Sources at the Aboriginal tent embassy say the mystery intermediary between Julia Gillard's office and the protesting mob on Australia Day was Kim Sattler.

Ms Sattler is a well-connected Labor figure, who has worked with UnionsACT.

Ms Sattler was not immediately available for comment to confirm or deny a role in the protest.

After about 200 angry protesters surrounded a Canberra restaurant on Thursday, security guards bundled Ms Gillard out of the building. She fell awkwardly as she was being rushed to escape to a nearby car.

The prime minister’s office said media adviser Tony Hodges resigned yesterday after disclosing that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was inside the restaurant.

Mr Abbott, who was also caught up in Thursday's drama, has today called on Ms Gillard to give precise details about the circumstances of Mr Hodge's resignation.

Aboriginal woman Barbara Shaw, who told the crowd of Tony Abbott's location on Australia Day, confirmed to The Sunday Age that she believed the intermediary was Ms Sattler.

"Now I know who she is and what her position [is], it’s really disappointing," she said.

"It breaks my heart to know who she is."

Ms Shaw said she didn’t identify Ms Sattler on sight at the embassy rally but later confirmed her identity speaking to others who were there.

"She said I should let people know Tony Abbott is over there, so I did," Ms Shaw said.

"I wasn’t the first person she told and the coffee shop is a public area, but there were already people from here going over there.

"I was told and I was told to tell everyone else.”

One of the founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Michael Anderson, said Ms Sattler had spoken to him as well.

‘‘There was a lady running around here when I was doing a radio interview and she said the prime minister’s office wants to talk to you and I thought she was joking and said I’ll talk later,’’ he told reporters.

‘‘I know that woman to be Kim Sattler.’’

Mr Anderson said Ms Sattler recognised who he was.

‘‘She came and then she went away and, because I didn’t respond, she went to other people,’’ he said.

‘‘All she said was ‘Michael. the prime minister’s office would like to talk to you.’’’

Mr Anderson said he believed the protest incident outside the restaurant on Thursday was a set-up.

‘‘Someone set us up. They set the prime minister up. They set Abbott up,’’ he said.

‘‘And they knew that feelings and emotions were running high here and I think they knew that reaction would occur.’’

Mr Anderson said that person would face retribution under Aboriginal law.

‘‘And whoever it was that really promoted that confrontation, we need to take them through the cleaners.

‘‘And I’d like them to hand them back when they finish under White Man law, give him under our law so we can put him under our law as well.’’

Labor Figure Kim Sattler Named As Go-Between In Protest

meanwhile …..

Unions ACT secretary Kim Sattler has denied allegations she was the go-between to the Prime Minister’s office who tipped off the Aboriginal Tent Embassy ahead of ugly protests on Australia Day.

Ms Sattler was named by Tent Embassy co-founder Michael Anderson and spokeswoman Barbara Shaw at a press conference this afternoon as the person who passed on Opposition leader Tony Abbott’s comments and whereabouts.

“There was a lady running around here. I was doing a 3CR interview. I didn’t know who Kim Sattler is. I did not recognize her, I was later told who she was. She said ‘the Prime Minister’s office would like to talk to you’,’’ Mr Anderson said.

Mr Anderson said he had told Ms Sattler that he was doing an interview and would speak to them later.

When contacted by the Sunday Canberra Times this morning, Ms Sattler said she had been at the tent embassy but she was not the go between.

“I heard it from the crowd,’’ she said.

Union Head Denies Being Go-Between

ACT union official Kim Sattler says reports that her account of events on Australia Day contradicts Prime Minister Julia Gillard are "inaccurate".

News Limited today reported that Ms Sattler said her conversation with the prime minister's office had made her believe Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wanted the Aboriginal tent embassy closed.

Ms Gillard yesterday said her former media adviser, Tony Hodges, did not suggest to Ms Sattler that Mr Abbott had said the tent embassy should be removed.

In a statement issued today, Ms Sattler said the News Limited reports were "inaccurate".

"As I said in my statement yesterday, Tony Hodges from the prime minister's office told me what Tony Abbott had said - that people should 'move on' from the tent embassy," she said.

"Yesterday the prime minister gave an accurate account of my role."

Senior opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne today said Ms Gillard's press conference yesterday left "so many questions unanswered".

"The prime minister's office has verballed Tony Abbott. A riot has occurred as a consequence," he told Sky News.

"Her statements have been directly contradicted by the primary sources involved in this controversy."

About 100 people surrounded a Canberra restaurant on Thursday after they incorrectly heard that Mr Abbott had called for the tent embassy to be destroyed.

Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott were evacuated from the restaurant when police and security personnel assessed there was a risk to them remaining there.

