Ousted PM Kevin Rudd upstages Julia Gillard

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (left) meets Kevin Rudd

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (left) meets Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.
Source: AFP


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Ban Ki-Moon chats with Julia Gillard

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon chats with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Source: Getty Images




PRIME Minister Julia Gillard was left waiting for the world’s top diplomat – after he first visited the man she replaced.


United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited ex-PM Kevin Rudd at his Canberra home from 10.10am to 10.50am.

Mr Ban then travelled 2km to Parliament House to meet with Ms Gillard from 11am to 11.40am.

The unusual scheduling highlighted the dysfunctional state of the federal Labor Party.

Mr Rudd is being touted as the frontrunner among possible replacements for the PM.

Ms Gillard had to endure questions about her leadership in front of the visiting dignitary.

But she defiantly pledged: “I will be leading the Labor Party till the next election.

“Every day between now and then I will be fighting for Labor values, for the things I believe in, for jobs, for education for opportunity.

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In the wake of the implosion of the Malaysian solution in the High Court, Mr Ban stated he had “some concerns on how to deal with immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees”.

Ms Gillard conceded he was still without an alternative policy on asylum seekers because she was awaiting legal advice.

In their 40-minute meeting, Ms Gillard and Mr Ban discussed issues including Libya.

Australia also pledged an extra $10 million to help stem the famine in the Horn of Africa.

Ms Gillard denied that it was unusual for the UN chief to meet the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister separately.

But the appearance of the dual meetings capped off what has been a disastrous week for Ms Gillard, with MPs describing the current situation as untenable.

Mr Rudd appeared fighting fit at his meeting with Mr Ban, only 14 months after being deposed as leader by Ms Gillard.

A day earlier his spokesman had told the Sunday Herald Sun Mr Rudd would not be making any public appearances for the media, because he was still on leave after his heart operation.

Mr Rudd had little to say yesterday except a cheery “Hi SG” to the visiting UN Secretary-General.

Asked “How’s the ticker, as they say in the Labor ranks?”, Mr Rudd replied: “The ticker is ticking away.”

The reference was to former prime minister John Howard’s attack on then Labor leader Kim Beazley for his perceived lack of political ticker.

The remark, in a similar vein to Mr Rudd’s reported reference to to the Lodge as “Bogan-ville”, as well as his tendency to steal Ms Gillard’s thunder, further angered ALP colleagues.

“This kind of doubled-edged humour is unbecoming of a serious foreign minister,” federal Victorian MP Michael Danby said of Mr Rudd’s remark.

“It can only reinforce the description of the BBC’s retiring Australia correspondent Nick Bryant that Mr Rudd ‘is seemingly devoid of lightness or humour’.”

Labor insiders said the discontent with the Prime Minister’s leadership was deeper with the back bench than it was with the factional leaders.

“The people who put her in are struggling to admit that they made a mistake,” one MP said.

Another MP likened the prevailing mindset among the federal party’s leadership to a cult of denial.

“There is more Kool Aid being drunk up in Canberra that at Jonestown,” one MP remarked.

The MP said that the calibre of the staff in the PM’s private office was a matter of deep concern to MPs.

“The people around her have no political judgment,” one MP said.

“The wattles they wore at the signing with the Greens, the carbon tax, the Malaysian solution … it just goes on.”

But while there is near-universal disappointment over Ms Gillard’s performance, there is still loathing at the prospect of Mr Rudd’s return to the prime ministership.

There is also fear he could seek revenge if his return were to eventuate.

“Whatever happens, we can’t have that bastard back,” another MP said.

That MP’s view is echoed by a party elder who said some MPs were frightened of Mr Rudd’s vengeance if he were to return.

“They know he’ll square up with them. It’s just a question of what order he’ll do it in,” the source said.

The majority of Labor MPs contacted by the Sunday Herald Sun conceded that Ms Gillard could not be assured of remaining as leader of the Labor Party in the long term without a radical reprioritisation of the Government’s policies.

“We’re like a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle, milling around, not quite sure where to go,” one MP said.

“If someone fired a gun, we could all run in the same direction. “Or we could scatter. Something will probably happen, but I’m not sure what.”

Another said: “The mood is black, depressed, resentful, solemn and hateful.

“There is gross disappointment at her performance and the way we lurch from mess to mess.”

Several MPs believe that Ms Gillard needs to stand up to the independent MPs and the Greens, claiming the majority would continue to support Labor.

“The wider community no longer regards carbon tax as a critical issue because it rained, so the brown rivers and dried up plains went away,” an MP said.

“Their concerns have been replaced by jobs. That’s a much more critical feature, so our policy agenda is out of date.”

– with Gemma Jones and Linda Simalis

 

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