A new discipline issue for Kevin Rudd, this time involving Fremantle Docker Chris Tarrant and Darwin labor candidate Damian Hale? From the forums of Dockerland.com:

purple33 Posted: 21-Jun-07 09:40
Re: Can it get any better this year?

What a difference a day makes:

Hale on Monday:
“He just bared his buttocks and I don’t know whether she (Mr Hale’s female colleague) was offended by it, but I was offended by it and I just thought it was inappropriate… I said to him, ‘Mate, just because you’re an AFL footballer doesn’t mean you can treat her like this’. His behaviour was insulting and unacceptable to a lady… He’s just punched me, gave me one and then he took off, so I didn’t retaliate or anything”

Tuesday:
Hale on Channel 7 news: “I’m not denying I had a red-hot crack at Chris”.

Wednesday:
AN AFL investigator has heard allegations from witnesses that the political candidate Chris Tarrant punched in a Darwin nightclub was confrontational, inebriated and challenged the Fremantle forward to a physical fight (Real Footy).

Given that Rudd is leading the ALP’s crack-down on thuggish behaviour and kicking the union ‘thugs’ and ‘dinosaurs’ out of the Labor party, is he now going to call for Hale to be expelled, based on Hale’s ‘thuggish’ behaviour (drunk and looking for a fight), his ‘dinosaur’ patronising and misogynistic views towards women, and his *malicious manipulation of the media* which has tarnished the reputation of a young AFL footballer?

This has become a political scandal.