Ruddock lets rip

Imigration Minister Phillip Ruddock will establish a commission of inquiry into the illegal migration of whales into Australian waters.
Mr Ruddock said Australia would no longer put up with the unchecked and uncontrolled passage of mammals of dubious citizenship.
At a news conference in Canberra at which Mr Ruddock asked himself questions and then answered them, he described how recent changes in border protection laws would allow for the boarding of any whales illegally entering Australian waters.
"I am assured by the Australian Navy, that when confronted by vessels, many of these so called whales become unco-operative and refuse to communicate," he said.
"Often their strategy is to evade Australian authorities by simply holding their breath and going underwater for a while. Many do not even carry a legitimate passport.
"These are not the actions of a genuine mammal."
When he asked himself what would happen to the whales once boarded by the Australian Navy, Mr Ruddock replied that they would be taken to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and held there until their status was properly assessed. He added that if illegal whales made it into Australia's migration zone, then it would be a different matter.
"They would then have recourse to legal rights and appeals. Subsequently they would have to be housed on the mainland, at Port Headland, Woomera or a similar facility," he said.
When he asked himself what had brought about the change in attitude towards whales, Mr Ruddock indicated that recent intelligence reports suggested that some whales were being recruited into terrorist cells, or pods, and posed a great danger to Australia.
"The issue of illegally migrating whales should not be underestimated," he said.
"Security experts assure me that some whales can be quite large and could even be used as whales of mass destruction or WMDs.
"Just imagine the tragedy if one of these WMDs were to fly into a tall building or perhaps the Sydney Opera House."
When asked by one of the reporters at the news conference if this type of thinking was insane, Mr Ruddock claimed ATSIC had a track record of squandering public money.