Wotif.com finances Greens party $1.6m

[nigelr]

Spot on with your PPS Lovey80, IMHO.
Would be the only thing that could save them, and not only in QLD.

[Smithy]

Sent an e-mail to the address Trueblue put up. Mentioned I will now be taking my bookings to Lastminute and Quickbeds instead. There are a couple of viable options for everyone if you are doing some accomodation bookings.

[hungry6]

I'm stunned at wotif actions.
We have a sizeable account I guess that wont be an option anymore for any of my staffs.

[Steeler]

Can you confirm Mark Robinson MP if the donation was made by Wotif as a company or was it provided by a director of Wotif in a personal capacity.

You are the OP so surely it would be nice to have you enlighten us to the truth.

[Mark Robinson MP]

My exchanges with Wotif about a $1.6 million donation to The Greens is below along with the company’s decision to use the Queensland’s Roadmap to Sustainability despite its effects on recreational fishers

From SUPERDAFF TO WOTIF (2)
Many thanks for your very prompt response – much appreciated.

I endorse a philanthropic approach to life and coincidentally, am a very willing and active financial supporter of two of the charities in your charity partnerships.

But it’s also my understanding that Mr Graeme Wood remains an Executive Director of Wotif (albeit it no longer CEO) – is that not correct?

If so, does that not then make your reference (below) to him having “stepped out of his executive role” with Wotif somewhat misleading?

Further, that Wotif states on its web site that it supports environmental sustainability and in doing so, “adopts the Queensland Government’s Business Sustainability Roadmap as a guide to taking sustainability into our offices and business practices”.

Perhaps that’s where the problem sits. As just one example, on the pretext of environmental sustainability, the Queensland Government declared Green Zones without first undertaking robust scientific research; its departmental staff admitted that much of the research was based merely on a phone poll; the department then published a guide to those Green Zones in which it disclaims all the information provided therein ; it then didn’t even bother to physically mark all the Green Zones, but sought to infer otherwise in Parliament; and to add even further insult to those such as myself who really are committed to sustainable environmental practices, then had the temerity to use pink maritime marks that don’t even exist, in its Green Zones guide. (The non-existent markings arise from conflicts between the Transport Department and the EPA).

By the way, the waypoints published in the Notice To Mariners by Marine Queensland for the artificial reef off Peel Island in Moreton Bay (which the Minister in her press releases mistakenly called West Peel Island and Marine Bay) also were incorrect.

All in all not much of a roadmap for sustainability – more like a recipe for incompetence ... as are the matters I originally raised in terms of The Greens.

Having said that, I again thank you for your impressively quick response and simultaneously, re-acknowledge that Mr Graeme Wood is rightfully and without constraint, entitled to decide where he spends his money ... as am I.

FROM WOTIF TO SUPERDAFF
Hi John

Thank you for your email and for voicing your concerns about Graeme Wood’s donation made during the 2010 federal election campaign. I very much appreciate your feedback.

I would like to emphasize that the donation was made by Graeme in his personal capacity . As you may be aware Graeme has been very active in a number of philanthropic and private endeavours since he stepped out of his executive role at Wotif.

As a publicly listed company Wotif.com Holdings Limited’s operations and actions are separate from any of Graeme’s personal activities. Wotif remains politically neutral, focussing only on providing the best accommodation booking experience for our customers.

I thank you for taking the time in contacting me with your concerns and hope that the above provides some additional clarification.

Kind regards

Robbie Cooke
Managing Director | Group CEO
Wotif Group


ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE FROM SUPERDAFF TO WOTIF
Wotif:

Despite having been an avid user and supporter of Wotif’s services, I am stunned and disappointed at the company’s $1.6 million donation to The Greens – a party, which among many other short-comings, opposed the broadscale roll-out of optic fibre cable when it was first proposed at the time of the Telstra privatiisation (and look at the$48 billion debacle we have today as a result); a party vehemently opposed to sustainable recreational fishing; a party that supports decriminalising illegal drug use; a party which supports the re-introduction of death duties – a taxation strategy that decimated struggling farming families in this country ... we could go on ad infinitum.

However, what perhaps best illustrates the modus operandi of The Greens is its policy to ban recreational fishing in 30 percent of Queensland’s coast before even undertaking studies of the biomass, its quantity, diversity and distribution. “Ban it, but don’t measure it first”.

I support your right to choose whom you wish to financially support – similarly I will be exercising my freedom of choice by not doing business with Wotif again and will be encouraging thinking friends and colleagues to do likewise.

Superdaff's answer covers it well

[SUPERDAFF]

I just love the banter between Lovey80 and Steeler - I really do.

