Plan B Forum

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Liberal candidate Mal Brough should be disendorsed after a menu that made lewd and offensive jokes about her anatomy was used at his fund-raiser.



Ms Gillard slammed the menu as ‘‘grossly sexist and offensive’’ and critised Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for standing by Mr Brough.

‘‘This is Tony Abbott’s Liberals,’’ she said. ‘‘This is what they’re like.’’

The menu, used at an event in March, lists ‘‘Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail’’ before going on to describe it as ‘‘Small breasts, huge thighs & a big red box’’.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek agreed with Ms Gillard, saying she thought Mr Brough’s position as the candidate for the Queensland seat of Fisher was ‘‘untenable’’.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political ... z2Vz80Ib3q

dales wrote:No "Furburger" and "Side Order of Thighs"?

Australia PM digs in despite dire polls

June 11, 2013, 12:40 pm

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard sought to play down heightened speculation she may be ousted by her Labor Party before national elections in September, saying she was confident of remaining in charge.

Gillard faces a crushing defeat in the September 14 vote and is reportedly under pressure to stand down in favour of former leader Kevin Rudd, seen as the best hope of salvaging the party's fortunes.

"I am the best person to lead the Labor Party," she told reporters, adding there were no circumstances under which she would not lead Labor to the polls.

"Yes there's rumour-mongering and speculation -- it's wasted breath."

Trade Minister Craig Emerson, a close Gillard ally, admitted there was renewed chatter about the Labor leadership but said "that doesn't translate into anything".

"We should not be going through revolving doors, going forward and back and forward and back," he told ABC radio in reference to the sudden change of leadership from Rudd to Gillard in a party room coup back in 2010.

The move shocked the Australian public, who had voted Rudd to power in a landslide, and Labor's fortunes have never fully recovered.

The renewed leadership speculation has been prompted by dire polling which suggests Labor is facing a wipe-out in the election.

Gillard has endured near-constant speculation about her leadership since taking power and she won only the narrowest of victories in the last election in 2010, which resulted in a hung parliament, forcing her to cobble together a minority government with independents.

A Perth talkback radio host has been suspended pending an internal inquiry after provoking outrage and bemusement by questioning the sexuality of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's partner.

Howard Sattler offered the Prime Minister a chance to dispel ''myths, rumours, snide jokes and innuendo'' at the tail-end of a digressive interview on Fairfax-owned station 6PR Thursday afternoon Perth time.

''Tim's gay,'' was the first rumour Mr Sattler raised.

''Well, that's absurd,'' the Prime Minister replied flatly.

''But you hear it - he must be gay, he's a hairdresser,'' Mr Sattler said. ''It's not me saying it.''

The Prime Minister dismissed the suggestion. But Mr Sattler pressed the point.
: Prime Minister Julia Gillard with her partner, Tim Mathieson. .

Prime Minister Julia Gillard with her partner, Tim Mathieson. Photo: Getty Images

''You can confirm that he's not?'' he asked.

''Oh Howard don't be ridiculous, of course not,'' the Prime Minister said, while remaining cool and composed. ''On the internet there are lots of [. . .] nutjobs, people who peddle and circulate vile things.

'Howard let me just bring you back to earth, you and I have just talked about me and Tim living at the lodge, we live there together as a couple, you know that.''

The interview comes towards the end of a week in which the Prime Minister has been subject to personal attacks, and gone on the offensive about sexism in politics.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political ... z2W94K4RNK

Crackpot wrote:Red letter day

I agree with rubato

Julia Gillard's controversial attempt to rescue Labor by claiming Tony Abbott would marginalise women and change abortion rights has backfired, with support among male voters collapsing.

In a finding certain to ratchet up pressure on the Prime Minister's besieged leadership, the latest Fairfax-Nielsen poll has found Labor's standing has continued to slide, led entirely by a 7 per cent exodus of men, while failing to lift substantially among female voters.

According to the monthly survey, the ALP's primary vote now has a psychologically devastating ''2'' in front of it with less than three months to the election on September 14.

Ms Gillard also has gone backwards as preferred prime minister, giving her the lowest approval rating in a year.

The poll coincides with the final sittings of the 43rd Parliament and shows that at 29 per cent, Labor's primary support has slipped below the 30 per cent barrier for only the second time this year. With the Coalition attracting 47 per cent of first-preference votes, Labor trails by a staggering 18 points on primary votes, putting the overall two party-preferred vote at 43-57 in favour of the Coalition or 42-58 based on how the 1400 respondents said they would allocate preferences.

If reflected at the election, that would mean a 7 per cent swing to the Coalition on the 50-50 hung Parliament result of 2010, and mean the loss of 30 or more seats, virtually halving Labor's representation now.

But the poll also shows that with Kevin Rudd in charge, almost the entire advantage to the Coalition would be wiped out, taking Labor's primary vote up to 40 per cent, the Coalition's down to 42 per cent, and the two party-preferred split to a dead-heat 50-50.

As nervous Labor MPs gather in Canberra for what many fear will be a tumultuous session in which the leadership issue may explode, the poll confirms Mr Rudd remains personally more popular than Ms Gillard with a preferred Labor leader rating of 58 per cent to her 32 per cent.

But among Labor voters, Ms Gillard still holds a 6 point lead. Mr Rudd's 26 point lead over Ms Gillard overall was beaten by the gap between former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull and his successor Mr Abbott.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political ... z2WQVOehfL