Mood:
accident proneTopic: aust govt
Question time was a fairly relaxed affair with the government presenting some poise. In fact we rang Mr Rudd's media staff to note the penultimate posting about News Corp reliance on booze adverts. Indeed Rudd referred to the distillers special interest at one stage. But what caught our eye was this moment, a bit fudged on the webcast, where Rudd can't help chuckling (pardon the pun) at the reference to an oppositin question gibe "We know Julia [Gilliard, Deputy PM] cooked the hotdog". This was a reference to this page 3 story in the Sydney Daily Telegraph and presumably sister tabloids today:
4 June 2008 Rudd's daggy shaggy dog story
1:12pm: KEVIN Rudd's first explanation of rumours he'd had a heart attack was that he'd eaten a "dodgy dagwood dog". That didn't wash. Now it's a party pie.
The mishap has already been linked to the NSW Govt allegedly lax enforcement of the food hygiene laws:
Iemma's food law made Rudd sick
Media Release: 4 June 2008
The Iemma government's food outlet hygiene laws failed to protect Prime Minister Kevin Rudd from buying a 'dodgy Dagwood dog' or a poisonous party pie and becoming ill early last month when visiting Sydney, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
Dr Kaye said "If Food Minister Ian Macdonald had given this state world-standard 'name and shame' laws, Kevin Rudd would have been able to see the results of the last inspection of the eatery clearly displayed where he purchased the offending item.
"Because the Iemma government rolled over to the restaurant industry when the Food Act was amended in April of this year, the Prime Minister would not have been aware of how often the hot doggery or pie stand had been inspected.
"Under NSW laws, it is possible that the outlet had never been visited by an inspector.
"Even if it had, the results of the inspection would not be publicly available unless there was a penalty notice issued or the outlet was prosecuted.
"Kevin Rudd, along with thousands of other prepared food consumers in NSW each year, spent a very uncomfortable 24 hours because the Iemma government is denying this state the protection of proper 'name and shame' food laws.
"The Prime Minister was forced to play Russian roulette when he purchased his hot dog or party pie.
"Like too many other consumers, he lost and paid the price," Dr Kaye said.
