What we're talking about

Troy on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I have seen this family fighting day after day for months trying to get their kids/siblings back home. The dedication and ... more
Pauline on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS have destroyed my own family. They failed in their duty of care to provide a baby moniter for the deaf , thousands of ... more
Christine on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' isn't it funny how DHS don't recognise the psychological effects of domestic violence on children and continue to allow ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' There is a family In the Cairns Area who are Foster Carers.Atherton Child Safety have threatened the carers and own ... more
duncan on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i have spent time with this family. it is a house full of love. "mum", grandfather and older sblings.this cannot be an issue ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Family Law is different from the rest of the law in this country.. Ie. Family Law is based on probability: ie if it might ... more
carol annetta on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' having known this family for some time i am disgusted with the treatment she has received. it seems more of a witch hunt ... more
Maureen Hillary on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn,I have counselled traumatized parents as a result of DHS staff.There are great staff workers who care but they ... more
Janet Tavener on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I am a visitor to this country.My attention was drawn to the case of these children and their foster mother by a relative of ... more
sam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Happening in Tasmania also.Wewon a court case over 8 months ago and due process still hasn't been done.We spent 17,000 ... more
Anne Glover on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I just cannot believe what the DHS has put the Foster Mother, and the children through - I thought the DHS was supposed to ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS are the most disgraceful organization I have ever had the displeasure of becoming involved with. They are so ... more
Vicki on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn,I have known this carer since primary school, she has always put others above herself. Being a carer myself I know ... more
Gran'ma Pam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' As any of us with any sense know, these children should NEVER have been taken from this lady (mum) in the first place, they ... more
Dominic Lombardo on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I see my daughter every six months DHS are conducting a vendetta against me I have not been told why I can only see her ... more
cassy houghton on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hello Derryn,Firstly i would like to thankyou for your support and the willingness to help this beautiful family.I ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Im a carer also in Qld. I see this happen way too much from our Government. They are starting to use Carers own children as ... more
paul on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch I believe what Liberal Party has done is stupid. But I feel for candidates like Joh Bauch and James Buonopane who want to ... more
Andrea on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Why are these public servants allowed to blatantly flout the law without the same consequences the rest of society faces? I ... more
birth mother on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i am the birth morther of these 4 children and i just want to say dhs dont care they just want the kids in care so they can ... more

A week's a long time in politics

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 30 June, 2010 - 3:58 PM

A banner supporting former PM Kevin Rudd (Fairfax Photos)

When will Australia's new prime minister head for Yarralumla and ask the Governor General to issue the writs for a federal election?

That speculation has gathered momentum, understandably, in the past couple of days. Even though it’s les than a week since Julia Gillard and her cohorts dumped Kevin Rudd.

Yesterday the tom toms were beating that she would take advantage of her popularity in the polls after her surprise ascension and call a snap poll. An announcement could come possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Well, she has ruled that out. The official word from the PM's office is that there'll be no trip to the GG this weekend.

And it has got me thinking. She should wait a bit. Get out and about, meet and greet, give lots of photo ops and let the idea of Prime Minister Gillard sink in.

She'd probably even be smart to let Parliament come back for a week and let people see her in action at the dispatch box. Take on Tony Abbott head to head in Question Time.

Even under Rudd she was one of the best performers in the House.

She has to give 33 days between the issuing of the writs and election day so late August seems about right.

There's a risk involved and that's why some of the plotters will be urging her to strike while the iron is hot.

Eventually she'll have to show the voters how a Gillard Government differs from the Rudd regime which was son on the nose. She'll have to explain how the Government – of which she was such an integral part – had 'lost its way'.

In what areas was it lost? On BER, the school gym rorts? On pink batts? On the ETS schmozzle? On boat people? Gillard and Swan were main players in all that.

Two loyal members of the Gang of Four.

How does she convince the voters that it is not just different jockey, same horse.

In typical blunt fashion the headline on Andrew Bolt's column today describes it as 'Nicer sell of same junk'.

Kevin Rudd has now moved out of The Lodge and headed off for a beach holiday. In politics memories fade fast. People (including many of his parliamentary colleagues) who raved about Kevin ’07 now can't distance themselves from him enough.

And just to confirm that a week is a long time in politics: This time last week ... Prime Minister Rudd was packing his suitcase to go off to Canada to meet President Obama and other world leaders at the G20 conference.

Less than a week later he is 'former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd'. And last night the Ruddster, Therese, the kids, the chickens and the cat and the dog moved out of The Lodge.

From today he's not Kevin '07. He's Kevin Who? And Ms Gillard hopes the voters will think that way.

Atheist Hinch on atheist Julia

HINCH BLOG: O my god! The new prime minister is a non-believer. And to make things worse Julia Gillard is not going to pretend that she's a Christian. Not going to pander to religious groups for their vote. Which means we won't see a prime minister conducting TV interviews outside the church after Sunday service.

The architects behind Rudd's 'knifing'

HAWAII HINCH BLOG: "As the late Richard Carleton would say … they all have blood on their hands. Remember too: Gillard and Swan and Lindsay Tanner (who seems the invisible man today) were all involved in those unpopular Rudd decisions over pink batts and, school rorts and canning the ETS." Read more.

'Hairdresser is first lady'

Blog comments

Nearly correct Kim. Rudd & Whitlam both went out in deserving style. Now we have Kevin's former 'right hand man', or in Gillards case; Right 'Ranga' running the show. Soon enough she'll also be shown the door, along with the rest of her political 'monkey' faithful...!!!

Gerard Friday 2 July, 2010 - 9:33 AM
Many times Julia Gillard said "Work Choices is Un-Australian"
I think the sacking of Kevin Rudd is Un-Australian.

It feels the same as the sacking of "The Whitlam Government"

kim Thursday 1 July, 2010 - 4:03 PM