An angry Prime Minister Julia Gillard talks about the Australia Day incident that lead to the resignation of one of her staff. Photo: Craig Sillitoe
Julia Gillard is desperately trying to draw a line under her former staff member's role in stirring up tent embassy protesters who caused the security incident on Australia Day. It won't be that easy.
The affair has thrown more questions over the PM's credibility, reinforced criticisms of her office, and left her waiting for the federal police response to the opposition's demand for an inquiry.
Coming after her broken promise to Andrew Wilkie on pokies, which has made the government's position shakier in Parliament, this is a further blight on the start of her year.
Gillard says she only learnt of Tony Hodges' actions on Friday afternoon - a day after Hodges told his superiors, communications director John McTernan and chief press secretary Sean Kelly. This seems extraordinary.
The reason being suggested for the time it took for the information to reach her is that there were all sorts of rumours swirling around on who said what to whom, which had to be fully investigated.
But one crucial piece of information was established. Hodges had confessed; trouble over his behaviour either was looming or soon could be, and the boss needed to be warned ASAP. Instead she was left flat-footed when questioned at her Friday news conference about a radio report.
There was plenty of opportunity - even though she was busy in the country (at Flowerdale) on Friday morning. Indeed, she had her chief of staff Ben Hubbard - who knew about Hodges - with her on that trip (and also Hodges, but having told his immediate superiors, one would not have necessarily expected him to raise the matter with the PM).
Then there is the question of precisely what Hodges passed on to ACT union leader Kim Sattler, the intermediary with the protesters. The PM insists Hodges did not say that Tony Abbott wanted the embassy pulled down.
But Sattler was reported yesterday, saying Hodges told her Abbott had said it should not exist. In her formal statements, however, she had another version, in line with that of Gillard.
Sattler's credibility, though, is compromised by her initial denial that Hodges had spoken to her.
Why wouldn't Hodges have said Abbott wanted the embassy down? At 1.35pm on Thursday, AAP reported that ''Tony Abbott says it's time to move the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra''.
Hodges would have been aware of this take on Abbott's comments, directly or from journalists, rather than, or in addition to, the more nuanced, accurate version of what the Opposition Leader had said. But the PM's office is adamant that he says he gave the correct version.
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