But worse was yet to come. Not revealed in any public documents was Mr McPhedran's next claim that he had "learned that members of the elite Australian squad are already secretly in the Gulf." Apparently oblivious to the fact that he had attacked the PM in his first paragraph for compromising the SAS by discussing its general role, Mr McPhedran had now himself revealed secret SAS deployments that would seriously compromise the forces' safety. As it happens, fortunately, Mr McPhedran was wrong again. The SAS were not in the Gulf, but rather, safely home in Perth. But had he been right, the Iraqi Republican guard would now be alerted to the SAS's presence through an 'intelligence windfall' splashed across Australian Murdoch papers. And who were his sources for all this? "Sources close to the regiment" apparently, and we will have to take his word on that.

Mr McPhedran is a curious character indeed. His reporting on this recent escalation in Gulf hostilities now makes the national stage courtesy of the Murdoch chain. But for many years he pursued his own peculiar interest in the Middle East at that inauspicious daily, the Canberra Times. When he left the Canberra Times late last year, to take up a position with News Ltd, colleagues tell us that Mr McPhedran "went around boasting that he could now pursue Defence Minister Ian McLachlan full-time."

In early October 1996, a younger Ian McPhedran tripped off to Iraq, spending three days in Baghdad. Back home in Canberra only a few days, he had a lead story on page 1 of the Canberra Times, alleging that Foreign Minister Alexander Downer "has caused a diplomatic rift with Arab countries by refusing to meet with Iraq's Charge d'Affairs", Khalid Mohammed.

Had Mr Downer put Australia's relations with the Arab world in jeopardy by refusing to meet the senior Iraqi diplomat? Well actually, no, wrong again. Australia's policy of no ministerial contact with Iraqi government representatives had been in existence for the previous five years, consistent with UN Security Council resolutions.

Protested Mr Downer to the Canberra Times, "Australia's freeze on Ministerial contact with Iraq has been well understood for five years by the international community. It is not new, not unique and not contentious."

Is Mr McPhedran suggesting that Australia reverse it? To do so would reward the Iraqi regime's policies of aggression abroad and suppression at home... It is a pity Mr McPhedran seems unwilling or unable to understand this." And the source for this sudden non-catastrophe in Australian/Arab relations? "According to sources", reported Mr McPhedran. And we'll have to take his word on that too.

Since then we have seen a whole series of shock Arab diplomatic exclusives from Mr McPhedran. Typical was this August 1997 report: "Australia's $3 billion trade with Arab states could be in jeopardy because of a perceived policy shift by the Federal Government to favour Israel". And where did that story come from (which, incidentally, contradicted booming bilateral Mid East trade figures)? That's right, "sources say a continuation of Australia's position could force a number of [Arab countries] to reconsider their trade relations." Another exclusive that remained solely Mr McPhedran's. Mr McPhedran rarely has a gentle word for Israel.

Given this is something of an article of faith at the Canberra Times we'll let that pass. But in1995, one extraordinary story by him began: "The Federal Government has accused elements of the Jewish Lobby of peddling lies..." For good measure it was headlined "Jewish elements 'peddling lies' on PLO visit". At least this time there was a source - Senator Gareth Evans' office. But not for long. Several days later on March 28 1995, Evans rose in Parliament to state, "The Canberra Times headline on Saturday, ascribing the view to my press spokeswoman of Jewish elements 'peddling lies' on PLO visit is a wildly inaccurate account of what was said. The words in quotation marks were never said by the Government and do not reflect the Government's position."

What a lot of havoc Mr McPhedran seems to cause. Everyone gets a story a bit mixed up occasionally. Mr McPhedran seems to get them a bit mixed up a lot, and often on the same topic. We think maybe he should try a different career. Perhaps something more suited to his personal baggage, like politics for example. After all, isn't he the same Ian McPhedran who was putting himself forward for ALP preselection a few years ago? That's what our"sources" say, anyway.

