The media, having managed to foist Rudd upon the public as PM, are now nibbling away at his image.
It was known Rudd had had a few lunches with corrupt former WA Premier Brian Burke. It was known Rudd had addressed one of those lunches, although Rudd had claimed to have forgotten. What was not known was that there were saved emails of further correspondence between the two.
As Sydney's Telegraph writer, Glen Milne notes
* Rudd's candour is queried over Burke links
* Source alleges Burke-Rudd email exchange
* Rudd is equivocal on restaurant gathering
Comment
Having read the emails, included in comments, it is clear that Rudd held extensive private talks with Burke on his political ambitions and Burke was acting as a facilitator. Clearly Rudd has been dishonest in his description of why he met with Burke and what his intentions were.
Rudd emailed shady ex-pollie
ReplyDeleteby Glenn Milne
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd's political honeymoon has been hit by new allegations concerning his relationship with Brian Burke.
It is now claimed that while he was Opposition foreign affairs spokesman - with an eye on the party leadership - Mr Rudd engaged in sustained email exchanges with the former WA premier regarding his ambitions.
Sources said they have seen the emails, dating to 2005.
When the allegations were put to Mr Burke he declined to comment. However,a very reliable source said that Mr Burke has retained all copies of his email exchanges with Mr Rudd.
If the claims are true they would raise further questions about Mr Rudd's integrity. It's understood at least two people, apart from Mr Burke, have seen the emails.
Burke links a recurring headache for Labor
When the initial storm over Mr Rudd's contacts with Mr Burke blew up in March last year, Mr Rudd admitted to phone contacts with Mr Burke and to having met him three times.
But he painted the contacts as almost accidental - largely social and a result of a shared friendship with former WA federal Labor MP Graham Edwards.
Mr Rudd never addressed the question of email contact. But he specifically denied that he tried to enlist Mr Burke's support for his tilt at the Labor leadership, citing Mr Burke's longstanding friendship with former Opposition leader Kim Beazley.
"At no time had I ever asked Mr Burke to support me to remove Kim Beazley and be replaced by me - never, ever, ever, ever,'' Mr Rudd said at the time. "That's just an absurd allegation.''
But the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Rudd's engagement with Mr Burke was much more subtle; that rather than making a direct pitch for the former WA premier's outright backing, Mr Rudd instead asked for advice concerning his ambitions.
The advice he requested, said the source, was aimed at drawing on Mr Burke's experience to "ask how he (Burke) would go about mounting a leadership campaign if he was in Rudd's shoes''.
In one email, it's understood Mr Rudd cancelled a meeting with Mr Burke in WA, citing a sudden conflicting event in Hong Kong. Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman asked Mr Burke for "a rain check".
Asked in March 2007 about the cancellation of another meeting with Mr Burke, Mr Rudd's memory was hazy. "I can't recall whether it was done by me or by my office," he said.
Mr Rudd weathered the March 2007 Burke allegations after Coalition attacks backfired when it was revealed that then Howard government minister Ian Campbell also had some contact with the former WA premier.
Senator Campbell was subsequently forced to resign.
At least they have good taste in food
During the controversy, Mr Rudd chopped and changed his story about his relationship with Mr Burke. At the outset he described a key dinner with Mr Burke and WA business figures at Perugino's Restaurant in West Perth on August 1, 2005, as a casual encounter.
At the time WA Labor MPs were banned from any contact with Mr Burke.
Mr Rudd was forced to backtrack after it later emerged that Mr Burke had sent an email to those attending, describing Mr Rudd as the guest of honour and keynote speaker.
It emerged Mr Rudd did address the gathering.
One witness said Mr Burke prefaced the lavish meal with a flattering introduction of Mr Rudd.
The Prime Minister later admitted that all his meetings with Mr Burke had been a mistake.
Brian Thomas Burke (born in Perth, 25 February 1947) was premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988. In 1994, Burke was imprisoned for seven months after being convicted of rorting travel expenses. In following decades, Burke continued to maintain Labor party contacts and parliamentary influence, successfully using them to further a professional career as a pro-business lobbyist in partnership with disgraced former ministerial colleague Julian Grill and assisted by disgraced former senator Noel Crichton-Browne to influence Liberal parliamentarians.
ReplyDeletemore at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Burke
EMAIL exchange between Brian Burke and Kevin Rudd about a proposed dinner (mistakes in the emails have been retained for the sake of accuracy):
ReplyDeleteSent: Tuesday, 12 April 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: Kevin Rudd
Subject: Kevin Rudd
Dear Kevin,
Your performance on Radio National (broadcast here this morning) occasioned comment that you: "Sounded like a prime minister and connected with the audience while being light-hearted and education the audience".
Keep it up.
Regards
Sent: Tuesday, 11 October 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: Kevin Rudd
CC: Senator Mark Bishop, Graham Edwards MP, Bill Johnston
Subject: Dinner with journalists
Dear Kevin,
As discussed, I am happy to arrange dinner with senior WA journalists when next you are in Perth. Please let me know you availability if you wish me to do so.
Regards
Sent: Tuesday, 11 October 2005
From: Gina Tilley (on behalf of Kevin Rudd)
To: Brian Burke
Subject: RE: Dinner with journalists
Dear Mr Burke,
Thank you for your email. I will ensure Kevin receives your correspondence.
