Kevin Rudd keeps mum on Gillard challenge

24 Feb 2012, 9:45 am   -   Source: AAP
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Kevin Rudd has arrived back in Australia but has refused to confirm whether he will challenge Julia Gillard for the Labor leadership on Monday.

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Kevin Rudd has arrived back in Australia but has refused to confirm whether he will challenge Julia Gillard for the Labor leadership on Monday.

Mr Rudd flew back into Brisbane early on Friday morning from the US where he had announced his decision to quit as foreign minister.

He would not commit to a challenge at a packed media conference at Brisbane airport, with his wife Therese Rein by his side.

"I will be making a statement definitively on this later today, after speaking to my colleagues,"  he told journalists.

He urged voters to contact their local MPs, senators and media to voice their concerns.

"Your power as the people is what will count in the days ahead," Mr Rudd told voters via the media.

"Pick up your telephone, speak to your local members of parliament, tell them what you think, jump into the media, tell them what you think, because this is your country, it doesn't belong top the factions of the Labor party."

SHOCK AND AWE TACTICS

Mr Rudd said the "faceless men" of the Labor party had, in the past few days, used "shock and awe tactics" to launch personal attacks against him.

The former foreign minister said there were also reports of sitting MPs having their preselections threatened.

He said both tactics were similar to those used back in June 2010 when he was rolled by Ms Gillard for the top job.

Mr Rudd said his "challenge" to the prime minister was to provide a public guarantee on Friday "that any sitting member of parliament in the House of Representatives and in the Senate will be guaranteed of their preselection again so that they have that fear removed from them".

Mr Rudd was referring to reports in the media that some MPs' preselection had been threatened if they supported him.

TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

He said that in politics, trust and confidence were everything.

"The core question for members of the Australian parliamentary Labor party, for the Australian people, right now is whether they believe the current prime minister has the trust and confidence of the Australian people," he said.

"If you don't have that, you can't do anything else."

He constantly referenced the "shock and awe" tactics of the party's faceless men, and said the same tactics were used in the lead up to what he called the "midnight coup" of June 2010 that removed him from the nation's top job.

Mr Rudd said the days ahead were important for Australia.

He framed his address around his vision for the nation, versus Oppositon leader Tony Abbott's, who he said was buried in a different age.

"For the last 12 months Mr Abbott has been on track to become prime minister of Australia in a landslide," he said.

"It's not just a few days, a few weeks, even a few months.

"The core question for my parliamentary colleagues and I believe for the Australian people, is who is best equipped to defeat Mr Abbott at the upcoming election.

"But more importantly, to prevent him from inflicting his prescription on Australia's future."

Mr Rudd told people not to believe the scathing critiques of him that had been made by senior ministers in recent days that suggested "Kevin Rudd is the anti-Christ incorporated, and if not the son of Satan, at least the grandson of Satan".

"Just have a little pause for thought. I may not quite be like that, there might be a vested interest at play in putting those views forward," he joked with reporters.

He also indicated he could still work with Treasurer Wayne Swan, who on Wednesday night launched a bitter attack on the former prime minister.

"My position with Mr Swan, despite some of the pretty colourful things he's had to say in recent days, is I think it's important to have a government with all of the talents," Mr Rudd said.

But Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says she would not be part of a Rudd cabinet again, while Environment Minister Tony Burke refused to directly answer whether he would serve under a Rudd government.

"I don't believe he'll win on Monday. I don't believe I'll be a member of his team," Mr Burke said.

Mr Abbott, who is in Brisbane to campaign in the Queensland election, says whoever wins the leadership challenge, Australians cannot take a Labor government seriously.

"These people are saying the most extraordinary things about their leader and about their former leader," he told the Nine Network.

"How can you take anyone in the Labor Party seriously given that they have been asking us to make Kevin Rudd on the one hand and Julia Gillard on the other hand prime minister of this country."
 

CAMPAIGN 'PEOPLE-LED'

The campaign for Kevin Rudd to become prime minister is people-led, says his wife Therese Rein.

Ms Rein was confronted by a journalist as she emerged from her home on Friday morning to collect her husband from Brisbane airport.

"Is this a PR campaign led by the Rudd family?" she was asked.

Ms Rein replied: "This is I think a people-led campaign".

"I was hearing last night from some people in electorate offices around the country that it's actually 85 per cent in terms of people who are calling in in favour of Kevin, so that's nice," she told the Seven Network.

Following his resignation as foreign minister, Mr Rudd's daughter Jessica tweeted: "Effing proud of you, Dad xxxx".

His wife responded: "Me too, Kevin xxxx".

Ms Rein also held a press conference urging voters to contact their local Labor MPs and senators and tell them who they want as the party's leader.
 

Following weeks of leadership speculation, Mr Rudd resigned suddenly as foreign minister on Wednesday while in Washington DC.

Before flying out of the US capital for Brisbane on Thursday, he told reporters he had been encouraged by the support of federal Labor members and ministers to contest the leadership of the Labor party, but stopped short of confirming a challenge.

"I will declare my position on the future of the ALP leadership on my return to Australia," Mr Rudd said.

Ms Gillard has announced a leadership ballot for 10am (AEDT) on Monday in Canberra.

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Your Comments

Jokers

Him - from Melb, 3 months ago

Who cares about the monotoned liar!!!

go for it Kevin

Carol - from Lalor Park, 3 months ago

We have absolutely NOTHING TO LOSE !

Bring back Kevin

Zee - from Sydney, 3 months ago

Better to keep your job under a leader you may not necessarily like (Kevin) than not to have a job at all!!! If caucus ignores the electorates wishes we will have the last laugh at the elections. Bring back Kevin

Migration Agent

Shayaz Khan - from Sydney, 3 months ago

We want Kevin Rudd back as PM....

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