Dsmithy70 wrote on Jul 4^th, 2014 at 3:30pm:


That must have been awful for you. Mind you, the old boy's a Freudian. It's his religion, you see.

These people refuse to assimilate, you know.

Lambie enlisted in the Australian Army in 1989,[3] spending over ten years in the Australian Army specialising in transport management and military policing.[4] She achieved the rank of corporal but at one point was charged and reduced in rank after assaulting a fellow soldier while intoxicated.[5] During a field exercise in July 1997 she suffered injuries that resulted in severe backpain. Over some time she worked to regain her fitness and at one point had a breast reduction procedure paid for by the military in an attempt to alleviate pain she suffered. One day away from leaving for her first operational deployment in East Timor she discovered that due to her previous injuries she was not able to support the weight of her body armour and was eventually discharged for medical reasons (thoracic pain) in 2000.[6] She since been an advocate for veterans with the Returned Services League and involved in fundraising with the Burnie Chamber of Commerce, the Country Women's Association and Rotary.[4]

Dispute with the Department of Veterans Affairs[edit]

Lambie then commenced a protracted battle with the Department of Veterans Affairs which was not resolved until the case reached the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 2006. In the meantime the department had deemed that she was a malingerer and ceased paying her military pension in addition to the medical costs her condition was incurring. A private investigations firm took five hours of footage of Lambie performing various household tasks and this evidence formed the main basis for the department's refusal, however they later withdrew this evidence which resulted in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal accepting many of her claims but not those such as cupping therapy and gym memberships.[7]

Political career[edit]

Her political involvement began volunteering for Tasmanian Australian Labor Party senator Nick Sherry. In November 2011 she joined the Liberal Party of Australia and later decided to run for preselection for the Division of Braddon but was unable to afford the $2,000 nomination fee. Lambie has stated that she soon spoke with Liberal state director Sam McQuestin who she alleges told her that she would only be required to pay $100 of the nomination fee as he had located somebody who was willing to pay the rest of the fee on her behalf. After eventually losing the preselection ballot Lambie decided to announce that she would still run in the election as an independent but was later informed that under the party rules she had now voided her membership. When told of this she “flew off the handle and bolted", Lambie has said that she believes that she was encouraged to run for preselection to achieve a spoiler effect in the branch to allow Sam McQuestin's preferred candidate to win and stated: "I didn't realise that Liberal preselections were … forums for nasty factional fights... After I found out the truth, I felt used and soon resigned from the Liberal Party."

She then turned to the new party Palmer United Party founded by billionaire Clive Palmer as she said “I just didn’t have the money like the big players did for advertising.”[8]

In the 2013 federal election, Lambie picked up Tasmania's sixth Senate seat. She prevailed with a margin of about 15,000 votes over Liberal hopeful Sally Chandler and Robbie Swan from the Australian Sex Party. She has credited the final result of her win to "the big man upstairs" also saying "Once it gets to that point, it's up to God upstairs. There's not much else I can do about it."[9] Lambie has also stated that she prays every morning and night.[10]

In October 2013 she launched an attack on the The Greens, accusing them of having "destroyed all hope in Tasmania" and saying that the party should be subject to a Senate inquiry over the state's high unemployment rate. She said she had been gathering "intelligence" on Greens activities and when she had enough she would "throw it across the table".[11]

On the topic of National Service Lambie has stated that she supports a reintroduction:


"Maybe it is time we placed national service back on the agenda but reconfigured to suit today’s conditions … It’s time to teach [our youth] some respect, loyalty and honour."[12]

She has also stated that she opposes gay marriage:


"… where we are not prepared to compromise is the word ‘marriage’. We believe this sacred word is used for a commitment between a man and a woman … We are not prepared to compromise or question that of a higher power … the word marriage belongs to Australian grassroots, morals and those of the church."

In June 2014 Lambie referred to the Prime Minister

mozzaok wrote on Jul 4^th, 2014 at 2:58pm:


You don't like a pretty girl Mozz? Unlike you I'm not scared to say what I think ... and I'll bet many guys would have thought the same thing at one point or another ....
As for your threats of extended holiday, please enlighten me, exactly which rule is it breaking? Or do you get to ban people who you disagree with?

Dsmithy70 wrote on Jul 4^th, 2014 at 4:14pm:


What's your problem?

I'm positive that the AFP knows far more about personal protection and security than someone who received a less than honourable discharge from the Army after assaulting a fellow soldier and being demoted.

Dsmithy70 wrote on Jul 4^th, 2014 at 4:36pm:


  AND SO  I can still think she's a nutter.

chicken_lipsforme wrote on Jul 5^th, 2014 at 3:14pm:


Noone is suggesting otherwise, however, only Abbott has so heavily relied upon his family during (and as integral, planned deployment weapons) the election campaign

hermoine wrote on Jul 5^th, 2014 at 3:24pm:


Sure, and so what.  So what if Abbott does?  Well, it ties up additional security staff, and as Lambie says, places them at a risk they would not otherwise be exposed to, however slight that be.