Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

Evans scorns Jones view of Packer affair
Government Senate leader Gar
eth Evans said yesterday that
ALP national president Harry
Jones had not known what lie
was talking about when he en
tered the debate on media owner
ship at the weekend.
Senator Evans said Mr Jones
had an idiosyncratic view or the
media ownership controversy.
Mr Jones appeared to under
mine claims by Prime Minister
Paul Keating and other ministers
that a deal existed between Oppo
sition Leader John Howard and
media magnate Kerry Packer to
change media ownership laws.
Mr Jones suggested instead
that Mr Keating had based his al
legation on "a reasonable hypoth
esis that there had been some
level of discussion" between the
men, and said ho preferred the
term "understanding" to describe
any agreement.
The Prime Minister, Paul
Keating, yesterday dismissed Mr
Jones's comments playing down
Mr Heating's claim of a deal.
Asked about Mr Jones's week
end remarks, Mr Keating said:
"On these things, don't worry
about Barry's view.
"The key view on this is my
own."Senator Evans said Mr
Jones had not known what he
was talking about.
"Mr Jones also had the good
sense to acknowledge lie didn't
know what he was talking about
on that or indeed anything else
that he opened his mouth about
in that unfortunate interview on
Sunday," Senator Evans said.
"The truth of the matter is that
Mr Jones is not in a position to
know what the nature of any in
formation that was held privily
by the Prime Minister might be
about this extremely sensitive
matter."
none Help
Barry Jones: idiosyncratic
$