Heffernan's homophobia, Update

I commented on this originally here.

An interesting editorial in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday:

The Liberal Party has grossly mishandled allegations of homophobic misconduct by Tony Abbott's NSW enforcer, Senator Bill Heffernan. Senator Heffernan has admitted that, at a rowdy branch meeting in May, he effectively outed a gay 67-year-old party member, Ray Carter, and called him a derogatory and homophobic name.

But the Liberal Party doesn't want to acknowledge the truth.

Mr Carter's original allegation, published in The Sunday Telegraph, included a claim that Senator Heffernan had pushed him. CCTV footage of the event indeed shows the Senator laying his hand on Mr Carter -- but police say the encounter does not justify a charge of assault.

The Liberals' spin is Senator Heffernan has been exonerated.

That is patently untrue, and wantonly mischievous.

Today's full story leaves no doubt Senator Heffernan uses homophobia and intimidation to achieve his ends.
Senator Heffernan has admitted he spoke in disparaging terms about Mr Carter's sexuality and called him "a poof", as witnesses have detailed.

This spat is at the centre of an ugly factional brawl on the Central Coast, where the forces of the party's Right are split and the Liberal head office -- backed by the authority of Tony Abbott -- is enforcing its will.

Allegations swirl from the Heffernan side that Mr Carter and other allies of powerbroker Chris Hartcher illegally collected developer donations, which they deny. State president Arthur Sinodinos, secretary Mark Neeham and federal leader Tony Abbott are allowing Senator Heffernan to run rampant with behaviour that would get him sacked in any other field of endeavour.

Last week, in a rival publication, Heffernan claimed "gay friends" were very upset he had been called a homophobe. Really? In 2002, Senator Heffernan falsely accused the High Court judge Justice Michael Kirby of trawling for under-age prostitutes. Heffernan, who used parliamentary privilege for the attack, was censured by the Senate and forced to apologise.

A gracious Kirby said: "I hope my ordeal will show the wrongs that hate of homosexuals can lead to." It's a lesson Senator Heffernan -- and the NSW Liberals -- clearly didn't heed.
Link

This is a man from a bygone era. How the fuck he gets voted in is beyond me. He's either a really good bullshit artist, or his constituents are equally as stupid as him.