Ross Cameron

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The Honourable
 Ross Cameron
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Parramatta
In office
2 March 1996 – 9 October 2004
Preceded by Paul Elliott
Succeeded by Julie Owens
Personal details
Born 14 May 1965 (1965-05-14) (age 46)
Sydney
Nationality Australian
Political party Liberal Party of Australia
Relations Jim Cameron (father)
Occupation Lawyer

Ross Alexander Cameron (born 14 May 1965), Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to October 2004, representing the Division of Parramatta, New South Wales. He was one of only three coalition members to lose their seat in the 2004 election. The son of Jim Cameron, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, he was born in Sydney, New South Wales, grew up in Turramurra in Sydney and was educated at Knox Grammar School and Sydney University. He was a lawyer before entering politics. He was policy adviser and research officer to the New South Wales Minister for Transport, Bruce Baird, and an intern to United States Republican Senator Mark Hatfield.

Contents

Member of Parliament

Cameron was elected to parliament in the 1996 Federal election, winning the Division of Parramatta from the sitting Labor member Paul Elliot. A noted orator, he delivered his maiden speech to the House of Representatives without notes.[1] Cameron held the traditionally Labor seat of Parramatta for three terms. At the 2004 Federal election, he lost his seat to Labor candidate Julie Owens.

While a member of parliament, Cameron was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Family and Community Services from 2001–2003 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (Peter Costello) 2003–2004.[2]

Cameron ran regular prayer meetings for politicians in his office in Parliament House.[3] Mark Latham former leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005, wrote of Ross Cameron in 1997: "Ross Cameron, the..... Liberal member for Parramatta, has talked me into participating in his youth leadership forum in Canberra. I rather suspect it's a front for mobilising Christian soldiers, plus some quality box for Ross'.[4]

Cameron ran an eight year campaign while in office against the Parliament House contemporary art collection.[5][6]

Christianity and The Fellowship

Cameron, along with several other Australian Politicians, has been associated with the American evangelical Christian organisation, The Fellowship/The Family by journalist Jeff Sharlett in the ABC program 'Elite Fundamentism – The Fellowship's gospel of Capitalist Power'.[7] US Senator Mark Hatfield, with whom Cameron served an internship, is a significant leader in the secretive organisation. Together with his brother Jock, Ross Cameron ran regular meetings and prayer breakfasts in Canberra while in office which were modelled on the Fellowship's cellular functioning in the USA. (see God Under Howard: The Rise of the Religious Right in Australia)[8][9][10] In aspects, The Fellowship has been criticised "as an "elite fundamentalism" that fetishises political power and wealth, teaches that laissez-faire economic policy is "God's will" and compares Jesus to “Hitler,Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Bin Laden” as examples of leaders who change the world through the strength of the covenants they had forged with their “brothers”. " (see Sharlet, Jeff (2008). The Family: Power, Politics and Fundamentalism's Shadow Elite. University of Queensland Press. ) as Cameron himself has done.[11]

Infidelity

In August 2004, Cameron revealed in an interview in Good Weekend that he had an extramarital affair with an "exotic solicitor" while his wife was pregnant with twins.[12] Cameron "was a frequent overnight visitor to the house his mistress shared with a reporter".[13] In Truth Overboard, journalist Tom Dusevic wrote in Time Magazine that once Cameron's story was in the public domain "...reporters in Canberra immediately ran with further details of Cameron's private life, unleashing stories they'd been sitting on for years" which included accounts of numerous other affairs which he had failed to disclose in the original interview with Good Weekend.[14][15] [16]

Mark Bahnisch wrote "He was probably.... unwise not to enquire of the “exotic solicitor”‘s flatmate what her occupation was – she turned out to be a member of the Canberra Press Gallery – hence his pre-emptive confession"

Fairfax publication The Sydney Morning Herald later noted that Cameron "realised he had been so indiscreet – his lover shared a house with a News Limited journalist – that it would come out anyway".[17][18]

