Rudd government (2013)
Rudd government (II) 2013 Labor leadership spill | |
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Demise | Rudd loses 2013 federal election |
Predecessor | Gillard government |
Successor | Abbott government |
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Prime Minister of Australia First term of government (2007–2010)
Second term of government (2013) Ministries
Elections ![]() |
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The second Rudd government was the federal executive
Background
First Rudd government
Kevin Rudd, born in rural Queensland in 1957, a former diplomat and senior advisor to Queensland Premier Wayne Goss, entered the Australian parliament in 1998 as Member for Griffith and was appointed Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister in 2001.[2] Rudd teamed successfully with Julia Gillard to challenge Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and Deputy Leader Jenny Macklin respectively for leadership and deputy leadership of the Australian Labor Party and became Leader of the Opposition in 2006.[3] Rudd went on to lead Labor to victory at the 2007 federal election, defeating the incumbent Coalition government led by John Howard.[4] Labor had been in opposition for eleven years,[2] and despite an initial period of popularity, Rudd served just two-and-a-half years in office, becoming the first in a line of Australian leaders to be removed by their own party during their first term as prime minister.[5]
In office, Rudd ratified the
By 2010, Rudd's premiership faced difficulties. Following the failure of the government's insulation program and amidst controversy regarding the implementation of a tax on mining, the failure of the government to secure passage of its Carbon Trading Scheme and some policy debate about immigration policy, significant disaffection had arisen within Labor as to Rudd's leadership style and direction.[7] A series of published and private opinion polls indicated that the Rudd government's popularity had declined to a potentially election-losing position.[8][9] Rudd was challenged by Deputy Prime Minister Gillard to a party leadership ballot, which was held on the morning of 24 June 2010. Rudd did not stand for re-election, and Gillard was elected unopposed as Labor leader and sought her commission to be appointed as prime minister, thus ending the first Rudd government.[10]
The
Gillard government
Leadership rivalry remained between Rudd and Gillard. Rudd announced his resignation as foreign minister on 22 February, citing a lack of support from Gillard and character attacks launched by Simon Crean and "a number of other faceless men" as the catalyst for his resignation.[12] Gillard called a leadership ballot for 27 February.[13][14] She also expanded upon the reasons for her original challenge of Rudd's leadership, saying that his government had entered a period of "paralysis" and that Rudd was operating along "difficult and chaotic work patterns".[13] senior ministers launched stinging attacks on Rudd's legacy as prime minister. Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan lambasted Rudd as "dysfunctional".[15][16] Gillard portrayed Rudd as a "chaotic" manager and would-be celebrity who led a "paralysed" government.[17] Rudd portrayed Gillard as untrustworthy and unable to win an election.[18] Rudd nominated Gillard's actions in relation to her promise not to implement a carbon tax; her East Timor and Malaysia Solution plans for asylum seekers; her written agreement with Andrew Wilkie on poker reforms and twelve months of low polling as key failings of Gillard's time in office.[19] In an emotional address, Anthony Albanese announced that he had offered his resignation as Leader of the House of Representatives and would be supporting Rudd because he believed the manner in which he had been replaced in 2010 was wrong. Gillard refused to accept Albanese's resignation.[20] Gillard won the ballot by 71 votes to 31.[21]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Anthony_Albanese.jpg/170px-Anthony_Albanese.jpg)
In March 2013, amid criticism of Gillard's handling of media law reform proposals – called "shambolic" by a key crossbencher
Return of Rudd to leadership
Amid ongoing poor polling results for Labor, and continuing leadership rivalry, ABC journalist
On 26 June 2013, with polls predicting a landslide defeat for the Gillard government in the upcoming federal election,
Rudd was sworn in as prime minister by Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce on 27 June 2013.[33] Seven senior ministers resigned their positions, refusing to serve under Rudd, and Gillard announced her intention not to re-contest her seat at the forthcoming election. Albanese was appointed deputy prime minister, and Chris Bowen was appointed Treasurer, replacing Wayne Swan.[34]
Labor initially enjoyed a brief resurgence in opinion polls following Rudd's return to the leadership.[35] On 26 July, the Queensland Coroner brought down his report in relation to deaths brought about by the implementation of the first Rudd government's insulation scheme economic stimulus package. The coroner found that the deaths of three men were the result of inadequate training for the installation of the roofing insulation, and criticised the Rudd government for rushing through the pink batts program in a bid to stimulate the economy, noting "process failings" by federal agencies that led to "inadequate safeguards".[36] The parents of a victim criticised Rudd for never apologising for his role in the scheme.[37]
Policy
Environment
Carbon pricing
In July 2013, the Rudd government announced its intention to bring forward, to July 2014, the replacement of the Gillard government's controversial
Economy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Chris_Bowen_2022.jpg)
Wayne Swan had served as Treasurer in the first Rudd government, but resigned the post in view of the acrimonious relationship which had developed between him and Rudd over the intervening period, as did Trade Minister
Indigenous affairs
At the commencement of the 2007 election campaign and following John Howard's promise to call a referendum for recognition of indigenous Australians in the
Following his return to the prime ministership, Rudd indicated that he had returned to supporting the initiative, in an address marking the 50th anniversary of the Yirrkala bark petitions, saying "I want this done in the next term of the Australian Parliament..." but said that the ball for this was in Opposition Leader Abbott's court, who had had to "get his act together". In response, Abbott said that Rudd was politicising the issue, as the opposition had already pledged to put forward a draft constitutional amendment for public consultation within the first 12 months, if elected.[45]
Immigration
Asylum seekers
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Protesters_outside_Balmain_Town_Hall_3.jpg/170px-Protesters_outside_Balmain_Town_Hall_3.jpg)
In his second term as prime minister, Rudd renounced his opposition to offshore processing of
Following talks with the
Social policy
Marriage
Five weeks before his final challenge for the Labor leadership, Rudd reversed his previous opposition to extending the definition of marriage under Australian law to include same-sex relationships. Rudd used a blogpost on his website on 20 May 2013 to announce: "I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage. I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognise same sex marriage."
