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Crean stands by account of leadership spill

Former Labor minister Simon Crean tells SBS in an exclusive interview that he stands by his account of events on this week's dramatic leadership spill in Canberra.

Crean calls for Labor leadership spill
Senior Cabinet minister Simon Crean has called for a Labor leadership spill.

2 min read

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Updated

By Allan Raskall

Source: SBS


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Former Labor minister Simon Crean says Kevin Rudd has displayed his flawed political skills through the way he dealt with a possible leadership ballot this week.

Ms Gillard called a spill of the leadership on Thursday after Mr Crean asked her to do so.

Mr Rudd says he decided not to challenge for the leadership after his key supporters urged him not to do so because he did not have the support of a majority of MPs.

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But Mr Crean has told SBS, he believes Kevin Rudd mishandled the whole affair and is now making up his own version of what happened.

"See the problem with Kevin Rudd is that he chooses to have direct input and then he delegated. My clear recollection is that-his supporters were urging it. They wanted it concluded before the parliament adjourned. They didn't want to be going into a parliamentary break with seven weeks in the lead-up to the budget and the urging was to bring it on because they believed that by calling it and particularly me going to see the Prime Minister and suggesting to her that there should be a spill- that that would develop its own momentum."

Prime Minister Gillard sacked Mr Crean from the cabinet on Thursday after he said he would vote for Mr Rudd in a leadership spill that day.

Watch the interview on YouTube:


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