Installer defends Stoner

FORMER independent councillor Jamie Harrison has slammed the “Sydney media” over the reporting of Andrew Stoner’s solar panel installation.

Mr Harrison, owner of Harelec, which fitted The Nationals’ NSW deputy’s new system, said he had been bombarded with calls from newspapers, radio stations and television networks following an article in Friday’s Daily Telegraph.

The article claimed Mr Harrison had “admitted” backdating receipt of a deposit for Mr Stoner’s installation so the MP could avail of a 60c per kiloWatt feed-in tariff before it was phased out in favour of the NSW government’s new rate of 20c per kW.

The former councillor said Andrew Stoner had acted appropriately.

“He’s done everything right,” Mr Harrison told Port News.

“Andrew Stoner had an application [for a new solar panel system] in with Country Energy two weeks before the tariff deadline was announced.

“My staff had just 13 hours’ notice to contact all our customers about the change.”

A follow-up article in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday claimed Mr Harrison was a fully paid up member of The Nationals.

“They said I had been a candidate for The Nationals and I was a personal friend of Andrew Stoner. It’s that out of control.”

Mr Harrison said he had felt blackmailed into speaking to the Sydney media and claimed he would have been “dropped into this” affair, had he not agreed to give his side.

He refused to confirm or deny Mr Stoner’s deposit was paid after the deadline.