Education
Former education minister and Gillard supporter Peter Garrett resigned from Cabinet following the return of Rudd to the prime ministership, having promised prior to successive ballots that he could not serve under Rudd.[56] Bill Shorten switched his support from Gillard to Rudd in the 2013 leadership spill and was appointed as the new Education Minister, while retaining his Workplace Relations portfolio.[57] In July 2013 the Rudd government enacted the $15.2 billion Better Schools Plan, devised by the Gillard government in response to the Gonski Report.[58]
2013 federal election
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
On 4 August 2013, Rudd announced that he had asked the Governor-General to dissolve parliament and that an election would take place on 7 September. Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott met for three debates during the campaign: appearing at the National Press Club in Canberra on 11 August, and addressing people's forums at the Broncos Leagues Club in Brisbane on 21 August, and the Rooty Hill RSL Club in Western Sydney on 28 August.[59][60][61] The government criticised the Liberal Opposition's costings of policies. On 30 August, Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson and Finance Department Secretary David Tune issued a rare public statement challenging the government's claim that Treasury had found a $10 billion hole in the Opposition's policy costings, saying that any modelling used for costing policies submitted by the government before the election could not credibly be applied to opposition policies.[62][63]
On 15 August, Rudd announced a plan to give consideration to creating a special company tax regime and economic zone in the Northern Territory, if re-elected.[64] On 27 August, Rudd pledged $52 million towards a High Speed Rail Authority and other steps towards planning the construction of a $114 billion high speed rail project linking Brisbane to Melbourne by 2035.[65] On 28 August, Rudd announced a plan to give consideration to possibly relocating the Garden Island Naval Base from Sydney to Queensland. The proposal was met with a lukewarm reception, and defence officials did not support the plan.[66][67]
On the evening of the election, Rudd conceded defeat by means of a triumphal speech with a "beaming smile". Rudd spoke to a jubilant crowd for over 20 minutes, said "Bill Glasson eat your heart out" (in reference to his local opponent in the seat of Griffith) and declared "I'm proud that despite all the prophets of doom, that we have preserved our federal parliamentary Labor Party as a viable fighting force for the future".[68][69] Abbott's Liberals and their coalition partner, the Nationals, led by Warren Truss, achieved a 3.65 percent two-party swing, winning 90 of the seats in the House of Representatives to Labor's 55.[70]
Aftermath
On the night of the election, Rudd announced that he would remain in Parliament as the Member for Griffith, but not seek to be elected Labor's next leader.[71] Outgoing ministers Craig Emerson and Nicola Roxon called on Rudd to resign from Parliament for the good of the Labor Party, predicting that his ongoing presence would be destabilising. Emerson predicted that Rudd would stand for the leadership again, and said that he had sabotaged Labor's 2010 election campaign with leaks and that "Anyone who does that, who is so hellbent on revenge, who is so destructive as to depress the Labor vote in the 2010 election shouldn't be rewarded for that sort of behaviour".[71] In a scathing address in Parliament on 16 October, Roxon said that Rudd's replacement in 2010 had been an "act of political bastardry", but one which was justified because Rudd had been "a bastard himself to so many people".[72]
Under new leadership election rules instigated during the Second Rudd government, Labor allowed its parliamentary caucus, and – in a new initiative – its general membership to share a 50/50 split of the vote for parliamentary leader. On 13 October Bill Shorten was elected to lead the opposition, with 64% of the caucus vote, defeating Anthony Albanese who obtained 60% of the general membership vote.[73]
On 22 November Rudd formally tendered his resignation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.[74]
See also
References
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