COMRADES IN ARMS: In his autobiography Fighting for Peace, former US Defence Secretary Casper Weinberger claimed that "rumours had long circulated in intelligence circles that Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi suffered from an incurable venereal disease, and that this accounted for his occasional bouts of madness, in which hysteria, braggadocio and extreme theatricalism were all mixed". Not surprising then, when last week Libya announced that Australia would suffer trade reprisals if it took part in military strikes against Iraq. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer correctly dismissed Gaddafi's latest threat, telling the breathless Australian media that there are more important issues - particularly Saddam's weapons stockpiles. (Australian trade with Libya is relatively small - around $60 million in exports making it our 76th largest customer). But last month (January 6) the London Times reported that surprise, surprise, Saddam Hussein has been heavily involved in Libya's covert efforts to develop biological weapons at an extensive complex near Tripoli. "Up to a dozen Iraqi scientists who have been involved in Baghdad's biological research, have transferred to the Libyan program, and are now living in Tripoli under a special arrangement agreed to between Libya and Iraq seven months ago," reported the Times. Perhaps Mr Gaddafi should keep his head down.

THEY'RE BACK: Well, he is at least. Australia's very own American expert on Iraq, Robert Springborg of course. Last Gulf War the ABC, the Jewish Lobby, Hawke Government and columnist Gerard Henderson tore strips off each other over Mr Springborg and his ilk. If you listen to the Springborg/ABC version of events, it goes something like "we fought political censorship, pressure, outside interference and attempts to silence independent experts during the Gulf War and kept Robert Springborg on air as a commentator". If you listen to the Gerard Henderson/Bob Hawke IReview version, it's something like "yeah, fine, but we didn't say take him off the air; just add some balance. Robert Springborg on every program, every hour on the hour is a bit much. How about someone who has another view and, by the way, doesn't happen to be the former Secretary of the Iraqi Friendship Society, doesn't get it wrong more often than not and happens to have his affiliations appropriately identified?" Ever since, the ABC trumpets and distorts the little battle as if it was the Washington Post taking on the Nixon Administration. And Mr Springborg has made a cottage industry - supplementing his chair at Macquarie University - writing feature articles and telling radio chat show listeners how he saved Australian civil society from Dr Henderson, the powerful and evil Jewish lobby and a manipulated PM.

Last week the ABC even tracked him down in Egypt. Surprise, surprise, Mr Springborg thinks there "are no national interests of Australia under threat by Iraq" and therefore it's "an unwise decision" to aid the US. Identified only as 'Professor', Mr Springborg told ABC-TV viewers that everyone he knows over there in Cairo hates Richard Butler and Bill Clinton - although they can't seem to decide who they dislike the most. The Iraqi apologist, who never seems to tire, really should lie down gracefully - if nothing else because he gets it so wrong so often. Here's Springborg on Radio 2GB January 15 1991: "Iraq is willing to solve the crisis diplomatically and withdraw from Kuwait." Asked on ABC in 1990 what he thought of Iraqi threats to attack Israel, Springborg responded, "I think Saddam is making those threats simply as theatre." The list is endless.

But my favourite Robert Springborg story took place in September 1990 while I was attending an academic conference at Melbourne University. The Iraqi crisis was just hotting up and the anti-US vitriol of participants in full flight. Mr Maji, a Palestinian representative at the conference became very excited and started screaming that "the glorious sands of Iraq will swallow the invaders! Saddam Hussein will not be put into a cage, Iraq is no banana!" Chairing that particular session was Robert Springborg, who stood up on the stage and indicated his support for the Palestinian views, telling him "we are on the same wavelength". But Mr Maji was screaming so much he couldn't understand what Springborg was really saying, only hearing his American accent. Suddenly, he lashed out at the American on the stage. "When the crunch comes, we will die, but you will die too," he screamed at a dumbstruck Robert Springborg. Some friends can be so ungrateful.