00:02Emerging from court with a smile.
00:05It has been a long six and a half years
00:06and for the time being we're going to go have a beer
00:08and celebrate the end of this proceedings.
00:10The former Liberal MP for Narunga given a ten month sentence
00:14for seven counts of deception but spared jail,
00:17his penalty suspended on condition he's of good behaviour.
00:21The Magistrate found Ellis deliberately defrauded an allowance
00:25for regional MPs travelling for parliamentary duties.
00:28Offending which came to light through an ABC investigation
00:32which also led to charges for former Liberal MP Troy Bell.
00:37Ellis fraudulently claimed more than $4,600,
00:41money he later paid back.
00:44Magistrate Simon Smart said the community expects
00:47public officials to act with honesty,
00:49particularly when spending public money
00:52and to be held accountable when they don't.
00:56Importantly, over seven occasions over a period of 18 months,
01:01your offending involved gross breaches of trust.
01:04Outside court, Ellis told journalists he respectfully disagrees.
01:09I don't believe that my actions arose to a level of criminality.
01:12I believe that it was a casualness with my paperwork
01:14that I could plead guilty with in a heartbeat.
01:16But I do not believe that I acted in a criminal manner.
01:18In suspending the sentence, Magistrate Smart also acknowledged
01:22the reputational damage Ellis had suffered
01:24and his inability to find a job since losing the March election.
01:29We are so grateful for that it did not get up until often!
01:31But we told them that we could be done.
01:32And we didn't expect it to be canceled.
01:33We are great for that it's not planned,
01:33We are so grateful for that.
01:33I believe that they will get into the pre-range.
01:33That's not being able to volunteer,
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