RUDD’S “HIT THE GROUND RUNNING” CLAIMS EXPOSED AS A FIB
New information from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has exposed as pure spin Mr Rudd’s claim that his Ministry would work through the Christmas and New Year holiday period with only Christmas Day and Boxing Day off.
An answer to a question placed on notice by Senator Mitch Fifield, Deputy Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, reveals that six ministers, including Mr Rudd, Ms Gillard and Mr Smith, as well as five parliamentary secretaries took leave over the break.
This is despite Mr Rudd’s claim when he announced his ministry on 29 November 2007:
JOURNALIST: … will any of them (the Ministry) get any time off over Christmas?
RUDD: …Yes, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
(Transcript of Press Conference, Parliament House, 29 November 2007)
“Mr Rudd was spinning furiously after the election trying to give the impression that the new government would be working full-time without any holidays over the Christmas period,” Senator Fifield said today.
“Now we discover that in fact this was not the case. Mr Rudd’s claim that he and his ministers would work all through the Christmas and New Year period has been exposed as a fib.
“No one could seriously begrudge these MPs for taking some time off. But the issue here is Mr Rudd’s credibility with yet another example of his public spin differing from the facts.”