This article is risible. The APC report says:

"It said the journalist would then have been informed that it did not hold any files about incorporation of the association and the only documentation it knew of about the matter had been created by Ms Gillard and was not recorded by her in the firm’s system or held by it."

The report in fact damns Gillard and offers no support to the author's defence of her. In this respect his comments are grotesque:

"An incorporated association is legally constituted by the Corporate Affairs Commission after certain requirements are met.

A fund is an account opened by a bank or other institution on application by eligible account holders. There was at least one account opened by the association after it had been incorporated.

What Gillard referred to in her discussions with colleagues as a "slush fund" was clearly a bank account, not the association. They are quite separate entities."

This nonsense was repudiated here:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=14428

Gillard has a case to answer. She avoided the judgement of the Australian electorate but must answer in court for her actions.

Fortunately, there is the online, non Murdoch non Fairfax alternative.
And people in politics often have long memories! Particularly trained lawyers!
Murdoch and Fairfax puppet masters will be okay, given they have a sacrificial lamb to offer up for any and all reprisals?
There ought to be some reprisals and at the very least, one journalistic career ended!
After all, there remains an ironclad requirement to validate the facts and or remain a servant of the actual truth?
Moreover, the press council cannot emerge looking like a toothless tiger!
As for rumor, there remains a rumor in some circles that Baker is an actual bona fide reporter, rather than a politically motivated muckraker, with all the privileges conferred by a current valid press card?
Rhrosty.

Yawn ....
Alan the Australian people have shown they are Done with this type of propaganda. We all know there is a police investivation. We know they will decide whether there is evidence that might secure a successful prosecution.

End of story.

No ammount of gibberish comment in the medja or purile public debate of these matters is going to have any influence on those processes. The public with the trashing of the socialists, both labor and greens, and by electing adults into government has moved on. They expect justice will follow it's course.

We all know this is how our legal and criminal system works.

Get over it Alan.

Good morning all,

Thanks for these observations.

@Cohenite. Yes, familiar with the content of that link. The dubious arguments in that piece would appear to have been dealt with in the extended discussion which followed. No?

This week’s decision by the Australian Press Council would seem to have settled the matter fairly conclusively. Correct?

@Rhrosty, yes, agree with those observations.

This issue has already curtailed the journalistic careers of Michael Smith, Larry Pickering and Glenn Whatsisname – the poisoned dwarf.

The Age issued a grovelling public apology last November over Mark Baker’s dodgy reporting back then. Ean Higgins at The Australian suffered a similar humiliating slap in August last year when the editors were forced to retract and apologise for his false allegations in the matter.

So we will see what happens now to Mr Baker. Difficult to see how he can continue, given how serious offences have to be for the Press Council to make an adverese ruling.

@Imajulianutter: Can you see the difficulties you now have in both logic and ethics, Keith?

Re: “the Australian people have shown they are Done with this type of propaganda …”

And the Press Council has now shown that the people have been duped by systematic lies. No?

Re: “We all know there is a police investigation. We know they will decide whether there is evidence that might secure a successful prosecution.”

But how do we know these things, Keith?

Do you believe what you are told in the mainstream media?

Do you accept that this week’s decision by the Press Council is further damning evidence that newspapers simply concoct ‘news’ they want readers to believe?

Do you have any evidence that the police are investigating the former PM apart from what you have read in publications produced by convicted liars?

Cheers,

Alan A

Alan, that Fairfax has dropped down to the bottom-feeder level of Murdoch is alarming.

Of course, we can expect no change while the Coalition rules but this situation needs radical change even if it involves a break-up of all the media empires in OZ.

Democracy cannot function unless there is a balanced and unbiased media!

In Australia there is no such thing!

David G you are right again, if only we had correct reporting on all subjects written by the media, we don,t, the general public are slowly waking up though thank goodness

A balanced, unbiased media sounds great, lets start by selling the ABC; an obvious case of employee capture. A lazy billion a year off the budget would help towards the 10 billion interest payments we now have as well as reduce the unfunded, bloated ("Public Service") retirement packages payable by our children.

First Murdoch, now Fairfax,

You can't fool all the people all the time.

When even the left of center press can't stand the 3 ring circus act that is Labor, it is time for them to be chucked out of office.

I think the lowest primary vote in 100 years shows that the Australian voters are tired of labor's lies and incompetence.

this guy raves on about evidence and truth, but where is the evidence that newspapers even have that much impact with so many other sources of info out there.

And where is the evidence that Aust's no longer can think for themselves from the abundance of info still being put out.

Hi all,

Alan is correct again, of course. And correct that this is a matter that needs continued and deep analysis. The mainstream media (msm) continues to be the source of most people's understanding of politics, personalities and motivations - and for democracy to function as it was meant to function, it is necessary for us to be able to trust the source of the information on which we base our understanding and our vote.

But the msm, because conservatives have allowed the development of a virtual monopoly, and consistently oppose any move to impose some accountability, is becoming corrupt. You could map the spread of the stain from the Murdoch strongholds outwards. Fairfax is infected.

Yes, people don't like to be told they've been patsies - but the msm's readers will continue to be used as patsies until they recognise this to be the case.

Really where is the proof.

Are you saying that if all Aust's read Alan Austin they would not vote Coalition.

How about offering evidence when you make assertions.

I bet that most would just laugh and be glad AA lives in france, given he offers a perspective that has no real idea.

But no worries, everyone can be legend in their on lunchtime. And AA types can continue to make appeal to those with blinkered vision.

"Now, why would the law firm seek an injunction? And why in a country which values freedom of speech would one possibly be granted? The only answer is if the stories were not true."

Well, this will come as news to the lawyers employed by Ian Macdonald and Eddie Obeid.

Nonetheless, after Fairfax's shameless fawning over Rudd in the run-up to the election, one would hope they had learnt their lesson; but no, just yesterday a Herald billboard was announcing all and sundry that stopping the Carbon Tax was tantamount to 'suicide' -- a soundbite from that Man Who Is Never Right, the twenty-first century version of Paul Ehrlich, David Suzuki.

Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

Alan the focus of your article is the actions, from 20 odd years ago, which may or may not have been illegal, of a former useless pm who headed an ineffective, disunited and dysfunctional, leader swapping party of lawyers and union functionaries who lied
Please tell me, given the electrol thrashing they received why any of us are at all interested. The police and the courts will deal with all the unresolved issues.
Most of us don't give a large rats .....