Australian Family Association spokesman John Morrissey has described Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's observation of a religious holiday over the weekend as 'quite reprehensible.'

The Prime Minister has refused to apologise for the 'robust conversation,' which took place during a private meeting on International Talk Like A Pirate Day, a yearly tradition upheld by practicing Pastafarians.

Pastafarians celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day, with statue of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Joe Mabel.)

Mr. Rudd and his family are known to be quite religious, and are seen attending church services regularly. Mr. Rudd says that he tries to start each day with a reading from a prayer book.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia 'Gilla Monster' Gillard stood by Mr. Rudd, saying 'From time to time we might say the occasional robust word. I'm known to do that as much as anybody else.'

Mr and Mrs Rudd after a service at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (ABC News/Giulio Saggin and livenudedann.com)

Elaine Crowe from Parents Victoria initially agrees with Ms. Gillard's statements, saying 'we all say cross words from time to time,' but says that the Prime Minister should 'set an example, particularly for our kids.'

Twittering Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull bragged that he spent several weeks during 1978 at Playboy magazine’s Chicago headquarters while negotiating the purchase of rights for an Australian edition of the magazine.

Malcolm Turnbull with radio's Camilla (B105)

Mr. Turnbull’s recollection of the visit lost credibility, however, when he admitted ‘I didn’t meet Hugh Hefner, I didn’t go to his house.’

‘I met his daughter, Cindy, who’s a very serious business executive, and a number of other business executives there,’ Mr. Turnbull clarified, though most people would just have called such executives ‘Bunnies.’

‘I’m afraid to say I haven’t had a Scores moment,’ said Mr Turnbull, conceding that his Playboy visit is unlikely to bring him the kind of praise given to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when it was revealed that he visited the Scores Gentlemen’s Club during a visit to New York in 2003.

Players Lounge welcomes Mr Rudd (AAP)

News of Mr. Rudd’s strip club jaunt, revealed during his 2007 election campaign boosted his public support, and prompted invitations from local nightclubs. Mr. Turnbull’s Playboy tale is not expected to have a similar effect.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Federal Government have once more come under criticism from members of the Opposition for spending, this time seen as little more than ‘self-promotion.’

Since coming to power, the Rudd Government have rolled out funding to schools across the country, in what Education Minister Julia ‘Gilla Monster’ Gillard has called ‘the biggest school modernisation project this country's ever seen.’

Education Minister Julia Gillard with student (Reg Ryan)

‘Schools will obviously want to have a celebration when their brand new gymnasium or 21st century library or classrooms are finished,’ Ms Gillard said.

These celebrations will in most cases take the form of launch ceremonies for the opening of new buildings, with the unveiling of commemorative plaques, said to have cost the Government more than $3.5 million in total. Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne has branded the exercise as the spending as nothing more than the creation of photo opportunities.

‘This Government is all about spin and self-promotion and trying to get itself re-elected,’ Mr. Pyne said. ‘So the fact they'd spend $3.75 million on plaques and signs and self-promotion - every dollar of which is borrowed - should come as no surprise to anyone. You would think that they would be embarrassed enough to say “Well, let's not borrow $3.75 million to promote Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.”’

Mr. Pyne has recent history of being argumentative with Prime Minister Rudd, having this been forced to withdraw an insult made to Mr. Rudd in Parliament. While answering a question regarding the Government’s debt strategies, Mr. Pyne interrupted with ‘Answer the question, Mr. Squiggle!’

Miss Jane and Mr Squiggle (ABC)

Meanwhile, Mr. Rudd was accused of demeaning the office of the Prime Minister when he used large pictures of renovation projects in schools to demonstrate how money was being spent. Opposition front-bencher Julie Bishop deemed the pictures ‘silly props.’

‘I've never seen a prime minister stoop to the sort of silly antics that we saw this week,’ Ms. Bishop said.

Kevin Rudd being presented with a cricket shirt (cricket.org)

Kevin Rudd and Rabbi Dovid Slaven(The Jewish Star)

It is evident, however, that props have been an important part of Mr. Rudd’s political success. Photographic evidence shows that Mr. Rudd has for some time utilised props whenever possible.

(Alan Porritt, AAP)

(Kym Smith, news.com.au)

 

With the opening ceremony for the games of the XXIX Olympiad only hours from taking place in Beijing, the city is accommodating more foreign dignitaries than ever. Australia’s contingent gathered last night for a function in the ballroom of the reasonably priced Beijing Sofitel, where Australian Olympic coaches named who would be leading the team into the opening ceremony.

The five-time Olympian seemed confused about what he had been chosen for, responding to questions about the token gesture by saying ‘It is the mateship, the camaraderie, the spirit of the ANZAC, it is that sort of culture, when the chips are down, you fight your hardest, when the going gets tough you start to fire up.’

Mrs Rudd, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Prime Minister John Howard (Fairfax)

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister John Howard sported a gaudy blazer and enjoyed complimentary beverages while avoiding current Prime Minister and rival Kevin Rudd. When Mr Rudd noticed Mr Howard in the crowd, he approached Mr Howard to shake hands and say hello. Mr Rudd then took to the stage himself to lead the room in a half-hearted cheer of ‘hip, hip, hooray.’

Excerpt of Prime Minister Rudd’s speech. (ABC)

Despite his less-than-enthusiastic presentation to athletes, Kevin Rudd is known to be a keen sports fan, attending local events when ever possible. It is speculated, however, that he is more interested in enjoying the snacks available at the venue than he is in the performance of the teams on field.

Kevin Rudd with Dagwood Dog (News Limited)

It is unclear whether Dagwood Dogs will be available at official Beijing Olympic sites.

Last weekend’s 2020 summit sought to ‘help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future,’ according to a statement from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In the aftermath, the majority of media outlets seemed more interested in reporting on Cate Blanchett and the first major outing of her new infant, Ignatius, despite the approriateness, or otherwise, of the summit as a medium for the child’s debut. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had further highlighted the casual nature of the discussions set to take place during the two-day series of speeches with his weekend ensemble devoid of his customary tie, a fashion replicated to near indenticallity by almost every male delegate present over the weekend.

While numerous important matters were no doubt discussed before a whiteboards and poignant cartoons, the one that has remained a talking point in the week since has been the possibility of Australians once more having the opportunity to vote on whether the country should remain a monarchy or embrace change as a new republic. As yet, no dates have been set for official discussions on the topic, but the matter must surely be weighing heavily on the mind of newly elected Governor General Quentin Bryce.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with Quentin Bryce (AAP: Alan Porritt)

Only a week before the summit, Bryce, the Governor of Queensland, from the sheep farming town of Ilfracombe, Queensland, was celebrating her impending promotion to the position, and gaining the praise of the likes of Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and collapsing current affairs host Jill Singer. However, if a referendum decided that Australia were to sever ties with England’s royal family, this would make the position of Governor General redundant.

Perhaps of more concern should be the fact that Ms. Bryce’s brooch is made of contraband substance Bindeez. The children’s art toy distributed by Moose Enterprises was recalled nation-wide prior to Christmas in 2007 after it was revealed, through a number of children’s trial and unintentional error, that the beads in the product metabolised into the recreational drug GHB. Leader Newspapers reported ‘pandemonium’ at K-Mart in Westfield Shopping Centre Southland, with up to two trolley loads of the toy being returned in a week.

Magnification of the offending jewellery

Bindeez (Moose)

Time will tell what Ms. Bryce’s true intentions are when she takes to the throne of Governor General on September 5, 2008, but, Bindeez dealer or not, her reign may be short lived pending the decision of the Government on the republic issue and public reaction to news of the Bindeez brooch.