Turnbull denies fuel excise leak

Opposition treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has denied leaking correspondence in which he criticises the coalition's pledge to cut excise on fuel by five cents a litre.

Mr Turnbull's criticism of the policy - the cornerstone of Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson's budget reply speech last week - was contained in an email to Dr Nelson's chief of staff, The Australian reports.

Mr Turnbull's objection was that any temporary political gain from the excise cut was not worth the hit to the coalition's economic credibility, The Australian said.

But in a statement released Monday morning Mr Turnbull denies leaking the potentially damaging email.

"I refer to Glenn Milne's column in The Australian today which refers to correspondence and communications between myself and Dr Nelson," Mr Turnbull's statement said.

"Neither I, nor anyone acting on my behalf, disclosed the existence or the contents of the correspondence to The Australian.

"Naturally I support the policy measures announced in Dr Nelson's budget reply."

heraldsun 19 May 2008

Golden Rule : NEVER ADMIT !! Even if it has your signature (Howard AWB Scandal), your DNA or your iris or rectal (in the near future) scan.