Labor in Crisis Kevin Rudd wins ministers' support ahead of leadership showdown with Julia Gillard

The battle for the Labor leadership has escalated with four government ministers - two of them cabinet members - urging Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard.

Image: Julia Gillard holds a press conference in Adelaide to announce she will call a leadership ballot on Monday. Picture: Kelly Barnes Source: The Australian

In the most significant show of support so far for the former prime minister, Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said Mr Rudd was best placed to take on Tony Abbott at the next election.

“I'm not sure whether or not there will be leadership ballot on Monday. But can I say, should Kevin Rudd choose to run, I will vote for Kevin Rudd as prime minister of Australia,” the cabinet minister said.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, a fellow cabinet minister, said the caucus should reflect on Mr Rudd's popularity with voters, and encouraged him to formalise his undeclared challenge for the prime ministership.

Earlier, Ms Gillard announced a caucus leadership spill for 10am (AEDT) on Monday. She said she “expects” to win but ruled out a future challenge if she lost, and urged Mr Rudd to make a similar commitment.

In a press conference in Washington before flying home to Australia, Mr Rudd said he believed he stood a better chance at beating Tony Abbott than Ms Gillard, talking up his “formidable” achievements as prime minister and calling for a new era of political unity.

In other news:

* Business leaders want an end to the leadership turmoil;

* Bob Brown says the Greens are behind Julia Gillard;

* Therese Rein says Australians are sick of attacks on Kevin Rudd;

* Tony Abbott calls Labor's leadership crisis an embarrassment;

* Rudd strategist Bruce Hawker to quit Anna Bligh's campaign;

* The dollar falls after Julia Gillard calls a leadership ballot.

Manufacturing Minister Kim Carr, who was demoted from cabinet by Ms Gillard last year, said Mr Rudd was a “changed man” and would give the party a better chance at winning the next election.

Another minister demoted by Ms Gillard, Emergency Services Minister Robert McClelland, told Fairfax he was also backing Mr Rudd.

Mr Ferguson declined to comment on the two rivals' qualities, and urged colleagues to tone down their attacks on rival candidates.

“My simple message to my colleagues is that you better be very careful about what you say publicly, we should not be seeking to assassinate one another.”

Mr Bowen told ABC 24 that both Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard were “good candidates”, but suggested Mr Rudd might have the edge in the electorate.

“I am encouraging him to run. I think that would be the best thing for the Labor Party, for Kevin to put his name forward, so we can resolve this issue,” Mr Bowen said.

“I do think we need to reflect on the fact that, there is no doubt, there is a lot of support in the community for Mr Rudd. That is something for the caucus to reflect on.”

Senator Carr went a step further, saying he would back Mr Rudd in the leadership spill.

“I will be supporting him and I think he will do very, very well,” Senator Carr told ABC Radio.

“I believe he is a changed man - we've all learnt from the unhappy events of the last while.”

He would not be intimidated by anyone for publicly backing Mr Rudd.

“There is every effort being made now to try and present a wall of hostility towards (Mr Rudd),” Senator Carr said.

“Lets just see if that continues when this all comes to a head.”

Mr Bowen said he was disappointed at the outpouring of anger against Mr Rudd, saying he deserved better from his Labor colleagues.

“He is a former party leader, and he deserves to have his legacy respected, and he deserves to be able to put his case for the future leadership of the Australian Labor Party with respect,” he said.

“I don't think it's good for the Labor brand or for the respect for Labor traditions, to be trashing people's reputations.”

Earlier, Ms Gillard said she expected to receive the support of her colleagues in Monday's ballot.

“If I do not receive the support of my colleagues I want to make it clear that I will go to the back bench and renounce any leadership ambitions

“I anticipate that Kevin Rudd will be a contender in the leadership ballot and I ask him to give the same undertakings that he will go to the back bench and renounce leadership ambitions.”

Ms Gillard said the squabbling within the party must cease for the sake of the nation.

“Australians are rightly sick of this and they want it brought to an end,” Ms Gillard said.

She accused Mr Rudd of a “a long running destabilisation campaign” and, referring to damaging leaks against her, said the 2010 election “was sabotaged”.

She said that while Mr Rudd had been an excellent campaigner in 2007, the government had descended into paralysis because of his “chaotic” and dysfunctional” work patterns.

His government had been focused on the “next news cycle, the next picture opportunity”, Ms Gillard said.

But, admitting failings of her own, she said she believed she “maybe went too far the other way”, focusing on policy ahead of explaining the “big picture” to voters.

