Fierce, passionate exchanges in parliament today - concerning the tactic of the Libs' "dirt unit". Specifically (this time) about Kevin Rudd's health & hear operation. Did anyone see the footage on the 7:30 report? Pretty wild!:
'We have not been spreading smears'
Dan Harrison
September 20, 2007 - 5:02PM/the AGE
John Howard has hit back at allegations the Government leaked private medical information in a bid to smear Kevin Rudd, suggesting Labor spread the story to divert attention from the opposition leader's gaffe on tax.
Mr Rudd revealed last night that he had an operation to replace his aortic valve with one from another person, about 15 years ago.
He said the faulty valve was caused by childhood rheumatic fever, that the operation was "a standard procedure" and he had been "fit as a fiddle ever since".
Mr Rudd went public about his operation yesterday after details were leaked to Channel Nine.
Responding to a question in parliament from Labor member Jenny Macklin, Mr Howard dismissed the accusation that his government was behind the disclosure as "contemptible" and "baseless."
"We have not been spreading smears about the leader of the Opposition's health," Mr Howard said.
"We are not interested in smearing the leader of the Opposition as an individual."
"It's a base diversion and the leader of the Opposition has utterly failed to produce any evidence."
"I can beat the leader of the Opposition without resorting to smears," he said.
Mr Howard accused Labor of leaking the story to shift attention away from Mr Rudd's performance at an interview earlier in the day, when he could not name the current income tax thresholds in response to a journalist's question.
"Yesterday, the leader of the Opposition had a very bad day. He couldn't answer the most simple question about taxation," Mr Howard said.
"If I were a suspicious person... I would say to myself I don't think that story came from our side of politics, I think that story may have come from another side of politics."
But Mr Rudd said Channel Nine journalist Laurie Oakes had confronted him with the story yesterday morning, before he travelled to his campaign event at Queanbeyan High school.
Labor's human services spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, went on the attack this morning, pointing the finger at the Liberal Party.
"We know that there is a Liberal Party dirt unit," Ms Plibersek told reporters.
"It begs the question, what else are they going to dig up, and who else will they attack next."
Deputy Opposition Leader Julia Gillard and shadow Treasurer Wayne Swan implied the disclosure was politically motivated but stopping short of directly fingering the Federal Government.
"What we know is obviously, someone is out there digging through garbage bins, up to their armpits in dirt looking for personal information about Kevin Rudd and presumably about others," Ms Gillard told journalists in Canberra.
"We don't know who those people are but clearly it is associated with the election campaign," she said.
Mr Swan said private investigators were accessing private medical records in a bid to smear Mr Rudd.
"You know, that's about as low as politics can go.
"I'll leave it up to other people to make their judgement about who might be doing that and who's got a political interest in doing it."
Democrats Leader Senator Lyn Allison indicated she believed the Government leaked the story.
"I think it's a sign of how desperate the Government is," she told reporters.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding said: "I think someone's health is their own business, I think to a certain extent, and it should probably stay that way."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/we-have-not-been-spreading-smears/2007/09/20/1189881647921.html
