WEST Australian independent Senator Rod Culleton has spoken out about his pavement scrimmage against a One Nation rival outside a Perth court yesterday, saying it was like being hit by a hippo and the last time he hit the ground as hard was after tripping over his old sheep dog in sheep yards, on his family’s farm.
Senator Culleton quit One Nation before Christmas after a long-running spat with leader Pauline Hanson but was taken to hospital following yesterday’s nasty incident which occurred as he was leaving the Magistrates Court, after appearing with his lawyer and prominent Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney over Violence Restraining Order (VRO) matters.
Senator Culleton said today he suffered soft tissue damage in the wrist after he “whacked it on the concrete” while falling during the skirmish involving former Liberal State Upper House member, One Nation hopeful and WA farmer Anthony Fels.
He said he was also diagnosed with a bruised knee after landing “flat on my face” when Mr Fels hit him “like a bowling ball”, with the most serious injury being pulled muscles in his lower back.
However, Senator Culleton said he had not suffered any broken bones and is due to face media later today in Perth to speak about the fresh controversy in his brief but eventful political career.
“This is the actual truth - I have not done a fall like that since I fell over my old dog in the sheep yards,” he said.
“I tripped over the old sheep dog and felt every bone in my back and the sheep yards had gravel so it was a bit softer but this was concrete and I really couldn’t brace my fall.
“It came out of nowhere and I was not expecting that at all.”
Senator Culleton played country football during his youth and said he had taken bigger hits on the AFL playing field “but you’re prepared for them and you tense up”.
“This was a callous coward hit in the back – he just ran straight through me – that’s what’s hurt all my neck and everything,” he said.
“I’m not trying to be a bum or anything but it hurt - yesterday hurt - there was no two ways about it.
“I mean look at the size of him (Mr Fels) - having 150kgs run through you is like being hit by a...hippo.
“I’ve been knocked around by a cow before and she gave it to me but I wasn’t as sore as this and she gave me a fair old work over in the yards.
“She belted me and I had to roll along the ground under the piping to get out of the yard.”
Senator Culleton’s VRO claims involve former anti-rural banking allies Frank Bertola and Bruce Bell who have also pushed a major legal challenge in the High Court to dispute his eligibility for election, at last year’s federal poll.
Senator Culleton became embroiled in the altercation with Mr Fels who was attempting to serve a summons on a bankruptcy claim against him, on behalf of Mr Bertola.
Mr Fels has also been looking to potentially replace Senator Culleton if the one-time Williams farmer and wool and grain buyer is declared ineligible due to bankruptcy, or following the High Court’s ruling on another matter heard before Christmas - referred by the Senate - on whether he was ineligible to stand for election.
Mr Fels is also trying to run for One Nation at this year’s WA election adding to his lengthy list of political homes, including Katter’s Australian Party who he run for at the 2013 federal election, in the Senate.
He was the member of the WA Legislative Council for the Agricultural Region from 2005 to 2009 before being ousted by the Liberals and also grew up on the family’s farm near Esperance.
Senator Hanson issued a media statement last night saying it would be inappropriate to make comment on the circumstances surrounding Mr Fels involvement in the serving of papers in a civil matter, unrelated to One Nation party business.
But she said Mr Fels had applied to be a candidate of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party, “however he has not been endorsed”.
Senator Culleton said he left the court after yesterday’s hearing on the VRO matters accompanied by his family and long-time friend Bradley Ward and associate Craig Hutton - both who are farmers dealing with bank-lending issues like the federal politician and Mr Bertola - when the heated physical altercation took place.
He said he noticed Mr Bell and Mr Bertola standing out the front of the court and said to Mr Hutton “this looks odd”.
“I thought something was a bit off because Frank Bertola ran out of the court very quickly,” Senator Culleton said this morning.
But he said as they continued walking up the street, with media cameras observing that action, “all of a sudden we felt this massive force from behind”.
“It was like I’d been hit by a bus,” he said.