Kind regards,
Gina
Sent: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: Kevin Rudd
CC: Graham Edwards MP, Julian Grill
Subject: Dinner
Dear Kevin,
Do you wish me to arrange the "Journalists Dinner" about which I contacted you? Graham Edwards attended the similar function organised for Bill Shorten and can discuss the detail with you.
Regards
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2005
From: Gina Tilley (on behalf of Kevin Rudd)
To: Brian Burke
CC: Gina Tilley
Subject:
Dear Brian
I have to head up to Hong Kong for the WTO meeting on 13 December but I could catch a flight from Perth - making the night of monday 12 December free for a dinner in Perth.
Would that suit you?
Regards
Kevin
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: Kevin Rudd
CC: Gina Tilley
Subject: RE:
Dear Kevin
That would be fine.
I would propose the following guest list.
The Hon Kevin Rudd MHR
GUEST OF HONOUR
Sarah Burke
Brian Burke
Julian Grill
Norm Marlborough MLA
Bill Johnston (Late - after ALP State Executive);
Kevin Reynolds
Graham Edwards MHR
Senator Mark Bishop
Regards
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2005
From: Gina Tilley (on behalf of Kevin Rudd)
To: Brian Burke
CC: Gina Tilley
Subject: RE:
Brian,
This looks great. Is there room for my Senior Adviser, Alister Jordan, who will be travelling with me?
Regards,
Kevin
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: Kevin Rudd
Subject: RE:
Dear Kevin
Absolutely.
Regards
Sent: Wednesday, 30 November 2005
To: Brian Burke
From: Gina Tilley (on behalf of Kevin Rudd)
Subject: RE:
Thanks Brian.
Kevin
Sent: Monday, 5 December 2005
To: Brian Burke
From: Gina Tilley (K. Rudd, MP)
Subject:
Dear Brian
I'm really sorry to do this but I am being stuffed around a bit by DFAT for the Hong Kong Ministerial WTO meeting.
They told me this morning that they now want the whole delegation in town on Monday. They may yet change their minds again - I'm not sure.
Rather than withdraw from the dinner at the last minute, could I be rude and put it off until next year - giving you and the invitees time to rearrange your Monday night. I would prefer to do this then have to pull out later in the week when DFAT finally makes it mind up.
Is that OK? Sorry to do this - out of my hands.
Kevin
Sent: Monday, 5 December 2005
From: Brian Burke
To: (the list includes mostly the proposed dinner guests)
Subject: FW:
See this note from Kevin Rudd MHR. Dinner with Kevin will now be next year - sorry for the disruption but matters are clearly out of Kevin's hands.
Regards
SOURCE: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office
PM stands by explanation of meetings with Brian Burke
ReplyDeleteBy Gerard McManus
EMAILS between Kevin Rudd and shady lobbyist Brian Burke have raised new questions about meetings between the Prime Minister and the fallen ex-WA premier.
Mr Rudd's office last night released the series of emails between the two men, to head off an attack by the Opposition in Parliament this week.
The existence of the emails, sent in October-December 2005, were revealed at the weekend.
Early last year, Mr Rudd admitted meeting Mr Burke three times, and said he'd cancelled a fourth meeting because he felt "uncomfortable" about their association.
But one email suggests Mr Rudd wanted the dinner meeting with Mr Burke and 10 senior journalists to proceed.
"Brian, This looks great. Is there room for my senior adviser . . .? regards, Kevin" a November 29, 2005 email from Mr Rudd says. And on December 5, Mr Rudd asks if the dinner could be postponed.
"I'm really sorry to do this, but I am being stuffed around a bit by DFAT . . . rather than withdraw from the dinner at the last minute, could I be rude and put it off until next year," Mr Rudd's email says.
Mr Rudd's office said last night the emails were not directly written by him, but by a member of his staff.
All WA ministers had been banned from meeting the disgraced lobbyist, a convicted fraud. Several, and a former Howard government minister, were subsequently forced to quit after their associations with Mr Burke came to light.
The email exchange coincided with a period when Mr Rudd, then Opposition foreign affairs spokesman, was positioning to challenge Kim Beazley for the Labor leadership.
Last year, Mr Rudd denied discussing the leadership with Mr Burke. But an email from Mr Burke describes Mr Rudd, appearing on radio, as sounding "like a prime minister".
A spokesman for Mr Rudd said last night the PM stood by his explanations about his meetings with Mr Burke.
'He hasn't been up-front'
The Opposition yesterday demanded Mr Rudd release the contents of the email exchange, saying he had not been fully up-front.
"Mr Rudd explicitly on 31 occasions has denied he ever sought Mr Burke's support for his . . . leadership for the Australian Labor Party," Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson told Channel 9.
"The key issue here is not only if Mr Rudd may or may not have been seeking Mr Burke's support . . . but whether Mr Rudd was in fact truthful about the exchanges between him, his office and Mr Burke."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said contact between Mr Rudd and Mr Burke had been fully aired last year.
"What Kevin has specifically said, of course, is that he did not canvass with Mr Burke the question of support for the Labor leadership. That's the central allegation here, and Kevin's well and truly answered it," Ms Gillard told the ABC Insiders program.