Mr. Burch has a problem with private sector employees using their corporate email addresses to sign political petitions:
"Forty six of them came from people who used their private e-mail addresses and were fine," he said. "Three of them came from persons who used their firm's e-mail. Where I come from, I think that's not normal.
"I wouldn't use the Government's e-mail system to send something personal. I think it was wrong."
...
"I'm not questioning anyone's right to their opinion," he said. "I just felt and I feel that if you use your employer's e-mail for anything personal, you have got to be wrong."
I have a question then.
How does he explain away using an explicitly apolitical civil servant from the Department of Immigration to pursue someone's employer over their political views - an act of political intimidation?
Private sector employees or employers have no obligation to remain apolitical, civil servants absolutely do.
If I were the recipients of these letters from a civil servant I'd be making a complaint to the Head of the Civil Service and the Ombudsman.
And one last point: this is the same Minister who sent out emails to people's corporate email addresses soliciting their political views on term limits.
