The original
article that started it all
Rudd’s diversionary tactics are to concentrate the populations attention on the existance or not of the email that Gordon Grech referred to before his superior’s shut him down. He must be very sure it doesn’t exist but that still doesn’t explain Grech’s testimony and Martines attempts to shout it down.
The Age quotes Kevin Rudd;
“What is at stake in this entire debate is the integrity of Mr Turnbull and his core claim that at my request, my office made representations to the Treasury on behalf of Mr John Grant.
“Who supplied the contents of this fake email to the Opposition? Who in the Liberal Party has read this fake email? What did they do with it after they read it?”
What a deplorable defence. Accuse your accuser of the same type of offence. It’s not a ‘fake email’ yet and its unlikely anyone supplied the Opposition with a copy. They are simply quoting the outcome of the Senate hearing.
Sheer blather!
The issue is much deeper than that. Swan has clearly mislead the house (lied) and Rudd has most probably done the same.
Considering Swan says he hardly knew Grant it beggars belief that he would then aproach Ozcar, requesting personal attention be paid to Grant’s case without Rudd telling him to. And why would Ken Henry take an interest in one of what must be hundreds, even thousands of applications for assistance without a good reason – like the PM told him to as well.
A series of emails that emerged on Friday as a result of intense questioning of Treasury officials by the Opposition in Senate estimates hearings revealed:
- Mr Grant’s case was handled personally by staffers in Mr Swan’s office and by senior Treasury officials;
- Mr Swan was kept informed of the progress of the case, including via his home fax; and
- Treasury head Dr Ken Henry was also kept in the email loop as to how Mr Grant’s application was being treated.
Despite all this, Swan is on record as saying Grant did not get any special treatment.
I watched the video of Grech being interviewed and two things stick in my mind. First, Grech acted like he had explosive information that he believed to be true but felt if he mentioned it his career was terminated. Secondly, Martine, the man sitting along side Grech, acted like he too knew the truth and was going to do everything in his power to stop Grech uttering it. He pulled rank on Gretch and refused to let him answer a simple yes-no question three times. In effect he took over the chair of the Senate hearing from the Senators – that’s how important it was to him to keep the info under wraps.
In a sense, Rudd’s diversionary tactic is working. It gives the ABC a decent spin to make Turnbull’s resignation the issue and lets the tabloid TV say something without having to think about it.
By 7:30 Sunday evening Ch 7 News lead is “Turnbull has only hours to go before he must resign”. No mention of the original accusations. Like there wasn’t a collection of emails and faxes proving Swan had mislead the house and that the video of Grech’s testimony never happened.
My take on the episode is that Rudd did tell people to look after Grant and that Swan, possibly Henry, but definitely Grech, did as they were told. I’d imagine it has been a very bad weekend for all concerned but I have no sympathy for those who abuse power and then lie in the House about it. I have plenty of sympathy for Grech and hope he has covered his arse and survives.
The eventual outcome might be that no one resigns but one thing is for sure; the voters perception of Rudd’s ethics has been severely damaged.
UPDATE: I listened to the debate in the House and saw Rudd on TDT and the bulk of the questions have not been answered. The email mentioned by Grech may or may not be a forgery. One found on his computer at home appears to be, but no one has stated categorically (that I have read or heard) that it is the one he was referring to at the hearing. When the AFP says it is so in a formal report then I’ll believe it
On TDT Rudd states the entire fracas is based on a forgery. No it isn’t – the entire case does not rest on one email. The emails and faxes of emails involving Swan have yet to be answered satisfactorily. The ALP don’t want to talk about them of course but they will be raised again. If the email from Rudd’s office is a forgery then either another email once existed where Rudd communicated his wishes or it was made plain by some by other means. I simply don’t believe that Grant didn’t get preferential treatment.
All in all though, the ALP have handled it rather well, but then when TDT is prepared to give the PM 5:40 minutes free time to put his case and no right of reply for the Opposition then they should be doing well.
The TDT talking head tried to pin Rudd down on Swan but he just repeated his “Swan is doing a wonderful job” line.
