Anti-bank activist now a WA senator
Rodney Culleton, a candidate from Pauline Hanson's One Nation, was yesterday the tenth senator elected from Western Australia.Culleton's official biography at the party website plays up the loss of his business interests to ANZ, via Landmark, in 2012.Recently, Culleton "has been fighting for the farmers who are losing their properties to banks," the bio says.It quotes Culleton saying: "Many people do not realise that thousands of Australian farmers have faced a full assault by the banks. I stood and fought on principle to stop Australian farms being sold off to foreign interests."According to the One Nation site bio, Culleton "has been successful in putting the ANZ Bank in the spotlight to include events such as Charlie Phillott (of Winton, QLD), receiving an apology from the then CEO of the ANZ Bank, and having their property returned to the Phillott family. "Rod was instrumental in giving evidence into the joint committee of impaired loans, on behalf of affected growers. This resulted in major settlements being achieved with individual growers and sparked attention, paving the way for a Royal Commission."If nothing else, Culleton will be one more vote to woo with the carrot of a now deferred Royal Commission.A minor criminal conviction and another unresolved criminal charge may impact Culleton's eligibility to sit in the Senate.His "eligibility is in doubt, because he's awaiting sentence over a conviction in New South Wales for allegedly stealing a $7.50 key during an altercation with a tow truck driver," the ABC reported last week.And The Australian reports Culleton has pleaded not guilty to stealing a hire car being used by receivers attempting to repossess a friend's farm in WA last year.