Not hacked, whistleblower moment says Port Douglas radio presenter
LOCAL ELECTION
Allegations of Letter to the Editor crafting to supposedly promote a candidate has dogged the final days and hours leading into Saturday’s Local Government election in the Douglas Shire.
The actions have prompted threats of litigation with incumbent Mayor Julia Leu and a local radio presenter dominating this localised Shakespearian drama.
With the election now only hours away, Port Douglas radio presenter and FAB FM owner Paul Makin is sitting on a strongly worded email by Mayoral Candidate Julia Leu after he posted a podcast on Monday with accusations of Letter to the Editor crafting along with a number of high profile residents and former politicians.
In what clearly has added colour to an otherwise mundane and sedate election campaign, incumbent Mayor Leu has been named as participating in the crafting of a Letter to the Editor intended for the shire’s newspaper.
In an explosive podcast, Mr Makin said he had what he described as an email that “fell off the back of a truck” delivered to him.
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He reported that the email showed a number of high profile local Douglas Shire residents, including candidate Mayor Julia Leu, participating in the crafting of a letter to the editor that provides commentary on candidates Michael Kerr and Bruce Clarke.
Later in the Monday podcast, Mr Makin interviews mayoral candidate Michael Kerr who was left speechless and disgusted by the revelations.
In a second podcast on Tuesday, Mr Makin opens by saying his revelations must have created a wave through the community as “before sunset” he received an email from Saturday’s mayoral candidate (Leu) accusing the presenter of aiding and abetting an illegal hack of her private email and threatening costly litigation if he did not remove the podcast from the FAB FM website.
Mayor Leu went to social media saying: “I was shocked this week to discover that my private emails have been hacked. This is a crime in Queensland and I have reported it to the relevant authorities.
“However, I am even more shocked that in the midst of the biggest health and economic disaster that we have ever experienced, that our Local Government election has descended to such a low depth.
“This is my fifth election campaign and I have never experienced such toxic tactics by my opponents.”
Mr Makin says there are 12 names cc’d into the email string discussing the letter crafting, and that “there is no hacking of Julia's email”, but rather “a whistleblower moment from within the group.”
“And no I will not remove the podcast," he said.
In his Tuesday podcast, Mr Makin interviewed Councillor Candidate Bruce Clarke, whose name appears several times in the email.
Mr Makin says the emails’ vast cc or carbon copy group even includes three other 2020 election candidates.
Mr Makin has said he will fight any “costly litigation” threats until his last breath and last dollar saying “freedom of the press lays the groundwork of our society.”
“I won’t be silenced and will always stand up for the little guy, and after 56 years in journalism, I need to bring these things to light in the public interest.”
Mr Makin has sworn to continue his daily podcasts on the matter if the need arises.
Mr Makin’s podcasts are loaded daily to the Fab FM website
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