I hope that’s not the end of it – I look forward to tomorrow’s developments with baited breath.
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Kev
What an unedifying schemozzle. It does no credit for anyone – the opposition for attempting a smear, the government for smearing back, and the media for feeding on it.
I doubt that anyone but rusted-on supporters give a toss – it’s entertainment.
The media like it because it sells papers – for me (and I’d suggest for most voters) it has all the appeal of a school yard brawl. There are those who tape schoolyard brawls on mobile phones and send the material to Facebook – the media has reduced itself to their level. No wonder high school kids do this – they’re taking a lead both from their leaders and the fourth estate – makes it hard for teachers.
Kev, the only loser out of this is Turnbull and the Liberal Party. Just when he was gaining ground too. Kev will come out of this smelling like roses. Plus it is not as bad as children overboard and AWB!
I agree with both above and I even agree that Turnbull handled
it badly. In the short term it will damage the Liberal Party but
in the longer term Turnbull has made a start.
Rudd has quite literally a propaganda team that runs into the 100’s and that just the close staff. It’s micro managed right to the minute a press release will be made,where it will be made etc.
This has one aim in mind, to give out an image of a hard working PM trying solve the countries problems. This strategy will definitely work in the
Australian MSM with Fairfax/ABC TV Radio practically an arm of Hawker Britten (Labors Publicity Company) and with a commercial media either luke warm supportive or just too lazy to expose how Labor actually work.
So how can you break this strategy? Not in one go that’s for sure.
1735099- You are quite correct to say
“I doubt that anyone but rusted-on supporters give a toss – it’s entertainment” you are also right to say “What an unedifying schemozzle. It does no credit for anyone”
However the majority of Australians who take no interest in the micro details of the dispute will just take away “Fight over people getting special favors” If you ever want to know just how little detail most people take away from these Parliamentary stinks, just ask the average punter to name where was the “Tampa” heading when it picked up the refugees , I’ll bet on 80% fail rate (the answer is Indonesia) and the details won’t matter here.
Labor operates by patronage and symbolism regardless of any cost. This attempt to show how it’s patronage works has not been as successful as it might have been, so what, if Turnbull wants me to support him (and I would not put him as a top choice) he needs to show he can push on through. Too many fights of this sort he will put the public off, but hold back after this blows over, speak proper policy eg put the ETS off till doomsday without fighting a election on the basis of belief in AGW, then time for some stinks, they are sure to be there, I mean here in NSW we have a ex convicted heroin dealer head of our Education Department who is married to Tanya Pelbersek the Federal Member for Sydney.
Somewhere down the track Turnbull needs to throw in another stink, not so often it turns the public off but enough to darken the carefully crafted
This Rudd Government will win the next election for sure but remember the Howard government INCREASED their vote at subsequent elections. Turnbull’s challenge is to take back just a few seats. Rudd has not run out of our money yet, when he does and the inevitable European style taxes (plus Labor invented ones on Junk Food, Strong Beer Tax, Extra Spirits Tax, as Alcopops tax drives up it’s sales, Cask Wine Tax, 4WD Tax, Fishing License Tax, entry to World Heritage site charges) less any European style services (as we will be servicing debt) start to arrive and when middle class Australians join working class and welfare classes of Australians in having to dread their power bill, courtesy of ETS and it wipes out all their disposable income on a quarterly basis, only then will (the then) Julia Gillard’s Labor go down, probably Whitlam style handing over a 52 seat majority.
Kev
What a stuff up by Turnbull.
He went one e mail too far.
He had Swan but blew it by trying to implicate Rudd with a dodgy e mail and a Public servant Godwin Grech who seems to have a lot of issues that need serious medical attention.
I hear that he is in hospital. He may end up in jail; if he authored the dodgy e mail. The AFP investigation will tell all.
I don’t blame him for being ill as the pressure that Turnbull and Abetz applied prior and since his appearance was deplorable.
urnbull has been irretrievably damaged.
I don’t think the “Blimp/Zeppelin” Hockey is the answer to their problems.
Over and out.