Fed: Turnbull's attack is an embarrassment: Newhouse

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2007
Fed: Turnbull's attack is an embarrassment: Newhouse

CANBERRA, Aug 23 AAP - The federal environment minister's attack on a confidant of
Prime Minister John Howard for campaigning against him is an embarrassment, Labor's candidate
for Wentworth says.

Geoffrey Cousins, a former adviser to Mr Howard and government appointed director of
Telstra, is lobbying against Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his seat of Wentworth
for not blocking Tasmania's proposed pulp mill.

Mr Turnbull accused Mr Cousins of bullying him to act against the law and said he was
not fit to be a company director.

Labor's candidate for the marginal inner Sydney seat of Wentworth, George Newhouse,
said the attack was an embarrassment for Mr Turnbull.

"Mr Turnbull's outburst is an embarrassment," Mr Newhouse told ABC radio.

Mr Newhouse said fast-tracking approval for the controversial Tasmanian pulp does concern
voters in his electorate.

"What the people of Wentworth do care about is the fact that Malcolm Turnbull is not
listening to them or to anyone in respect of his portfolio or in respect of their local
concerns," he said.

"I've had people who have come to me trying to make their point to Mr Turnbull and
he has ignored them he's refused to respond to them.

"He (Turnbull) hasn't abused them in the way that he's abused Geoffrey Cousins but
if that's the way he's treating Mr Cousins you can imagine the response that other people
in the electorate are getting on this (pulp mill) issue."

AAP sld/maur/de

KEYWORD: COUSINS NEWHOUSE

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