Oz election thread #3 - Rudd's Labour

Speaking after meeting the Israeli ambassador in Canberra today, Mr Smith said the Australian Federal Police would conduct a full investigation into how the passports had been copied or altered.

"At this stage Australian officials have no information to suggest the three Australian passport holders were involved in any way other than as victims of passport or identity fraud," Mr Smith said.

"The Australian Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the misuse and the abuse of Australian passports."

Mr Smith said he also told ambassador Yuval Rotem that the Australian Government expected Israeli officials to cooperate "fully and transparently" with the AFP's investigation.

Earlier Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was determined to "get to the bottom" of the case.

He told AM that officials had been working on the case through the night and pledged the Government would "not let the matter rest" and that Australia "will not be silent on the matter".

"If Australian passports are being used or forged by any state, let alone for the purpose of assassination, this is of the deepest concern and we are getting to the bottom of this now," he said.

PM lashes Israel over Dubai plot
JONATHAN PEARLMAN
February 26, 2010/the AGE


Israeli Ambassador to Australia Yuval Rotem at the Israeli Embassy in Canberra. Photo: Stefan Postles

THE Rudd government has taken the rare step of publicly reprimanding Israel over the forging of three Australian passports that are believed to have been used in an assassination plot by Israeli spies in Dubai.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has described himself as a life-long supporter of Israel, said yesterday he was ''deeply concerned'' about the affair and pledged that Australia would ''not be silent on this matter''.

While the government did not expressly blame Israel - which has refused to comment - it summoned Israel's ambassador, Yuval Rotem, to demand an explanation.

Authorities in Dubai have revealed that forged passports bearing the names of three Australians - Adam Korman, Bruce Joshua Daniel and Nicole Sandra McCabe - were used in a plot they have pinned on Israel's spy agency, Mossad. ....

........It is believed that Australian security agencies investigating the affair think the passports were copied without their owners' knowledge, probably in Israel.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith yesterday called Mr Rotem to Parliament to express Australia's concerns and indicate that forging passports by Israel would not be regarded as the ''act of a friend''.

Mr Smith said he demanded Israel's ''full and transparent co-operation'' with an investigation by Australian Federal Police, ASIO and the Australian Passport Office. ''I indicated … that if we did not receive that co-operation, then we would potentially draw adverse conclusions from that.''

The Israeli embassy said it had passed on Mr Smith's request for co-operation to Jerusalem.

Mr Smith would not say whether he blamed Israel. But when asked whether calling in the ambassador was a diplomatic rebuke, he said: ''This is a very serious matter.''

Jewish community and pro-Israel groups, including the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, refused to comment.

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer said the decision to call in the ambassador was a public rebuke and reflected Australia's conviction that Israel was involved.

''It is quite a big thing for the Foreign Minister to call in the ambassador,'' he told The Age. ''It makes it clear that the minister himself believes Israel is involved.''

.... Opposition Leader Tony Abbott accused the government of failing to prevent passport fraud. Mr Smith responded that the passports were issued under the Howard government. He added: ''People should understand very carefully that no one is suggesting that there is any need to replace old passports.''

Rudd's hospital overhaul to cost states $50b
By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers/ABC NEWS online
Updated Wed Mar 3, 2010 3:42pm AEDT

New plan: the Commonwealth will take on 60 per cent of all hospital funding (ABC News)

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has unveiled a sweeping national plan to take control of Australia's hospital funding by clawing back $50 billion of GST revenue from the states and territories.

Mr Rudd, who outlined the major changes at the National Press Club today, is likely to face some opposition from state and territory leaders.

The changes would see the Government directly fund the country's public hospital system in a bid to stamp out waste and also include a full federal takeover of all GP and primary healthcare services.

The plan will be funded by pumping one third of the states' GST allocations - which amounts to $50 billion over the forward estimates - directly into hospitals.

The Commonwealth will take on 60 per cent of all hospital funding, which includes the average cost of each patient, ongoing funding for research, training, maintenance and improvements.

That share of hospital funding will cost the Federal Government $30.9 billion over the forward estimates and primary care funding will cost $18.7 billion.

The administration of the funds will be done through local authorities, which will oversee small groups of hospitals and will be subjected to "strong national standards".

These authorities will be will be paid by the Federal Government on the basis of each patient they treat and an independent body will be established to set the "efficient" cost of each treatment.

Funding will also be linked to a hospital's efficiency, with national standards to be set and performance statistics published.

"For the first time there will be nationally consistent performance standards for hospitals in critical areas such as emergency departments and elective surgery to help reduce waiting times for the public," Mr Rudd said <cont>

We wouldn't be talking Murdoch press, would we?

I'll comment on the Murdoch press and the ridiculous Michelle Chantelois thing sometime.