If Australians don't mind having a PM in the back pocket of a corrupt entrepreneur, then the struggles of Rudd to avoid questions on the Burke issue are in vain.
But Australians probably won't approve when the extent of Rudd's involvement with the former ALP Premier of WA becomes widely known.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Rudd Struggles Over Burke Faux Pas
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Burke's shadow lingers
By Glenn Milne
KEVIN Rudd has been forced to explain discrepancies in his travel records and allowances related to explanations about his dealings with disgraced former WA premier Brian Burke.
The same records also cast doubt on Mr Rudd's claim that at least two of his meetings with Mr Burke were largely coincidental, rather then pre-meditated.
Official travel claim reports show that while he was Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Rudd claimed travel allowance for a night in Perth that coincided with a cancelled dinner with Mr Burke.
But his travel records from the Department of Finance have him in Hong Kong on the same night as part of a trip costing taxpayers almost $9000.
The date was December 12, 2005. This was the night Mr Rudd was to have had dinner with Mr Burke and a group of handpicked journalists.
Under questioning last year, Mr Rudd claimed he had backed out of the dinner because he had become increasingly uncomfortable about his contacts with Mr Burke.
But after the media this week revealed the existence of an email trail between Mr Rudd and Mr Burke, the PM's office was forced to release copies of the exchanges, which revealed Mr Rudd told Mr Burke he couldn't make the dinner because of a scheduling problem involving his trip to Hong Kong.
Faced with the emails, Mr Rudd has since admitted he had used the scheduling clash as a "diplomatic excuse" for getting out of the dinner.
But his travel expense records now reveal he was in Perth on the night of the proposed dinner, in any case.
According to the PM's office, there was a mistake in the travel records and Mr Rudd did not leave for Hong Kong until December 13 and was entitled to make a claim for travel allowance in Perth on the night of the 12th.
The PM's spokesman was not in a position to say what Mr Rudd did in Perth that night.
Asked if there had been any contact with Mr Burke, the spokesman referred to the Prime Minister's answer in Parliament this week in which he said he "could not recall" any contact with Mr Burke on the day of the 12th - the date of the funeral of former Labor minister Peter Cook, Mr Burke's friend.
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