Gay smear file linked to Liberals

The Liberal Party has been caught using a gay smear campaign to embarrass and discredit one of its own.
The “dirt file”, first blamed on the Labor Party, has since been traced back to Liberal Party sources and consequently labelled the work of the party’s hard right faction.
Its emergence has angered officials close to the MP involved, who said the use of sexuality smears against a politician was sad and pathetic.
Although an opponent of same-sex rights, the MP is prominent in the moderate faction of the Liberals in his state and is a supporter of Treasurer Peter Costello. The MP’s seat is a marginal one and could be lost by a swing of less than seven percent.
Sydney Star Observer has decided not to print the name of the MP so as not to be seen condoning the use of gay smears as political ammunition.
The dossier, seen by SSO, claims a complaint was made against an MP for allegedly kissing another man at an unspecified Young Liberals function and that this individual set up a website in March claiming the MP was gay. It claims a “witness has seen him go to [a] bath house in Sydney on several occasions” and that it is “rumoured” the MP had a relationship with a staff member.
No names, dates or corroborating details are included that would back any of this up.
The dossier also includes a number of newspaper clippings showing that the MP and his wife underwent fertility treatment in order to conceive two of their children and that an AFL official once thought the MP had flirted with him.
An article from a News Ltd newspaper where the MP said gay marriage should be opposed is also included, along with anonymous comments posted on a blog that labels the MP as gay.
Despite providing no evidence or leads, the dossier then urges journalists to investigate.
A source close to the MP told SSO, “The use of homophobia in attempts to lie about and smear public figures for political gain is sad, pathetic and something from the dark ages. Positive politics will win out. Life goes on.”
The dossier was first brought to public attention by The Sunday Telegraph’s Glenn Milne who received the documents from a non-Labor source. Veteran journalist Laurie Oakes has also said he got the same information from a Liberal.
Right-wing political blogger Andrew Landeryou also had the dossier passed to him and believes it to be the work of members of the Liberals’ hard right “Uglies” faction – the same group who were implicated in the downfall of the moderate NSW Liberal leader John Brogden.
Outgoing Liberal MP Alan Cadman recently warned of the growing influence of the Liberals’ hard right after he lost preselection to the controversial former Young Liberals President Alex Hawke, named by Brogden as responsible for his downfall.