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October 18th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
THE head of a Senate budget estimates committee has rejected a claim by Greens leader Bob Brown that she prevented him from questioning Ombudsman Allan Asher at a hearing on Monday night.
Senator Brown yesterday claimed Labor senator Helen Polley refused to allow him to ask Mr Asher questions, despite giving Labor and Coalition senators access.
His claim came after Mr Asher apologised to the committee for having colluded with the Greens to have senator Sarah Hanson-Young ask him questions in May, allowing him to complain about underfunding of his office.
Senator Polley told The Australian yesterday that Senator Brown had not given the customary notice before the hearing about wanting to ask questions, so she had allocated no time in the committee’s program.
“If he had raised his intention to ask questions of the Ombudsman, I would have allocated time for it,” Senator Polley said. “There was no intention to gag Senator Brown. I think he’s making a mountain out of a molehill.”
She said Senator Brown had indicated he wanted to ask questions only after other senators had questioned Mr Asher about his actions. He had demanded “equal time” for questions, which she said was not in accordance with standard practice that his party was allocated question time commensurate with its Senate representation.
Earlier, Senator Brown said: “The Greens weren’t permitted to ask any questions, which is a matter I’ll be taking up with the president (of the Senate).”
It emerged last week that Mr Asher had sent Senator Hanson-Young a series of questions ahead of the estimates committee hearing.
She duly asked Mr Asher his self-written questions, and the Ombudsman then used his own testimony to issue a press release saying his $22 million budget was inadequate.
On Monday, a government official told the committee Mr Asher’s office had received no funding increase this year but had over several previous years.
Senator Hanson-Young yesterday stood by her actions, despite Mr Asher’s apology, referring The Australian to a media conference last week in which she said the information she had elicited from Mr Asher in May was in the public interest.
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