Fed: Howard and Beazley swap phone calls

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2006
Fed: Howard and Beazley swap phone calls

CANBERRA, Dec 8 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard says his heart goes out to Kim Beazley
and his parents as they prepare for the funeral of the former Labor leader's younger brother.

David Beazley, 53, died of a heart attack on Monday morning as the Labor caucus was
voting to dump Mr Beazley as leader.

His funeral will be held in Perth today.

Mr Howard said he had attempted to contact Mr Beazley but had not been able to speak
directly to him.

"We have message-banked each other," Mr Howard told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"I rang him on a couple of occasions, I left a message on his mobile.

"He then rang back and left a message with my principal private secretary saying, `look
thank-you very much for calling John but I just want to be left alone for a few days and
we'll have a yarn later on'.

"I felt terribly sorry for him."

The government helped get Mr Beazley back to Perth, chartering a government jet to
fly him and wife Susie Annus home to their families on Monday afternoon.

"I feel very sorry for his parents, they're very elderly and they're lovely people,"

Mr Howard said.

Mr Beazley's father Kim senior, 89, was a Whitlam government minister.

AAP mfh/ks/bwl

KEYWORD: BEAZLEY HOWARD

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