Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Two other media outlets confirmed subsequently that this story had been shopped to them in recent days. Furthermore, we are advised that this story had come forward from a source hostile to the Labor Party. Furthermore, the contents of the story ran along these lines: it contained the date of the medical procedure which I had, it had also the details of the doctor who supposedly performed the procedure, though the name of the doctor was not given to me, and, furthermore, there was a further view put that the source had said that the durability of the aortic valve used in the replacement surgery had a finite duration, it would last 10 years, and therefore my health was in some peril. This was not put to one media outlet; it was put to, we have at least confirmed, three media outlets.

Prime Minister, you were absent from this: the approach from Laurie Oakes came before I went anywhere near Queanbeyan yesterday. Your entire conspiracy theory collapsed in a heap while you were absent from the chamber.

Years ago—and this matter has been raised, I think, by someone opposite—in an interview, I think on Channel 7, we were asked about organ donations. I said I supported organ donations because I had been the beneficiary of one. Furthermore, in private conversations with cardiac patients at various times who have sought some counsel and support I have provided whatever counsel and support that I could.

On top of that can I say this: the three sets of information which these journalists put to me yesterday have never, ever been put into the public domain. We were therefore put in a position where I had to respond to the matters which had been put. The reason why the question was put in this House today is that the job of the parliament is to get an answer back from the executive as to whether these things are true. But it does not stop there. The question is asked, particularly by the Leader of the House, as to why we could possibly suspect that the government may be involved in anything untoward. Here we have, in the Sunday Telegraph from 29 August 2007, ‘Dig round and you’ll soon find a dirt unit’, an article by Simon Benson. It involves an interview involving a radio host, Bill Shorten and Tony Abbott. Bill Shorten says:

“Tony, are you saying you don’t have a dirt unit and it doesn’t have people trying to scour up the backgrounds of Labor candidates?”

The answer from Tony Abbott:

“Of course ...

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