Adviser on child porn charges
23.07.2010
By: Tony Koch
A SENIOR adviser to Queensland Liberal senator Sue Boyce, who strongly criticised the federal government's proposed filtering of the internet to protect against child exploitation, has been arrested on child pornography charges.
Russell John Grenning, 59, is a journalist, political operative and former press secretary to Bjelke-Petersen government minister Russ Hinze and former National Party police minister and premier Russell Cooper. Mr Grenning appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on July 16, charged with possessing child exploitation material including computer-generated images and videos. He was remanded until next Friday.
Mr Grenning told The Australian yesterday he was on sick leave from Senator Boyce's office, and requested his privacy be respected.
A spokesman for Senator Boyce said she was in hospital recuperating from a heart condition and was expected to be back at work soon.
``Nobody in this office has any knowledge of the matters referred to regarding Mr Grenning,'' the spokesman said.
``We have not been told anything about any child pornography charges. He left here three weeks ago and we have not heard from him, and as far as we know, he is on leave.''
The last press release on Senator Boyce's website written by Mr Grenning is dated April 30 and quotes her as ``slamming the Rudd government's proposals to censor the internet''.
The release quotes Senator Boyce as saying: ``It is ridiculous to try and assert, as Minister (Stephen) Conroy does at every available opportunity that his proposed internet filter will protect us all against child pornography and other disgusting and depraved websites. He knows, as everybody else knows, it simply won't work.''
