Culleton faces parliament office deadline

Controversial former senator Rod Culleton won't be clearing out his Canberra office this week, following his bankruptcy declaration.

Rod Culleton

Nearly two weeks since Rod Culleton lost his Senate seat, neither he or his staff have left his office. Source: AAP

Former One Nation senator Rod Culleton insists he won't be clearing out his offices and is determined to attend the start of federal parliament.

Mr Culleton has until Thursday to clear out his Parliament House office or face having it done for him.

The West Australian was earlier in January disqualified from sitting as a senator after becoming an undischarged bankrupt on December 23 - a court finding he disputes.

A two-week grace period for him to clear out his office expires on Thursday, after which time if he hasn't done so parliamentary officers will do the work.

"If someone goes in there and opens up my office without a court order I'll be very angry," Mr Culleton told AAP on Monday.

Asked if he would come to Canberra this week, he said: "Why would I want to do that? Until the courts decide what is going on, nothing will be happening."

"I will be going to Canberra close to parliament starting, but it's all systems go with me - nothing's changed."

Mr Culleton entered politics on a platform of helping farmers and business operators stop banks from foreclosing and tossing them off their properties.

Mr Culleton is understood to have been offered a taxpayer-funded return airfare between Canberra and Perth in order to help him with the clear-out.

The nameplate outside his Parliament House office has already been removed.

The finance department has also issued him a notice to move out of his Perth office and hand back equipment such as phones and computers.

Senate President Stephen Parry is expected to outline the reasons for Mr Culleton's disqualification as the first order of business when parliament resumes on February 7.

He will also table all the relevant court records and other documents.

No decision can been made on how Mr Culleton will be replaced until the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, hands down its finding.

The court is considering the issue of Mr Culleton's ineligibility to run for parliament, given a larceny charge was in place when he contested the 2016 election for Pauline Hanson's party.


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Published 23 January 2017 12:54pm
Source: AAP


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