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Friday May 24, 2013

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These are the questions I believe Julia Gillard needs to answer

Posted by: Neil Mitchell | 15 November, 2012 - 9:55 AM
Julia Gillard. (Photo: Peter Rae)

The Gillard government spin has reached a new level, and it is insulting stuff.

First, the government called in a magazine to interview the female ministers only, where they were asked questions about their sex drive amongst other things. Terrific.

Now, the first bloke Tim Mathieson has been trotted out for an interview and he sounds like the old-fashioned wife. If there was a male Prime Minister with his wife like this, there would be screams of outrage.

Tim gets up in the morning, does the Prime Minister’s hair and then sits on the couch watching TV. He regularly pours her bath when she gets home and brings her a cup of tea in the morning.

Imagine if Tony Abbott’s wife said that was how their relationship worked. He’d be portrayed as the old-fashioned sexist with the mousey little wife.

If it was a woman doing that for a man, he’d be sexist. But it is their business, not ours.

It is the spin that annoys me here. More spin. The government has gone out to sell it while the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions that must be answered.

I know this stuff about her solicitor is complex and I know she addressed some questions back in August, but this goes to the credibility of the Prime Minister.

More questions have come up and she refuses to answer them. Her party will force her to do it eventually, but she is dodging and looking bad.

She may have very good reasons and good answers for all the questions, but she cannot have a reason to refuse to answer.

She denies any wrongdoing at all. Fair enough, but yesterday again she refused to answer specific questions. That is not good politics, it looks bad.

So, what are the questions? These are the questions I believe Julia Gillard needs to answer. They have come up mostly through The Australian newspaper and other information that has come out from her former law firm Slater & Gordon.

Question One: In 1995, $5,000 in cash was reportedly paid into your private bank account by the now disgraced union official, Bruce Wilson. Is that correct? If so, why was the money paid?

Question Two: In 1995, you told Slater & Gordon the association you helped set up was in fact a ‘slush fund’ – not for the purposes it was claimed to exist. The union and the authorities did not discover that until 1996. Why did you not tell them when you found out? Was it not your obligation as a solicitor?

Question Three: In August this year you denied having any involvement in the ‘slush fund’ beyond its establishment, but the fund was used to buy a house in Fitzroy where Slater & Gordon says you handled the conveyancing. Is that correct?

Question Four: In 1995, you told Slater & Gordon you could not be sure the ‘slush fund’ didn’t pay for some renovations at your house. But in August this year, you said you were sure it had not. Why? What changed?

Fairly simple questions. We have sent them to the Prime Minister’s office. There are more and more will evolve.

She needs to answer them. To do otherwise damages her credibility and her party.

And the response from the Prime Minister's office?

Any suggestion the Prime Minister has not responded to these issues is false.

I refer you to the Prime Minister's previous comments on these matters, including in August, while overseas recently, and yesterday.

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Blog comments Your Say

  • garry @ 802.... Find a new line.
    going on about work choices every week shows you have nothing to offer.

    The Dean Monday 19 November, 2012 - 12:01 PM

  • @mandy - We must award you Most Gullible Blogger!

    Ivan@kinnane Sunday 18 November, 2012 - 4:29 PM

  • The treachery within this government is moving to another level , we are becoming communist.
    The people's voice is not heard, dictatorship, deception , the order of the day. Gillard is not above the law, she must be held accountable, their is no respect left for this woman, she is a public servant . A servant of the people, this must not go unresolved, or we ultimately will pay the price.

    Susan Arcadipane Friday 16 November, 2012 - 10:31 PM

  • Jan what the hell is a troglodytesa??Please explain.

    mandy Friday 16 November, 2012 - 8:18 PM

  • the only question gillard needs to answer is,how long can you keep workchoices/abbott at bay and what can we do to help...

    garry Friday 16 November, 2012 - 8:02 PM

  • The Dean, What makes you think I have never met any liberals I worked at 2 Melbourne newspapers and met plenty, I also have been a taxpayer all my working life and that's been a long time and I'm proud to say I certainly don't hang out at centrelink you have some nerve you know nothing about me so how do you like those apples?

    mandy Friday 16 November, 2012 - 7:51 PM

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