Federal Election 2013: Kevin Rudd calls in review of candidates Kevin Rudd in Tasmania for day six of the campaign. KEVIN Rudd has called in ALP chiefs to review two Labor candidates plunged into controversy after one admitted abusing a wheelchair-bound woman and another attacked Tony Abbott's religion. Amid Opposition calls for the Prime Minister to state his position on Hotham candidate Geoff Lake and Kennedy candidate Ken Robertson, Mr Rudd said he had asked ALP national secretary George Wright for a report on both candidates before he would comment. In Victoria, the Herald Sun today revealed Mr Lake also admitted on top of the slur against the disabled woman that he had been accused of stalking a political rival. In Queensland, Mr Robinson in today's Courier-Mail accused Tony Abbott of being a racist and secretly wanting to bring back the White Australia policy. Repeatedly referring to the Opposition Leader as "rabbit," Mr Robertson described him as a "very, very bigoted person" and said he hoped Australia "never has to suffer his Catholicism." Liberal Senator George Brandis today said Mr Rudd had been happy to sack the original candidate in the Queensland seat of Forde in favour of Peter Beattie when he had done nothing wrong. But he said Mr Rudd had to explain his position on the pair of candidates who he said had committed "serious misconduct." Senator Brandis stopped short of calling for their scalps but said Mr Rudd had to explain if the behaviour was acceptable to him. Does Kevin Rudd stand by Mr Robinson's remarks? Senator Brandis said. Does he stand by his attack on Mr Abbott's religion? And does he stand by the attempt of his candidate to raise the issue of the White Australia policy, something that hasn't been an issue for more than half a century? We saw Mr Rudd show a ruthlessness to sack a candidate, the candidate for Forde Mr Des Hardman, who had done nothing wrong but had become a pawn in Mr Rudd's political chess game so he could install Peter Beattie. Mr Rudd today said he would comment in due course. "I will get a report from the national secretary on that," he said. Once we've seen the report, we will speak to you further. Mr Lake, a lawyer chosen to run to replace Simon Crean in the prized seat of Hotham, admitted he offered a signed apology to fellow Monash councillor Kathy Magee over a 2002 exchange. "I leant over to Councillor Magee and ... said, "I can't believe what you did you f------ b---h. Picture: Tony Gough Source: News Limited Contacted by the Herald Sun, Mr Lake said: "If I had used any word other than 's---' this would not be an issue." Asked if it would have been a problem if he had called her a "f------ b----," Mr Lake conceded it would. "When someone calls you a s---, it tends to be offensive," she told the Herald Sun.