Speaker Shane Rattenbury investigated the use of Corporate Services funds, by Coe and Dunne to pay pamphlets that  criticised the ACT Labor Government.

“In examining the matter I have ascertained that the advice of the Secretariat’s Corporate Services Office was sought on the content of a proposed publication before it was printed but that the published version included additional material that was not subject to any advice from Corporate Services,” Rattenbury said.

“I have determined that the additional material is of a party political and campaign nature.

“The language used in this additional content includes a headline criticising ‘ACT Labor’ which is precisely the sort of language that election candidates and political parties use in their campaign material.”

Rattenbury said the production and distribution of the pamphlet could not be paid for using public funds and has told the Coe and Dunne to work with Corporate Services to “make the necessary adjustments to ensure that public funds do not pay for the publication”.

The Government has described the incident as “another sneaky attempt by the Canberra Liberals to circumvent the expenditure guidelines for members of the Legislative Assembly”.

“After being forced to repay $10,000 of taxpayers’ money for claiming funds aimed at easing the financial burden of community volunteers, and after their Leader was found by McLeod to be insensitive to due process because of questions about the management of his office, we are again faced with behaviour that shows nothing but contempt for proper process and the use of taxpayers’ money,” Labor backbencher John Hargreaves said.

Mr Hargreaves said the Government hopes this is an “end to the Liberal Party’s misuse of taxpayers’ money for electioneering purposes”.