Steeler (notice how I spelt your Nick properly). I am just keeping you in Check because you find it nessessary to be vocal on anything political that isn't Labor. When Labor makes a bad decision or stuffs up, instead of calling a spade a spade you would rather misdirect the anger on what other parties have done or would do. So when you try to keep everything not Labor in check, be assured I'll be right there keeping you in check.

P.S. Up until recent times I always said I would give my support to the party with the best policies at the time. QLD Labor and now Federal Labor have pushed me into the realm of "Who is the best that isn't Labor" Now who does that really leave?

At this point until LNP come up with some decent policies thats a fishing party or an independant.

PPS: In time of crisis democratic people tend to relelect the incumbent. I am praying to myself more and more any day that this flood doesn't save the most incompetent government in QLD and Australias history.

[Steeler]

Must say Mark Robinson MP you had a real opportunity to show some leadership on this issue and enlighten people to the real facts the truthful facts and prove to us all you are not your typical take the truth give it a self opportunist twist MP.

Yes Graeme Wood has rocks in his head for such a donation but to allow people to continue to believe this was a donation provided by the company Wotif and to punish Wotif for that is downright political opportunism and you know it.What Graeme Wood does with his own money is his perogative, you and i both may not like it but it was his money and not Wotif's.

People in your position have a moral obligation to clarify and ensure we public are truthfully informed.

By not clarifying this all you are doing is encouraging people to punish those who have absolutely nothing to do with this donation and some of those are Australians working for an Australian company.

Condone punishing the company and its employees who had nothing to do with the personal donation provided by Mr Wood thats a pretty sad way to earn a few popularity points.

[PinHead]

Must say Mark Robinson MP you had a real opportunity to show some leadership on this issue and enlighten people to the real facts the truthful facts and prove to us all you are not your typical take the truth give it a self opportunist twist MP.

Yes Graeme Wood has rocks in his head for such a donation but to allow people to continue to believe this was a donation provided by the company Wotif and to punish Wotif for that is downright political opportunism and you know it.What Graeme Wood does with his own money is his perogative, you and i both may not like it but it was his money and not Wotif's.

People in your position have a moral obligation to clarify and ensure we public are truthfully informed.

By not clarifying this all you are doing is encouraging people to punish those who have absolutely nothing to do with this donation and some of those are Australians working for an Australian company.

Condone punishing the company and its employees who had nothing to do with the personal donation provided by Mr Wood thats a pretty sad way to earn a few popularity points.

regardless whether an individual or his compnay made the donaion ...at least he had a say in where his money went. I wonder if every Union member gets to say if he wants part of his Union fees donated to the ALP? That is one reason why I will not join a Union again. Unions are the most non democratic group roaming free in this country.

[Steeler]

Ya nailed it Pinhead his money and his say,not Wotifs money and not Wotifs say.Marks thread title is unfortunately misleading.

Only believe half of what a polly tells and even less of what you read or hear from News Ltd.

[Mark Robinson MP]

Must say Mark Robinson MP you had a real opportunity to show some leadership on this issue and enlighten people to the real facts the truthful facts and prove to us all you are not your typical take the truth give it a self opportunist twist MP.
.

Steeler. You must be a platinum member of the ALP by now with your defence of the indefensible anti-fishing policies of your party. Rec fishers like the late Tom Burns are long gone from the Labor party. The modern ALP has suffered from a toxic Green algal bloom that has suffocated any pro-fishing voice within. Your defence of the Labor-Green alliance is proof of that reality.

The best thing you could do is dump your friend Anna Bligh, Qld's worst Premier ever, and join the only major party that is defending the rights of boaties and fishers to fish, that is, the LNP. Happy to send you a membership application.

Here is your chance to be true to the fisherman within you (if he still exists).

Note I may not be online for a few days as I am very busy with Brisbane flood relief work at the moment.

Mark

[Mike Delisser]

As some one who's super holds Wotif shares, I wish you'd correct your post title Mark.

[Steeler]

Nope not a platinum ALP member,actually a huge fan of Malcom T.

Nope not a friend of Bligh, i reside in NSW and KK can go to billyio along with her expense rorting colleagues.

Don't have the same money as Clive or aircraft to lend the LNP so i would be no good to you.

Yep am a true fisherman,just won't buy your politically motivated misleading thread title.

And your efforts in the QLD flood relief effort are very much admired and appreciated.

[Steeler]

As some one who's super holds Wotif shares, I wish you'd correct your post title Mark.

Won't happen Mike,the company from a political perspective is the softer target not Mr Wood.

[Steeler]

I just love the banter between Lovey80 and Steeler - I really do.

I would gladly shout lovey80 a beer,have to be Tooheys though not that XXXX rubbish.

[SUPERDAFF]

I would gladly shout lovey80 a beer,have to be Tooheys though not that XXXX rubbish.

C'mon Steeler, now you're just being bloody confrontational.
SUPERDAFF