“Craig yelled out and went down and then all of a sudden I got hit around the neck and got thrown back and didn’t realise I’d tripped over Craig.
“It was a massive hit and we didn’t know who it was from.”
Senator Culleton said he hit the ground heavily and couldn’t brace for his fall and “the whole thing was a massive jar”.
“I wasn’t prepared for such an impact and of course hitting the concrete without bracing myself straight away I thought ‘oh shit my wrist’ and all of my files went flying,” he said.
“All I could hear was my wife and then my son saying, ‘get off my dad, get off my dad’.
“I didn’t know what was going on and so I got up and as I was getting up I felt restricted with my jacket so I threw my jacket off because I thought they were going to come at me again; I didn’t know who it was.”
Yesterday, Mr Fels said as he approached to serve the new bankruptcy document, Senator Culleton ran-off and tripped over someone (Mr Hutton) who he described as being the Senator’s “bodyguard” who had tried to intervene.
He said Senator Culleton “was going nuts”.
“He was lying on the pavement saying he’d hurt his leg but I never assaulted anyone; he just fell over,” he said.
“I haven’t done anything wrong; I just served the documents on him.”
Senator Culleton denied that he was officially served the papers relating to Mr Bertola’s bankruptcy claim, by Mr Fels, during the incident.
He said he yesterday’s exchange with Mr Fels - which was caught on film and made national media headlines - was “an attempt to try and further discredit me over another bankruptcy”.
“But how can it be another bankruptcy when there are no court orders?” he said.
“You can’t have a different bankruptcy petition - it’s just really odd.
“I never was served - I didn’t get served because he (Mr Fels) went away.
“But when I saw it was Anthony Fels I couldn’t believe it.
“I’d taken a hit and I honestly didn’t know what was going on.
“The first thing that came into my mind like every father is to protect his family.
“I wasn’t knocked out but was completely stunned.”
Senator Culleton said he wasn’t “shaping up” to Mr Fels, as if to throw a punch at his One Nation rival.
“I took my jacket off because I felt restricted when I was getting up,” he said.
“I didn’t know what was going on – I thought we were being attacked - there was women screaming.”
Senator Culleton said he was seeking a VRO due to ongoing threats and believed the incident after yesterday’ court hearing was another example of the harassment he’s faced, since being elected.
“I can cop a lot of shit but this is completely and utterly out of control,” he said.
Senator Culleton said he believed Mr Fels had also been assisting the ongoing bankruptcy claim made by former Wesfarmers director Dick Lester, linked to a deal on a farm at Williams.
Before Christmas the federal court ruled Senator Culleton was bankrupt over that claim but he was given 21 days to appeal and has said he intends to fight the decision and prove his solvency.
Senator Culleton said Mr Fels had never worked for him, following his election last year, and rejected media reporting about the nature of his association with Mr Bell and Mr Bertola.
“Frank Bertola is not a friend - he is not a business partner and Bruce Bell is not a business partner - I don’t know Bruce Bell,” he said.
“Simply they were associates through the growers’ group (Rural Action Movement) and I was asked to look after Frank Bertola because he was a farmer on suicide watch.
“I’ve done the right thing and they’ve turned against me and I don’t know why.
“I don’t owe them any money - I don’t owe them a…cent.
“They keep saying it (and) I’d own up if I owed them some money but I don’t owe them any money.
“I don’t owe Dick Lester any money - he has got a judgment through his company Balwyn Nominees, which has mysteriously turned up.
“He’s used a company to come after my intellectual property.
“I can deal with that in the court but what I can’t deal with is two vexatious, angry, twisted, bitter (men) that just want to continuously harass me and file application after application because I have to defend them - even though they have no merit - the court can make a judgement in your (absence).
“I put my hand on my chest mate - I do not owe them any money.
“Bruce Bell wouldn’t know which end of a sheep ate grass.”
Mr Bell and Mr Bertola have denied the claims made by Senator Culleton relating to the VRO matters.