FED:Mal Brough joins LNP

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2010
FED:Mal Brough joins LNP

(Eds: reissuing, clarifying lead)



By Andrea Hayward

CANBERRA, Dec 10 AAP - Former Howard government minister Mal Brough has joined the
ranks of the Queensland LNP, which he once described as an abomination.

Mr Brough said in a statement late on Friday most people would be aware of critical
comment he made regarding the LNP, particularly in its formative stages after he tried
to stop the merger of the coalition parties as Liberal Party president.

The former Queensland MP said he would run for preselection for the federal seat of
Fisher, aspired to be a minister in the coalition and harboured ambitions to be the prime
minister.

Whether he achieved the top job was another matter, he said, but it was important not
to pretend just to make up the numbers in politics.

"I want to have as senior a leadership role as I possibly can," he told Fairfax Radio.

When the Liberal and National parties merged in Queensland, Mr Brough, the former member
for the federal seat of Longman, said he would never join the LNP.

"These comments need to be seen in the context of what was occurring at the time," he said.

"Like many major political events, the decision to form the LNP was hotly debated.

"People of goodwill were on all sides of the debate - but as often happens, there were
some with ulterior motives that peddled misinformation and confusion, which was never
in the interest of the non-Labor side of politics."

Mr Brough said the LNP had fought several individuals and they had been expelled or
suspended since the merger.

"It is true to say that if I had known then what I know now about the LNP, those comments
would never have been made."

LNP director Michael O'Dwyer said LNP members had been accepting of Mr Brough's application
and there had been some excitement about him and his wife Sue joining the party.

"I think he's appreciated the honesty and openness and frankness with which the executive
of the LNP has gone through the process with him and he clearly understands what the LNP
is about and its transparency and appreciates it," Mr O'Dwyer told AAP.

"And he certainly recognises the LNP for what it is, especially following the success
of the LNP at the federal election.

"He's welcome on board and he's become a member of the party which is great, so we
just keep on growing."

Mr Brough said there were people who had been hurt by his earlier comments but these
had been discussed openly and honestly with the party.

In 11 years in federal politics, Mr Brough progressed to becoming a minister and was
a member of the Howard cabinet, in which he held the portfolios of families, community
services and indigenous affairs from January 2006 to November 2007.

He lost Longman at the 2007 federal election. It was regained this year by LNP MP Wyatt
Roy, the nation's youngest ever sitting MP.

AAP ah/jhp/nb

KEYWORD: BROUGH (REISSUING)

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