Kant
03-15-2007, 10:25 PM
Abbott attack 'a new low'
Samantha Maiden, Political correspondent
March 15, 2007
DEPUTY Labor leader Julia Gillard has accused the Howard Government of sinking to a new political low by questioning Kevin Rudd's account of his father's death when he was an 11-year-old child.
In an extraordinary attack, Health Minister Tony Abbott yesterday raised questions over whether Bert Rudd's death in 1969 was caused by infections he developed in hospital after a car accident. As Ageing Minister Santo Santoro refused to reveal the financial adviser who urged him to buy shares in a biotech company investigating arthritis cures, Vocational Education Minister Andrew Robb also launched a passionate defence of the legitimacy of government attacks, accusing Labor of "hypocrisy" over the mud-slinging.
Mr Abbott accused Mr Rudd of attempting to create a "Mr Clean" image, a "log cabin to the White House tableau", with his stories about being evicted from the family farm as an 11-year-old boy now questioned by the family of the late landlord.
"As well as the slippery way (Mr Rudd) handled the Burke business, the Sunday program 10 days ago cast doubt on his oft-related account of medical neglect contributing to his father's death," Mr Abbott said.
"The problem with this story is it now sounds too self-serving to be true."
The Nine Network's Sunday has reported that a coroner's report had found no suggestion of malpractice and concluded that Mr Rudd's father died from peritonitis and internal injuries.
Mr Rudd did not respond publicly to the attacks yesterday but Deputy Leader Julia Gillard accused Mr Abbott of indulging in a new political low.
"They don't want to hear about Tony Abbott canvassing things that happened to Mr Rudd when he was an 11-year-old boy, particularly the incredibly tragic circumstances of losing his father and then having his family thrown into insecurity," Ms Gillard said. "This is a new low in Australian politics, even for Tony Abbott.
"I think every other Australian would understand Mr Rudd's past and how it's burnt into him Labor values."
Speaking after a speech to Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute yesterday, Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland said the public must be "revolted" at the recent spate of personal attacks by federal MPs on each other.
But Mr Robb told the National Press Club that the attacks were a legitimate tactic to test the Labor leader's fitness to be prime minister.
"The pretender, he has to be assessed," he said. "People need to find out what's in his heart - what maketh the man.
"Has he got judgment or not, is he honest or not, how does he respond under pressure?
"When something unexpected happens, if he happened to be prime minister, would he be under the table or would he be up front leading the charge, dealing with the issue?"
He accused Labor of gross hypocrisy after Queensland Labor Premier Peter Beattie this week used parliamentary privilege to accuse the Liberal Party of being "corrupt" over the Santoro affair.
Mr Robb also disputed any suggestion that ministers no longer took seriously rules demanding MPs disclose their shareholdings after Senator Santoro confirmed he had failed to declare holdings in a company with interests linked to his own portfolio.
He described the oversight as an "honest mistake".
Senator Santoro has refused to reveal the financial adviser who urged him to buy the shares amid ALP speculation it was a Liberal Party identity, describing the individual's identity as a "private matter".
Samantha Maiden, Political correspondent
March 15, 2007
DEPUTY Labor leader Julia Gillard has accused the Howard Government of sinking to a new political low by questioning Kevin Rudd's account of his father's death when he was an 11-year-old child.
In an extraordinary attack, Health Minister Tony Abbott yesterday raised questions over whether Bert Rudd's death in 1969 was caused by infections he developed in hospital after a car accident. As Ageing Minister Santo Santoro refused to reveal the financial adviser who urged him to buy shares in a biotech company investigating arthritis cures, Vocational Education Minister Andrew Robb also launched a passionate defence of the legitimacy of government attacks, accusing Labor of "hypocrisy" over the mud-slinging.
Mr Abbott accused Mr Rudd of attempting to create a "Mr Clean" image, a "log cabin to the White House tableau", with his stories about being evicted from the family farm as an 11-year-old boy now questioned by the family of the late landlord.
"As well as the slippery way (Mr Rudd) handled the Burke business, the Sunday program 10 days ago cast doubt on his oft-related account of medical neglect contributing to his father's death," Mr Abbott said.
"The problem with this story is it now sounds too self-serving to be true."
The Nine Network's Sunday has reported that a coroner's report had found no suggestion of malpractice and concluded that Mr Rudd's father died from peritonitis and internal injuries.
Mr Rudd did not respond publicly to the attacks yesterday but Deputy Leader Julia Gillard accused Mr Abbott of indulging in a new political low.
"They don't want to hear about Tony Abbott canvassing things that happened to Mr Rudd when he was an 11-year-old boy, particularly the incredibly tragic circumstances of losing his father and then having his family thrown into insecurity," Ms Gillard said. "This is a new low in Australian politics, even for Tony Abbott.
"I think every other Australian would understand Mr Rudd's past and how it's burnt into him Labor values."
Speaking after a speech to Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute yesterday, Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland said the public must be "revolted" at the recent spate of personal attacks by federal MPs on each other.
But Mr Robb told the National Press Club that the attacks were a legitimate tactic to test the Labor leader's fitness to be prime minister.
"The pretender, he has to be assessed," he said. "People need to find out what's in his heart - what maketh the man.
"Has he got judgment or not, is he honest or not, how does he respond under pressure?
"When something unexpected happens, if he happened to be prime minister, would he be under the table or would he be up front leading the charge, dealing with the issue?"
He accused Labor of gross hypocrisy after Queensland Labor Premier Peter Beattie this week used parliamentary privilege to accuse the Liberal Party of being "corrupt" over the Santoro affair.
Mr Robb also disputed any suggestion that ministers no longer took seriously rules demanding MPs disclose their shareholdings after Senator Santoro confirmed he had failed to declare holdings in a company with interests linked to his own portfolio.
He described the oversight as an "honest mistake".
Senator Santoro has refused to reveal the financial adviser who urged him to buy the shares amid ALP speculation it was a Liberal Party identity, describing the individual's identity as a "private matter".