In an interview with Living Black, former Minister for Education Peter Garrett has opened up about his decision to resign, following the return earlier this year of Kevin Rudd as Labor leader and former prime minister.
Mr Garrett announced in June that he would leave politics at the federal election, following a caucus ballot in which Kevin Rudd was chosen as Labor leader, deposing Julia Gillard.
"I didn't think that the loyalty had not been shown to me throughout that entire period, but I wasn't going to make a bug thing about it. I just said 'look, I won't stand again if Mr Rudd becomes prime minister again, and other people said that as well. When the time came and the caucus made its decision, it was very straightforward for me to resign," he told Living Black's Karla Grant.
With his political career behind him, Mr Garrett says he's concerned about life for Australians under the new Coalition government.
"Under a Coalition government, expect to go backwards in environmental protection and dangerous climate change - that's not good for the country".
And while Mr Garrett is contemplating his next move, environmental and Indigenous issues are still a priority.
"I don't think we can call ourselves a nation properly, until we recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. It's incredible that they are not, and it something we need to fix.
He says a 'Midnight Oil' reunion is possible.
"Who knows. I've always said that if anything is going to happen, it's most likely going to happen with the boys, but it means we all need to be at the same place at the same time, and feel the same way about it".
Watch the full interview with Peter Garrett here, in the first episode of Living Black's 'Conversations'.
