Kiama MP is getting on with the job
Kiama MP is getting on with the job
September 24, 2008
Section: Opinion
THE dust has settled and Matt Brown is now burying himself in his work.
The Member for Kiama made his first public outing on Saturday night, donning his tuxedo for the Kiama Regional Wine Show dinner and awards night at bellachara boutique hotel in Gerringong.
It was obvious Mr Brown had plenty of supporters and well-wishers as he mingled with the crowd during pre-dinner drinks.
On Monday Mr Brown granted me an interview about his return to work, although he refused to discuss the events of the previous two weeks.
And perhaps that is fair enough – it has gone on for long enough and our MP now deserves to be left in peace and get back to the business of serving the Kiama electorate.
Some criticism has been levelled at me for the way we reported Mr Brown’s resignation and the circumstances surrounding that.
One correspondent suggested that the Independent being denied an interview was not news.
We agreed to disagree.
But I would argue that if I had have ignored the issue then I also would have been criticised – damned if I did and dammed if I didn’t.
I believe it was the right decision – and this was reflected in solid sales of the Kiama Independent last week; people must have wanted to read about it.
The Independent has supported Matt Brown’s positive steps in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
But, as with any public figure, if there is a story to be told in the public interest, we will report on it.
– Mark Bransdon
