Libs hire PM's son for Spam Blitzes

By Mike SeccombeAugust 28, 2004
At least another three senior members of the Howard Government are using a software company of which the Prime Minister's son, Tim, is a director to deliver spam email to their electorates.
The Health Minister, Tony Abbott, the Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, and parliamentary secretary Ross Cameron are all using Net Harbour for their electronic campaigns.
The NSW Liberal Party said on Thursday that it had contracted Net Harbour to distribute "spam" email in John Howard's seat, Bennelong.
In a peculiar financial round robin, the party paid the company and Mr Howard then reimbursed it "from his own pocket".
But it is now clear the arrangement was more than Mr Howard privately helping out his son's struggling business enterprise - the contract with the NSW division of the party applies to a number of other MPs.
The activities of Tim Howard's company involve exploiting a loophole in the Government's anti-spam laws, which make it illegal for companies to send unsolicited bulk email. The legislation does not apply to political parties or, apparently, commercial organisations working on their behalf.
The Opposition spokeswoman on information technology, Kate Lundy, yesterday said that because Net Harbour was a commercial operation it could be acting illegally.
From Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/27/1093518092781.html