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Monday February 13, 2012

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  • 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

Hinch: The leaks have wounded Gillard

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 28 July, 2010 - 4:08 PM

Julia Gillard is under attack today on several fronts.  And to make it worse the most damaging ammunition is being fired by a Labor leaker – somebody inside the Cabinet or the kitchen cabinet. Somebody leaking to Laurie Oakes on Channel Nine and Peter Hartcher in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Either the dumped and bitter Kevin Rudd (he denies it) or somebody close to him. The leaks paint Julia Gillard, the compassionate friend of working Australians, (indeed all Australians) paint her as a hypocrite.

Somebody, who in Sunday’s debate applauded and took shared credit for the Government’s paid parental leave scheme and for increases in the pension. But behind doors opposed paid parental leave and opposed pension increases on the grounds that 'elderly voters did not support Labor'.

The leaks have wounded Gillard and whoever was responsible achieved what they set out to do.

Ironically, her argument about paid leave was valid.  She reportedly claimed that it would be resented by women past child-bearing age and by stay-at-home mums and on that I think she is right.

A lot of people think the Government’s scheme, which kicks in next January, is too generous, that it ultimately hurts small business and they like the Abbott plan even less.

In her initial reaction to the Oakes bombshell Ms. Gillard called it a Liberal smear which left the door open for the Canberra veteran’s retort: 'PM, you know this information didn’t come from the Liberals. You’ll need to look a lot closer to home'.

At a press conference today the prime minister gave the best performance of the campaign. On the defensive but passionate in her defence. On those issues of paid parental leave and increased pensions she said she had ‘looked at them from every angle.

Held them up to the light. And asked the hard questions: 'Are they affordable?' Pity she hadn’t shown such diligence on squandered billions for pink batts  and over-priced school halls.

There are attacks opening up on other fronts including her personal life. Some of them unfair. Like living in a de facto relationship in The Lodge.

Janet Albrechtsen has a savage piece in The Australian today in which she warns  'the sisterhood’ to stop reading. She calls Gillard 'Rudd with red hair’ on the grounds that you ‘say what you have to say to get elected. Do want you have to do to stay in power'. Nothing to do with gender.

I received one email over night which reads: Why is it that all journalists seem to avoid any reference to Julia's two year relationship with Craig Emerson? Emerson left his wife and three children for Julia. She was the ‘other woman’ in the affair. Should not the Australian people know about this? She is our Prime Minister for goodness sake or are we only entitled to know about these matters when they concern TV and football personalities?

You think that’s unfair? Well, when John Hewson was running for The Lodge in 1993 the media headlined a Women’s Weekly attack on him by his ex-wife that questioned his integrity.  Today that same magazine runs a puff piece on Julia Gillard with a cover photo showing her morphed into actress Charlotte Rampling.

PLAYING NOW: Peter Hartcher, Political Editor for Sydney Morning Herald, speaks to Derryn Hinch.

Blog comments Your Say

  • They seem to be two genders of the same animal.

    Harin Saturday 31 July, 2010 - 2:05 PM

  • Is Mark Latham so dumb? or is he too informed. Question.
    How will Rudd reply to his accusations?
    Is it true that what goes around comes around?
    I still believe there is much more we have not heard of.
    Keep an ear to it.
    The lady is NOT the lady.

    Dorothy Friday 30 July, 2010 - 12:01 PM

  • Leak? what leak?
    It never happens in the Labor party. Never ever. Bet the Coalition were all behind it.
    Oh! I may be wrong here. Remember Godwin Grech setting up Turnbull. That was the Labor insider pretending to be on side. Sorry.
    Some are expert at that stuff.

    Barry Thursday 29 July, 2010 - 2:40 PM

  • Hey, do we really want that unattractive and boring Margaret Abbott in the Lodge?
    Julia definitely is little more attributed to embellish that place. That's the way I see it.

    Tracy Thursday 29 July, 2010 - 2:15 PM

  • Unfortunately wrong this time Darren. Its water off a duck's back for such a multifaced shrieker because she is supported mostly by women voters. And that tells you about the state of the female intellect in this country. I mean I may be a rude woman myself and stiff it up come what may sometimes surely to the detriment of my own convictions, but not everything washes on me. I still remember Sheryl Kernot and Pauline Hanson going through a fair bit and women were still their most fierce detractors, and they were losers. Kevin or who ever may underestimate women voters using a leak,but the men behind her be it Howes,Shorten and co don't as they know them well.
    They can determine how a storm may well become a storm in a tea cup. They know the wind changes all the time.

    SallyG Thursday 29 July, 2010 - 2:09 PM

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