Payout for votes to Gavan O’Connor $22,000 for losing

Alex de Vos
FORMER member for Corio Gavan O’Connor has received a $22,000 taxpayer handshake despite losing last year’s federal election.
Mr O’Connor had already received $21,010 from the Australian Electoral Commission last year and this week received another $1100 in payments for votes received in the poll.
But Mr O’Connor, who retires from politics with a significant parliamentary superannuation fund, said the money wouldn’t cover the cost of his failed campaign.
The Australian Electoral Commission pays parties and candidates who get more than four per cent of first preference votes at elections.
Each first preference vote was worth about $2.10.
Payments for the 2007 federal election have totalled close to $50 million, the commission said.
The AEC this week made final payments to seven political parties and 15 independent candidates.
Payments were made in two stages – the first 95 per cent based on the number of votes received 20 days after the election and the final instalment once votes were finalised.
Mr O’Connor repeated he had to fund “several thousands” of dollars out of his own pocket for his campaign.
“These things are bloody expensive you know,” he said.
But Mr O’Connor refused to disclose the cost of his campaign.
He said it was a loss and he “was well in deficit”.
“I’m not going to really talk about the election fund,” Mr O’Connor said.
“I’m not going to disclose the cost (of the campaign).
“All I’ll say is that I funded quite a significant proportion of the campaign out of my own pocket.”
Mr O’Connor ran as an independent candidate after he was deposed at ALP preselection by union heavyweight Richard Marles.
Mr Marles won the election convincingly.