Richard Wilson in The culture of contempt notes that there had been a "deliberate decision by a number of journalists not to report the often open philandering of Liberal MP for Parramatta Ross Cameron..... (Penberthy, D., 2004, The Daily Telegraph, p. 26). " noting that these media outlets ignored the public's right to know.[19]Other media reports at the time claimed that sources said the incident was widely known among politicians, including Treasurer Peter Costello. Ex-Liberal Andrew Elder concluded in 2010 that "the Liberal Party.... insisted that Cameron be married before he could be endorsed and go to Parliament. In marrying – a public display of his private life – Cameron's challenge was to find an avowedly Christian woman who did not mind his sexual infidelity but did not practice it herself: a tough ask, impossible for our Ross. When the inevitable happened in 2004, Ross decided to go public. Accept me as I am, he insisted: I'm going to talk family values but I won't practice it. Mrs Cameron realised that there was more dignity in abandoning this farce than standing by to prop it up."[20]

Cameron moved out of the family home shortly after the publication of the Good Weekend article and the marriage ended.

After Parliament

Following the revelations of infidelity, Cameron lost his seat in the 2004 federal election.

After his departure from parliament, he joined Macquarie Bank's Investment Banking Group, working primarily on partnerships between the public and private sectors. He left Macquarie in 2008.[21]

Cameron was a founder and original board member of MyATM, along with former bankrupt Don Fleming,[22][23] Kym Weir, Tim Scala and Grant Chapman. According to The Business Spectator he bought 15,787,600 shares for $3,946,900 on April 1, 2010 and April 2, becoming a substantial shareholder with 15,787,600 shares (7.52%). In a written statement outlining controversial business man Mr Fleming's involvement with the company, Mr Scala said: "Don Fleming founded My ATM jointly with Ross Cameron and myself"[24]

The company was initially banned by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) from public release on the Australian stock exchange after queries concerning the viability and public interest in the company as well as the claim of a 20% projected profit guarantee for investors.[22][25][26] On eventually floating in January 2011, the MyATM share price fell from its open of .21c to .009c in the first seven months of trading, losing investors millions of dollars.[27][28][29] Cameron controversially resigned from the board of directors of MyATM four months after the public float, he remains on the board of Aussie ATM and My ATM New Zealand.[30].[31] On the 6th December 2011 My ATM appointed a voluntary administrator to take control of the company's assets, including those of its wholly owned subsidiaries Aussie ATM's Pty Limited and MYATM Pty Limited.[32][33] "In the 2011 financial year My ATM Holdings reported a net loss of $15.7 million."[34][35][36] "The collapse is a considerable embarrassment for all those involved.... The involvement of... former federal Liberal politician and director who resigned earlier this year, Ross Cameron, gave MyATM a high-profile in South Australia."[37][38][39]

Potential return to politics

In September, 2011 Cameron said he may run for a seat at the next federal election and had discussed the matter with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. While he ruled out running for his old seat of Parramatta, Liberal sources said he was considering putting his hand up for seats such as Dobell, Robertson or Kingsford Smith or the Senate, but it would depend on how his business interests were going.[31]

