The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, today accused The Australian newspaper of smears in its reporting of her involvment with the AWU during her time as a solicitor at Slater and Gordon in the 1990s.
Speaking in Brisbane, Gillard was asked about The Australian’s report today that an Australian Workers Union staffer, Wayne Hem, paid $5000 into a bank account at the behest of Bruce Wilson. The report claims Wilson said the money was for “Julia”. Gillard did not respond to the allegation directly, but reiterated: “I have done nothing wrong.”
Gillard claimed the allegations about her involvement with Wilson and the AWU have been around for 20 years and have been dealt with. Since her press conference on August 23, Gillard has refused to respond to ongoing newspaper reports about her time at Slater and Gordon.
- Listen to Gillard’s media conference (8m)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
- The Australian: Whistleblower Wayne Hem alerted AWU’s national secretary to $5000 payment to Julia Gillard
- The Australian: Ex-union staffer recalls $5k deposit for ‘Julia’
- Hedley Thomas, The Australian: Memories are fallible but diary disclosures help fill in the gaps
If only 10% of the “Gillard slush” story was true it would be enough for any leader to step aside until an enquiry decides whether there is a case to answer. The childish “I didn’t do anything wrong”, doesn’t wash with the public either. It’s no good blaming the Opposition for the smear. As I say, if 10% of the poo thrown did stick, that’s enough and Gillard has more than 10% sticking of her. Bye bye Gillard.