Gang of four talk tough on Tripodi

By Eamonn Duff (Sun Herald 14 Jan 01)

Four State political parties have joined forces to declare war on one man - Labor's sex scandal MP Joe Tripodi.

The Liberals, Unity, the Greens and the Democrats have all pledged to field their best candidates in Mr Tripodi's Fairfield electorate, even though an election is two years away.

The aim is to give the community a "real long-term alternative" and, initially, "to provoke Mr Tripodi into acting like a proper parliamentarian should".

Democrats Leader Arthur Chesterfield Evans said:

"We are united in the belief that this electorate, above all others, deserves better."

Mr Tripodi said: "I believe Unity and Labor are not dissimilar in policy although understandably at election time we go down separate paths."

On the Greens and the Democrats' pledge to campaign in Fairfield, Mr Tripodi said: "They don't represent issues that are important to my electorate. Good luck to them."

December's ICAC investigation revealed damaging details about Mr Tripodi's behaviour in Parliament on the night of September 14.

It confirmed he was caught in a compromising situation which led to a 21-year-old woman filing a sexual assault complaint with police.

The inquiry also found that Labor's Kogarah MP Cherie Burton had lied about what she saw that night to protect Mr Tripodi.

The ICAC revelations prompted several low-key meetings between the cross-party group.

The alliance was fast-tracked when Mr Tripodi ended four months of hiding to give three newspaper interviews.

In The Fairfield Champion, Mr Tripodi claimed that his electorate viewed the matter as trivial and would still support him.

This contradicts a Sun-Herald survey which found that few were ready to back the embattled MP fully.

Unity's Peter Wong had similar feedback.

"If there was an election tomorrow, he would be gone," Mr Wong declared.

Multicultural crusaders Unity boast the best chance of breaking Labor's grip on the area.

Unity's Fairfield councillor Thang Ngo said: "If my support continues to grow in the way it has, I will step forward for the election."

Greens leader Lee Rhiannon said research showed Mr Tripodi had alienated himself from women voters.

"Mr Tripodi has presented his actions as being nothing out of the ordinary. He has been involved in a Labor Party campaign to slur the young girl, which I found particularly sickening," she said.