PM: slurs don’t stand up
NEW Prime Minister Julia Gillard hit back at accusations she has a conflict of interest over her support for Israel, saying her commitment to the country goes back many years.
NEW Prime Minister Julia Gillard hit back at accusations she has a conflict of interest over her support for Israel, saying her commitment to the country goes back many years.
She also confirmed she was hopeful a planned visit to Israel by new Education Minister Simon Crean would go ahead in coming weeks, and emphasised her soft spot for the local Jewish community based on a shared passion for education.
Speaking to The AJN on Wednesday — in her first interview with a newspaper since becoming Prime Minister — Gillard denied her partner Tim Mathieson’s employment with property group Ubertas — directed by Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange founder Albert Dadon — influenced her parliamentary activity.
“My interest in Israel and my support for Israel is longstanding, much longer standing than my partner’s employment with Ubertas,” she said. “The things that I’ve done, for example when I was acting prime minister dealing with the Gaza crisis and issuing a response on behalf of the Australian Government, that was well before any suggestion that Tim would go and work with the Ubertas Group.”
She continued: “Seriously, I don’t think it stands up”.
Dadon confirmed that Mathieson’s role at the company is simply to sell apartments.
The PM, who was sworn in by the Governor-General last Friday, said she understands intense interest in her and her family’s lives goes with the position.
“I understand and accept that, it is the way things are going to be,” she said.
Commenting on her predecessor’s recent decisions to expel an Israeli diplomat after intelligence suggested Israel had forged Australian passports and to call for an Israeli inquiry into the Gaza flotilla crisis and for additional humanitarian items to be allowed through the Gaza blockade, Gillard said she backed Kevin Rudd’s stance.
“I have served as a member of the national security committee in my capacity as deputy prime minister and the decisions that you’ve seen of the Government were taken by the national security committee,” she said. “On the question of the passports issue, as a nation, we’ve made our point there about the use of Australian passports and we are looking to move on.”
For more coverage, comment and reaction to Gillard’s appointment, purchase of copy of this week’s AJN.
NAOMI LEVIN
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