John Howard's Secret, Taxpayer-funded Dirt-Digging Department

Alan Ramsey has a few tough questions for John Howard:

"Cross your heart and hope to die, John Howard. Then tell voters about Ian Hanke and what is referred to within your Government as "special projects", something Hanke, an old Liberal Party hand of umpteen years' standing, runs out of the office of Melbourne's Kevin Andrews, the soft-voiced, psalm-singing Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations...

Mark Latham went public in his compelling defence on Monday of the surge in trash generated around his private life and his family, and you, very piously, PM, immediately repudiated as 'nonsense' any interest 'in Mr Latham's personal life', as well as any suggestion of a Government 'dirt file' on your opponent...

So tell us, Prime Minster, exactly what do Ian Hanke and Gerry Wheeler do? Taxpayers pay their salaries, their ministerial allowances in lieu of overtime, and their tax-free travel expenses. They have a right to know, surely."