Mr Hodges resigned on Friday after admitting he had told Ms Sattler that Mr Abbott was inside the restaurant and for that information to be passed on to protesters.

Mr Pyne today said the episode was another example of a government more concerned about itself than the nation's citizens.

"There is a stench at the heart of this government, in the prime minister's office where dirty tricks and grubby political deals are elevated," he said.

"The concerns of the Australian people about job security and other cost-of-living issues are pushed into the background."

Ms Gillard said Ms Sattler had issued a statement yesterday that was consistent with her account of events on the Australia Day incident.

"Ms Sattler has obviously formed the view that she has not been accurately reported in today's media," Ms Gillard said today.

"As I'm advised, she has put out a second statement today which once again accords with the views that I hold, having been fully briefed on the events."

Go-Between Backs PM's Version In War Of Words

The federal opposition will officially request today that the Australian Federal Police investigate events leading to the Australia Day security breach after it emerged that Julia Gillard was not told for almost a day that one of her staff members had inadvertently helped cause the incident.

The Prime Minister said yesterday that her former media adviser Tony Hodges, who was sacked on Friday afternoon, had told his superiors on Thursday afternoon that he had tipped off a third party that Tony Abbott would be in a restaurant near an Aboriginal protest.

Mr Hodges had told the ACT union official Kim Sattler that Mr Abbott had said earlier that day it was time to ''move on'' when asked about the Aboriginal tent embassy and that he would be at the nearby Lobby restaurant.

Ms Sattler told organisers at the tent embassy, and angry protesters descended on the restaurant, forcing police to evacuate Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott.

Soon after, Mr Hodges told the senior press secretary, Sean Kelly, and the communications director, John McTernan, about his call.

But Ms Gillard was unaware of any involvement by her staff at a news conference late the next morning. She learnt of Mr Hodges's role after the conference.

Keen to put the issue behind her, Ms Gillard defended the delay yesterday, saying varying rumours needed to be addressed before the full facts were known and action taken.

But the opposition is refusing to let go and the shadow attorney-general, George Brandis, plans to write to the federal police Commissioner, Tony Negus, today to request an investigation.

The opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said yesterday it beggared belief that Ms Gillard's senior staff, having been told by Mr Hodges about his phone call, did not immediately inform Ms Gillard, given the potential seriousness of the incident and the threat to her own security.

''What kind of office is that?'' Mr Pyne said.

Mr Abbott said yesterday a full investigation was warranted with all involved providing sworn statements. ''The Prime Minister clearly does have to tell us what she was told verbatim by her office and by her former staffer; we need to know who knew what when and exactly who said what when.''

The debacle has backfired badly on the embattled government and further worried MPs.

Supporters of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, say it is becoming inevitable that leadership tensions will come to a head but nothing should happen before the March 24 Queensland state election.

Coalition Seeks Police Review Of PM's Dark Hours After Security Breach

from the 730 report .....

CHRIS UHLMANN: And all the things I've just described are the basis for criminal offences: incitement to riot or affray, causing public alarm and making false statements with the intent to cause public alarm, so why isn't that worthy of a police investigation?

NICOLA ROXON: Well, we've been very open as the Government. The police are of course able, as they always are, to investigate any matter that they are concerned with. I think, however, you are attributing to my answers some things that I did not say. It's for the police to make an assessment what constitutes incitement. They wanna look at intent, they would look at words that are used. I think we need to be very careful here when we're talking about informing people of particular situations or whether we're talking about encouraging people to act in a way that is violent. I don't want any ...

CHRIS UHLMANN: It's reasonable though there should be an investigation, shouldn't there, because part of this isn't just about intent, it's about recklessness?

NICOLA ROXON: It's very, very important for us to be completely clear here, Chris: the Federal Police can make any sorts of investigations that they want to and of course we encourage them to continue with all of their work that they would normally do. What I object to is turning this police inquiry or any incident that the police are involved with into a political football.

Mr Brandis went out on behalf of the Liberal Party today and issued, waving around to the media, a letter to the Police Commissioner. But it wasn't actually a letter to the Police Commissioner; it was a letter to the press gallery and to the public. Now if Mr Brandis and the Liberal Party have a political fight with the Government, that's fine; let's argue the toss. But I don't think it's appropriate to try to compromise what the police are doing. They go about their normal job, they make assessments every day and that shouldn't be politically interfered with.

Well, there you go ......thanks Nicola.

But hang on a minute; does anyone remember Julia Gillard's effort on Julian Assange?

"I absolutely condemn the placement of this information on the Wikileaks website," Gillard reportedly told Fairfax Radio. "It's a grossly irresponsible thing to do & an illegal thing to do."

Certainly no political football there, eh Nicola?