Cut and Paste

In honour of the federal member for Dobell, I am cutting and pasting this article in its entirety. Now I just have to wait for my $24 000 overseas study tour to kick off.

Fairfax Media says Mr Thomson passed off speeches by overseas officials and 

outdated Wikipedia articles as his own work. 

It said a compilation of overseas travel reports tabled in parliament 

last month also concealed Mr Thomson's failure to submit his report 

within the 30-day deadline. 

It was eventually handed in four months late. 

The Labor MP spent at least $23,899 of his overseas travel entitlement

 between March 26 and May 8 visiting Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and the US. 

Fairfax said more than 60 per cent of Mr Thomson's 33-page report, 

including most of its analysis and commentary, had been cut and pasted from internet sources. 

It said Mr Thomson's analysis of US fiscal policy was lifted from a speech given by John Lipsky, 

first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. 

His summing up of European Union financial reforms was taken 

from a speech given by European Commission member Michael Barnier in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 8. 

This is four months after Mr Thomson returned to Australia. 

And much of his rundown on economic conditions in Ireland and Spain was taken from outdated Wikipedia articles, Fairfax said. 

It comes as just the latest blotch on Mr Thomson's tattered copybook. 

The embattled MP is still under investigation for the alleged use of a union credit card for prostitutes and cash withdrawals. 

The workplace watchdog has been looking at the allegations relating to Mr Thomson's time 

as the Health Services Union (HSU) national secretary since April 2009, 

but a formal investigation did not start until March 2010. 

It's been alleged that two union credit cards in Mr Thomson's name were used for escort services, 

lavish dinners and the withdrawal of more than $100,000 from ATMs. 

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/craig-thomson-cut-and-pasted-report/story-e6frfkvr-1226222453020#ixzz1gZJCwVju