Opposition leader strikes at Labor's 'rotten heart' and says the prime minister cannot wash his hands of the mess in NSW
Tony Abbott has launched a swingeing political attack on Kevin Rudd and the "rotten heart" of the Australian Labor party in the wake of damning findings released on Wednesday against key New South Wales ALP figures by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac).
The opposition leader demanded Rudd "come clean" on all his dealings, and the dealings of all his NSW-based ministers – particularly Bob Carr, Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke – with the figures accused of corruption by Icac.
Icac referred the former Labor party powerbroker Eddie Obeid and former Labor energy minister Ian Macdonald for prosecutors to consider criminal charges, after they were found to have acted corruptly.
With the findings released close to the start of the federal election campaign, Abbott moved on Wednesday afternoon to link the NSW corruption scandal to Canberra. He nominated specific examples: Albanese had supported Macdonald's preselection; Burke had been to a ski lodge owned by Obeid, and Carr had advanced Obeid's career when he was premier of NSW.
Abbott did not accuse any federal Labor ministers of specific wrongdoing.
But he declared Rudd could not "wash his hands" of the mess in NSW. He noted Rudd was prime minister with the explicit blessing of the NSW Labor party. Rudd's return to the Labor leadership last month was sealed after positive intervention by the NSW branch. The opposition leader asked if Rudd was so against the NSW machine, why had he put the state secretary, Sam Dastyari, at the heart of Labor's federal campaign for re-election.
"NSW sets the tone of the national Labor party. He [Rudd] has been the beneficiary of NSW Labor's activities," Abbott told reporters at a press conference in Sydney.
He said the Icac findings underscored why Labor should now be out of chances with Australian voters – and Kevin Rudd should be made to wear the consequences, rather than styling himself as a man at war with his own party. "This man is asking for a pardon before he's done any penance, and it's just wrong," Abbott said.
Abbott also on Wednesday used a speech to business to restate the Coalition's policy to crack down on corrupt activities within trade unions. The Coalition wants union officials to face the same penalties as company directors if they misuse members' funds.
Rudd moved before the release of the Icac report to inoculate federal Labor from the fallout. He and several frontbenchers went out early on Wednesday morning to say the ALP must have zero tolerance for corruption.
The prime minister declared himself "disgusted" at the evidence before Icac. "I welcome this report," Rudd told reporters at a separate event in Sydney. "Anyone who is responsible for illegal or corrupt behaviour should face the full force of the law."
Rudd launched a federal intervention in the NSW branch shortly after resuming the prime ministership. The prime minister pointed to that action on Wednesday as evidence he was serious about rooting out improper conduct.
The treasurer, Chris Bowen, speaking to reporters in Brisbane, said NSW residents would be rightly disgusted with state figures abusing their office and "betraying their party". The post-Icac processes now needed to take their course, he said.
