Burke Invitation Boasted Of Rudd's Presence
The Age
Saturday March 3, 2007
KEVIN Rudd "supped with the devil" and lied about his conversations with Brian Burke, the Government claimed yesterday, as it sought to turn his contacts with the disgraced former WA premier into a "character issue".
It emerged last night that Mr Rudd was touted as the guest of honour at a dinner Mr Burke organised in August 2005. An email invitation sent prior to the dinner by Mr Burke read: "Julian Grill and I would be delighted if you would be our guest at dinner with Kevin Rudd, the Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs in the Federal Parliament at 7pm on Monday August 1st at the Perugino Restaurant Cnr Murray and Outram Streets in West Perth," it read. "It should be an interesting evening."Mr Rudd has said he attended only at the invitation of his friend, WA federal MP Graham Edwards. A spokesman for Mr Rudd said he was unaware that clients of Mr Burke attended the dinner. He did not know they were invited to meet him.Before that revelation, ministers launched attacks on Mr Rudd, with Prime Minister John Howard saying he was being disingenuous. Treasurer Peter Costello said he was digging himself in deeper.Health Minister Tony Abbott said: "He has been exposed as someone who is prepared to sup with the devil in order to advance his cause . . . not once, not twice, but three times."Mr Rudd has been thrown on the defensive with his admission that he met Mr Burke three times in 2005 - at breakfast, dinner, and for coffee - action he now says was bad judgement.By coincidence both Labor and Liberal party executives met yesterday. The Liberals celebrated the 11th anniversary of the Howard Government. At the Labor meeting, Mr Rudd said again that he had made a mistake in meeting Mr Burke.In a blunt assault on Mr Rudd's truthfulness, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Mr Rudd had claimed he did not talk about the Labor leadership with Mr Burke, claiming it was not an issue at the time. This claim was false, Mr Downer said. "The Labor leadership was a significant issue at the time of the last two meetings (in August and November 2005)". It beggared belief that Mr Rudd had not discussed the leadership with Mr Burke, Mr Downer said. "It's a character issue," he said. But Labor foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland said Mr Rudd had shown "strength of character" in acknowledging his mistake.Mr Costello said Mr Rudd was prepared to deal with a convicted criminal who was banned by the West Australian Government because "he wanted influence".The Government seized on comments by Mr Edwards, who initiated the three meetings. "My view was Kevin Rudd is an up-and-coming star," Mr Edwards told the ABC. "He's a bright young bloke and I was pretty keen to, sort of, push him through a number of different areas in Western Australia to get him to know the state and to get people to know him."Mr Howard said Mr Edwards' words were "code in politics for promoting him as a future leader".Mr Rudd, appearing on Sunrise, said: "I just got this one wrong . . . In life you make some mistakes and I made a mistake." He denied discussing leadership ambitions.
© 2007 The Age
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