The Wire

The attack on Prime Minister Julia Gillard over her involvement in the setting up of a union related organisation that later turned out to be corrupt has stepped up in the past few days. The Australian has produced full transcripts of her conversations with her employers over the issue at the time. Canberra journalists took advantage of a press conference on another matter today to ply the PM with questions.

Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane says there is no ‘smoking gun’ but the attacks have all the hallmarks of a classic smear campaign, increased in intensity in the face of recently improving poll figures for Labor.