References

  1. ^ "The right thing". The Age (Melbourne). 14 August 2004. http://www.theage.com.au/news/General/The-right-thing/2004/12/03/1101923275265.html. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
  2. ^ "Biography for CAMERON, the Hon. Ross Alexander". Parliament of Australia. http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fallmps%2F3K6%22. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
  3. ^ "In God They Trust". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 April 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081621834807.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
  4. ^ The Latham diaries – Google Books. Books.google.com.au. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=y37tVHOGWSoC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=mark+latham+quality+box&source=bl&ots=Y7AUYzC9ES&sig=-c1iTjfcTlm1vQ29xF9I6bLMm0w&hl=en&ei=poj7Sp7QI46PkQXMtoCfBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 
  5. ^ "Just Say No To Art". The Art Life. 13 April 2004. http://theartlife.com.au/?p=47. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  6. ^ "7.30 Report – 07/04/2004: Art collection questioned". Australia: ABC. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1083488.htm. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  7. ^ "The Religion Report – 3 September 2008 – Elite Fundamentism – The Fellowship's gospel of Capitalist Power". Australia: ABC. 3 September 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/stories/2008/2353921.htm. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  8. ^ Toohey, Paul (19 February 2010). "Good God, it's Tony Abbott". Adelaide Now. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/good-god-its-tony-abbott/story-e6frebsu-1225832316553. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  9. ^ "In God they trust – National". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 April 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081621834807.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  10. ^ "God under Howard: The rise of the religious right in Australia – Reviews". The Age (Australia). 26 February 2005. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/23/1109046981178.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  11. ^ om een reactie te plaatsen! (20 February 2011). "PDF 16 February 2011 Ross Cameron 5/6". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aTijjSExBo&feature=related. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  12. ^ "Liberals' dilemma as Cameron fights on". The Sun-Herald. 22 August 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/21/1092972819021.html. 
  13. ^ "Campbell's outing: public has a right to know the truth". The Australian. 21 May 2010. 
  14. ^ Dusevic, Tom (25 August 2004). "Truth Overboard". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,687519,00.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  15. ^ Kerr, Christian (29 August 2011). "It's not sex but lies that cause trouble". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/its-not-sex-but-lies-that-cause-trouble/story-e6frg996-1226124022801. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  16. ^ "The former flatmate of the woman yesterday recalled Mr Cameron showering and dressing himself in the bathroom of the apartment on at least two occasions in winter 2001. At other times, Mr Cameron could be found in the kitchen making coffee. The MP was unaware his lover shared the apartment with a reporter. At the time of the affair the woman worked as a Commonwealth DPP solicitor. She has moved to Washington. The pair hit it off when Mr Cameron revealed he had trained as a solicitor and worked for top firm Blake Dawson Waldron. "How MP betrayed his pregnant wife Telegraph August 17, 2004
  17. ^ "One of the few casualties of the recent Australian election on the Coalition side was the former member for Parramatta, Ross Cameron, who combined a public confession of an affair with an “exotic solicitor” (whatever that may mean), with a practice of sending out Christmas cards with pictures of his smiling family and appropriate Biblical verses. I’d be inclined to agree with Michael Howard that MPs’ private lives are their own business, but perhaps Mr Cameron’s loud trumpetting of his “family values” and “Bible-believing Christian” credentials contributed to the willingness of the media to run with the story. He was probably also unwise not to enquire of the “exotic solicitor”‘s flatmate what her occupation was – she turned out to be a member of the Canberra Press Gallery – hence his pre-emptive confession." "http://clubtroppo.com.au/2004/11/14/anarchy-in-the-uk/
  18. ^ [1]"Ironically, the other big story of the week involved not ugly lies but an ugly truth. Ross Cameron was the religious right's point man in Parliament. He hosted weekly prayer meetings in his office, he lectured all and sundry on family values, he was a second-generation, evangelical Christian. He was also such a monumental pants man and hypocrite that even he couldn't stand himself any more, so he 'fessed up. Well, that's his story. More likely he realised he had been so indiscreet – his lover shared a house with a News Limited journalist – that it would come out anyway. In any case, he clearly misjudged the way his confession would be received. Far from lauding him for his belated honesty, the tabloid media went in for the kill, contrasting the then pregnant wife at home with the "exotic" younger "party girl", etc, etc. After a few days of this, one Liberal strategist opined the person who could win Parramatta for the party now was Cameron's wife". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/20/1092972745285.html
