by Chris Griffith
Written 2 February 1996
Federal liberal member for Deakin Ken Aldred yesterday confirmed he had planned to raise financial issues about Mr Rudd under parliamentary privilege.
Mr Rudd is Labor's candidate in the Brisbane federal seat of Griffith.
But Mr Aldred said the closure of federal parliament and the calling of the election had frustrated his plan.
Currently the Queensland, Tasmanian, NSW, and Federal parliaments are not operating, a situation which has stranded politicians wishing to raise issues under privilege during the campaign.
Mr Aldred, who is still attempting to seek Liberal Party reindorsement in his south- east Melbourne seat, is known to have extensive contacts within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade -- where Mr Rudd worked before he came to Queensland.
Last June Mr Aldred used this network to make serious allegations in the House of Representatives about paedophilia involving some senior foreign affairs officers.
Many of these accusations were angrily rebuked as outrageous, however he said one case was being considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions, and two had led to departmental disciplinary action.
Mr Rudd declined an invitation to comment.