Ms Gillard said she believed she could win the next election as Labor leader.

“I believe that we can win the next election and defeat Tony Abbott,” she said.

“I believe I can lead Labor to that victory provided that the Labor Party unites and we get on with the job.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Affairs Richard Marles declared his support for Ms Gillard, saying it was time to give the Prime Minister a “fair go” and put the leadership speculation behind the party.

He added Mr Rudd had been an “excellent foreign minister” when he worked with him.

In his earlier press conference, Mr Rudd attacked the government over its poor relations with business, and criticised a number of policy decisions made since he lost the prime ministership.

Ms Gillard hit back, highlighting achievements including her minerals resource rent tax deal with big miners and her delivery of a carbon price.

The Prime Minister denied she leaked against Mr Rudd in his final days as prime minister.

“I can rule that out 100 per cent,” she told journalists.

“Feel free to ring any of your colleagues in the federal press gallery and tell them Julia Gillard absolves you from any obligation in relation to talking off the record and they will tell you I never did, because that is the truth.”

Ms Gillard said she remained loyal to Mr Rudd right until the end of his leadership in 2010 and tried her hardest to resolve the dysfunction at the heart of his government before deciding to challenge him for the prime ministership.

“As dysfunction grew I did everything I could to try and salvage the situation,” Ms Gillard said.

“I went to extraordinary lengths. It is very well known the lengths I went to in knocking myself out each and every day in things well beyond my portfolio responsibilities to try and get the government functioning.”

But Ms Gillard said increasingly senior advisers had come to her rather than Mr Rudd because she was seen as a “tough stone” in getting things done.

“And I did that as a loyal deputy, but eventually I knew no matter what I was doing it was not going to work,” she said.

Frontbencher Simon Crean said he was confident Mr Rudd did not have the numbers to dislodge Ms Gillard.

“The caucus will not get behind him, he has not got the numbers,” Mr Crean told ABC radio.

“I'm very confident on that. Precision in terms of numbers I don't know.

“The fact he could not get a petition up shows he didn't have the 35 (votes).”

He did not believe Mr Rudd would quit parliament if he loses the ballot.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said Mr Rudd must accept what happens at Monday's leadership ballot and move on.

The Gillard-backer accused Mr Rudd of playing sabotage for a long time.

“This has gone on since before and during the last election it has to stop,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“There has to be an acceptance from Mr Rudd when he loses the ballot that he will desist from this campaign, desist from this destabilisation.”

Ben Packham and Lanai Vasek From: The Australian

What affect will new leadership have on your business if any? And what would be the best possible outcome for your business from this?  

Nou commented on 15-Mar-2012 12:52 PM

Hannah's Dad @ 38 What do you make of this from Barnaby today in the context of Abbott lying?”There’s a denfirefce between what you tell a lover in the heat of passion and what you tell the lady at the grocery checkout.For myself I accept Senator Joyce's
comment at face value. Some aspects of it, however, require clarification. To which of the two kinds of women does he feel it necessary or justifiable to lie?Assuming he speaks from his own perspective and experience if he tells lies making love in the heat
of passion, is it to his wife or another woman? And what does he know about Tony Abbott's love life anyway? This statement presupposes confidences between the two men. Either Abbott never lies when making love in the heat of passion. Or he does. We need to
know.Even if Joyce is confident that Abbott never lies when making passionate love, isn't it important for his leader's image that the public is reassured that he only ever makes passionate love to his wife? If that is not the case surely there will be speculation
about the identity of this mystery woman. Is she a member of his own party? Julie Bishop? Sophie Mirabella? Or even the unthinkable as has happened in Liberal Party ranks elsewhere with a Greens parliamentarian? Surely not Christine Milne? More likely it's
the attractive Sarah Hansen Young. This is not the first time there have been rumors about other women in Abbott's life. There's the explosive chemistry between Abbott and Nicola Roxon. Is a man of such volatile and passionate nature suitable for public office
even if he is ruthlessly honest with his mistresses?But if he doesn't lie when making love to a woman (or women I note that Joyce is non-specific about that) how often does Barnaby lie to checkout ladies? Or if it's not himself but Abbott he's referring to
here what has he seen when campaigning with him in local shopping centres? Why would either of them need to lie? To avoid arrest for shop lifting? Or to cover up the fraudulent use of a stolen credit card? This should be investigated by the Federal Police!Too
many unanswered questions?

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