampered with, and that the possible sabotage could be linked to a dirty-tricks campaign in his electorate.

He told The Australian last night that the bus was last serviced on January 23, and had travelled only about 1000km since.

"It would be irresponsible to jump in a bus that we didn't know is in good condition," he said.

Mr Besseling vigorously rejected speculation he had raised the spectre of foul play as a cover-up. He said the only reason he had mentioned sabotage was because he had received mechanical advice that "sump plugs do not just fall out".

He said he had borrowed the bus from a campaign supporter, Daniel Parish, who lived in nearby Herons Creek.

Mr Besseling said he did not know what the bus had been doing before he began using it, but he thought it was not the same bus he had used for his last campaign.

He said he understood the bus had at one time been a State Transit Authority bus, "but could not be completely certain".

The accident occurred at 7.40am on Wednesday, when a car travelling on the Oxley Highway outside Port Macquarie collided head-on with a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. Police later determined the car had skidded on oil released from Mr Besseling's campaign bus. Last night, NSW police confirmed the accident was the result of an oil leak from Mr Besseling's bus. But a mechanical examination of the vehicle left police unable to determine the exact cause of the oil leak.

Vehicle investigators will prepare a written report, which will be submitted as part of the investigation into the three-vehicle collision.

"If it's confirmed that they can't rule out tampering then I'm not prepared to put the bus back out and risk people's safety," Mr Besseling said. "If a sump plug is missing and a bus has already done 1000km since its last service, you can understand why I'm suspicious and why I referred it to police."

A spokeswoman for Peter Besseling, Sharon Fuller, said Mr Besseling's father, Col, had driven the bus back from a meet-and-greet session with candidates in the village of Harringon about 50km from Port Macquarie, and had parked it outside his home in King Creek overnight.

Ms Fuller said Col Besseling had driven the bus barely one kilometre from his home when the oil warning light came on.

Mr Besseling visited the injured in hospital yesterday.