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KENNETT BOOK

NEW BID TO PUBLISH IT

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION – 25 MAY 2000

One of Australia’s leading book publishers has stepped in to try to have the controversial government-funded book about the Kennett government published.

Today Kotabi publishing a mid-sized publishing house and publisher of best-selling titles such as Smuggled: the Underground Trade in Australia’s Wildlife and Victoria Police Corruption both by Raymond Hoser has offered to save the Victorian taxpayer $20,000 to have the book written by a "historian" Malcolm Kennedy.

It was revealed that last month the former Kennett State government paid Kennedy $100,000 to write a highly embellished "history" of itself.

Taxpayers face an added "penalty" of $20,000 if the book is not published within two years. In order to recoup the $100,000 Finance Minister John Brumby offered the book for sale to a publisher. However to date none have come forward. It appears that most publishing houses do not think that the book is worthy of publication, lacks literary merit and would not be commercially viable.

Last month Liberal MP Wayne Phillips, the member for Eltham said he expected to raise the $100,000 to buy the book’s rights within a fortnight. That hasn’t eventuated and may have been a publicity stunt on his part. Pledges to Phillips for the project have not yet materialized into the needed cash.

Fearing that Victorian taxpayers will be stung another $20,000 for not publishing the book, Kotabi publishing has offered to publish the book immediately.

Today the company has made an offer to Finance Minister Brumby to publish the book online within a week of receipt of the manuscript. Because it is unlikely to sell many copies of Kennedy’s book, Kotabi has purchased an internet domain specifically for the purposes of publishing and hosting the book. The company intends publishing the entire book online (and only online) thereby saving the taxpayers of Victoria $20,000 and the felling of valuable trees for a book few people will read.

Kotabi management says "That on the basis of the sizeable piece of the book’s manuscript we have read, the book’s only merit is that it is a good example of the propaganda and rubbish put out by a totalitarian government that is bent on falsifying and rewriting history. Students can compare Kennett’s government with those of Stalin, Hitler and others who tried to paint eulogies of themselves. Our current list of book titles includes three books dealing with corruption and related matters in the Kennett government. It would be useful for students to contrast these entirely factual accounts with the embellished account put out by the Kennett government itself.

"Quite appropriately we have purchased the internet domain names "corruption.com.au" and "crime.com.au" and we have made the offer to host Kennedy’s book on one of these sites."

Kotabi further says "that by publishing the book online at our own cost we are perhaps giving the Kennett government it’s ultimate wish in that their own embellished eulogy will be available to all four million Victorians for free.

Kotabi undertake to leave the book online for at least 2 years and not to charge for downloads.

Kotabi have also offered to simultaneously publish the book on its acclaimed USA Server "smuggled.com" thereby giving it exposure to about 1 billion internet users. Kotabi’s secretary said "even a megalomaniac like Kennett would probably be pleased to receive such unprecedented and free exposure".

For further information
Phone: Kotabi Publishing on (03) 98123322 FAX: 03 9812 3355
Kotabi Corporate Lawyer Alex Tees: 0409-813-622
Author Raymond Hoser: 0412-777 211
This release and other supporting material can be found at:
http://www.smuggled.com/MedRel40.htm

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Urgent inquiries phone:
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