Julia Gillard and her influences on those who surround her , she is such a great role model, how much influence or a hand in, for political points, did she have re: The Australia day riots?

Leave aside who told who what. The fact is the Prime 

Minister's office thought it was legitimate politics to organise 

an Aboriginal protest against her political rival.

As a taxpayer-funded ''media adviser'', Tony Hodges sent a 

tip-off to the Aboriginal tent embassy that Tony Abbott was 

nearby so they could do what? So they could go and protest 

against him.

And this is the key point. As far as Hodges was concerned 

the Aboriginal activists were legitimate assets to be used for 

partisan benefit. The only thing he had to do was to give 

them the message without leaving fingerprints. But Hodges 

wasn't up to that. So he had to fall on his sword to protect 

his boss.

Fell on his sword ... Tony 

Hodges. Photo: Andrew 

Meares

Next time you hear the sound 

of handwringing coming from 

the Gillard government about 

how much they care for 

indigenous people, remember: 

they don't care nearly as much 

about them as they care about 

Tony Abbott. If they can use 

them to get at him, they will.