Gillard staffer fired over alerting protesters to Abbott

A member of the prime minister’s staff has lost his job after passing on information that alerted Aboriginal Tent Embassy supporters to the nearby presence of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, leading to the protest and subsequent security scare involving both leaders on Australia Day.

While the media adviser – named as Tony Hodges – did not directly tell tent embassy organisers where Mr Abbott was, the person he did tell passed that information on.

“A member of the Prime Minister’s media unit did call another individual yesterday and disclosed the presence of the Opposition Leader at the Lobby restaurant,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“This information was subsequently passed onto a member of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.”

The staff member had not “in any way” suggested or encouraged violence or demonstration.

“Nevertheless, given the circumstances of yesterday’s function at the Lobby Restaurant, this action was an error of judgment,” the spokesperson said.

Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said the revelation was serious and called for an inquiry.

“The prime minister should immediately initiate an Australian Federal Police (AFP) inquiry into who the schedule was released to, and for what purpose, and into whoever was involved in the decision to breach the leader of opposition’s security,” he said.

“The opposition finds it remarkable that the staffer would have acted unilaterally and we believe the prime minister needs to do more than simply scapegoat one staffer.”

Meanwhile, Aboriginal protesters kept their Australia Day anger alive for a second day on Friday and burnt the Australian flag outside Parliament House, as police considered laying charges over the melee.

Tent embassy organisers also on Friday said they would seek the approval of Aboriginal communities throughout the country to sign a “declaration of sovereignty” over Australia.

Ms Gillard said on Friday violent protests should be condemned.

“Generally, the tent embassy has been a peaceful protest,” she told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

“What I utterly condemn is when protests turn violent, the way we saw the violence yesterday.”

Mr Abbott said he had been “verballed” by protesters and did not say the embassy should be demolished.

“I never said that and I don’t think that,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

With AAP