  19. ^ Wilson, Richard (3 August 2006). "The Culture of Contempt". Tasmanian Times. http://www.tasmaniantimes.com/index.php/article/lords-of-the-forest. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  20. ^ "The Ross Cameron Moment". 18 May 2010. http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/2010/05/ross-cameron-moment-tony-abbotts-ego.html. Retrieved 15 April 2011. 
  21. ^ "Macquarie: government by private enterprise". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 2006. http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/macquarie-government-by-private-enterprise/2006/08/20/1156012410143.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2. Retrieved 7 June 2011. 
  22. ^ a b Hunt, Nigel (6 June 2010). "Bankrupt in link to Port Adelaide sponsor". Adelaide Now. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/bankrupt-in-link-to-port-adelaide-sponsor/story-e6frea83-1225875941652. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  23. ^ "Mr Fleming, who in 1990 was referred to in State Parliament as a "criminal" by then-Treasurer Stephen Baker, has previously been at the centre of Australian Securities and Investments Commission investigations and Australian Taxation Department investigations. In 1987, he was declared bankrupt with about $10 million in debts and in 1989 he was charged, and acquitted, of $25 million in tax avoidance in connection with a Tasmanian scallop boat fleet investment. In 2005, 10 companies run by Mr Fleming and his wife collapsed, leaving investors, including mums and dads, businesses and banks, $17 million out of pocket. The companies were involved in commercial property investments, grape seed crushing, pistachio farms and coconut plantations. The revelation that Mr Fleming has once again emerged as a major player in the business world has also prompted warnings from those who have lost money in his previous ventures." http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/bankrupt-in-link-to-port-adelaide-sponsor/story-e6frea83-1225875941652
  24. ^ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/bankrupt-in-link-to-port-adelaide-sponsor/story-e6frea83-1225875941652
  25. ^ "Financial Review – News Store". Newsstore.smh.com.au. 30 July 2010. http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=A37E2CC3685241E97BE2902F24D101C3?sy=afr&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1month&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=brs&cls=206&clsPage=1&docID=SMH1007309M4VD7K2JMK. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  26. ^ http://www.ecommercereport.com.au/?p=1067
  27. ^ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/former-mp-ross-cameron-a-right-loser/story-e6freuzi-1226059954388
  28. ^ "Tough withdrawal for My ATM". Afr.com. http://afr.com/p/business/technology/tough_withdrawal_for_my_atm_eYt94As2eJ3vNf2izxgOeM. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  29. ^ Tabakoff, Nick (21 May 2011). "Cashflow concern on My ATM | thetelegraph.com.au". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/cashflow-worry-as-investors-drop-my-atm/story-fn6e1lzz-1226059902531. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  30. ^ http://www.myatmnz.co.nz/myatm-board-members.html
  31. ^ a b [2]Template:Former mp Ross Cameron a right loser
  32. ^ http://www.asx.com.au/asx/research/companyInfo.do?by=asxCode&asxCode=MYA
  33. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-07/my-atm-administration-port-adelaide-sponsor/3716552?section=sa
  34. ^ http://www.finnewsnetwork.com.au/archives/finance_news_network19370.html
  35. ^ http://www.optuszoo.com.au/news/business/smh/my-atms-demise-no-bar-for-ezeatm/534979
  36. ^ Ayling, Phil (7 December 2011). "Korda gets the call as the money runs dry at My ATM". http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/korda-gets-the-call-as-the-money-runs-dry-at-my-atm/story-e6frg8zx-1226215541912. 
  37. ^ http://www.ecommercereport.com.au/my-atm-hits-the-wall-calls-in-administrators-kiwis-at-risk-from-myeftpos/
  38. ^ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/kordamentha-asks-for-atm-removal/story-e6frede3-1226236704321
  39. ^ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/south-australia-liberals-presidentgrant-chapman-expected-to-resign/story-e6frea83-1226237296840
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Paul Elliott		 Member for Parramatta
1996–2004		 Succeeded by
Julie Owens
Preceded by
Ian Campbell		 Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer
2003–2004		 Succeeded by
Chris Pearce
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ross_Cameron&oldid=472953554"
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