A government senator who was labelled a "welcher" for backing out of an offer to pay for Senator Richard Di Natale to fly into the Ebola zone of West Africa has quietly donated $4500 to the Red Cross instead.
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National Party Whip Barry O'Sullivan made the contribution, equal to the price of Senator Di Natale's airfare, rather than give the Greens member the money directly.
Senator O'Sullivan had made the offer during an interjection in a rowdy debate in the Senate on the government's much-criticised response to Ebola on October 29.
At the time, Senator O'Sullivan was so emphatic he asked that his offer be recorded in Hansard. It was not but audio of the debate picked up Senator Di Natale saying "You are on" in response to his interjection.
Senator O'Sullivan told Fairfax Media his offer was made on the proviso that Senator Di Natale, a doctor, went to treat Ebola patients.
But he said he would have paid for the fact-finding tour anyway, until a letter from Senator Di Natale accepting his "generous offer" was leaked to Fairfax Media.
A Nationals source said: "Barry shot his mouth off and it has cost him."
But Senator O'Sullivan, a former policeman and businessman who owns 50 properties, said he was always going to pay the money towards the Ebola effort.
