Rudd takes to cliff top to outline future

HOMECOMING: Kevin Rudd, his daughter Jessica and grand-daughter Josephine arrive at Brisbane Airport. PIC: Glenn Barnes Source: The Courier-Mail

KEVIN Rudd has held a media conference at the Kangaroo Point cliffs in Brisbane to break his silence about the Labor leadership debacle.

Mr Rudd used the conference to outline his role in the past few tumultuous days, saying he arrived at the decision not to nominate during a leadership spill after consulting with several key supporters.

Mr Rudd said he didn't challenge yesterday after being advised he didn't have the numbers.

"There was no significant majority yesterday, in fact there was no majority there at all,"he said.

"I asked them 'what are the prospects of us obtaining a significant majority' - their collective response was zero.

"I asked them 'what are the prospects of us obtaining a majority' - to which their response was zero."

He said each told him in turn: "Kevin, I believe you should not run".

Simon Crean has said that Kevin Rudd had an obligation to run.

He said he was determined to be consultative during the process, but ultimately the decision not to stand for leader was his.

Mr Rudd called on Labor to unite behind Julia Gillard.

"It's time for the Australian Labor party to unite under Prime Minister Julia Gillard and it's time for us to confront a significant threat to our nation and its future and that is Tony Abbott and all that he stands for.

"The Prime Minister Julia Gillard has my 100 per cent support."

He singled out former ministers Chris Bowen and Martin Ferguson - among a number who resigned their posts for their disloyalty to Labor leader Julia Gillard - as politicians too valuable to lose from parliament, calling on local electorates to "treat them kindly" at the election.

At 1.40pm, it was reported that Mr Rudd had arrived back in Brisbane, but refused to comment after yesterday's failed leadership battle left his party in turmoil.

PM Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan after the challenge that wasn't. Picture: John Feder

With his daughter and granddaughter in tow, a smiling but quiet Mr Rudd arrived at Brisbane Airport on a Qantas flight shortly before 1pm.

"I will not be making any comment at this time," Mr Rudd said.

Jess Rudd, his daughter, smiled as her father cheerfully played with his granddaughter Josephine as they waited for the rest of their entourage to catch up.

The group walked swiftly to the exit with Mr Rudd pausing only to ask a small girl "are you okay sweetheart?" when she tripped.

The fact that Mr Rudd's family were also in Canberra is sure to further raise speculation that he was poised to challenge Prime Minister Julia Gillard for the leadership.

Earlier, a spokesman for Mr Rudd said the Member for Griffith would absolutely not return to the Labor leadership in the future.

PM Julia Gillard says her leadership is secure following a caucus meeting where she was unopposed at a spill

"Mr Rudd wishes to make 100 per cent clear to all members of the parliamentary Labor party, including his own supporters, that there are no circumstances under which he will return to the Labor party leadership in the future," he said.

The events of yesterday have left Prime Minister Julia Gillard presiding over a bitterly divided government and faces renewed calls for an early election after a second botched leadership coup against her. 

After being reinstated as prime minister when Kevin Rudd refused to stand against her in a spill, Ms Gillard insisted she had finally ended the leadership turmoil that has dogged her government.

At the end of a day of high farce in Canberra, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said there were a number of senior Rudd backers who needed to quit their posts.

EDITORIAL: Time for the PM to end the pain
PARTY GAMES: Labor's tragicomedy leaves Abbott laughing
COMMENT: Rudd and Co. bash final nail into Labor's coffin
PLAN OF ATTACK: The detailed Rudd plan that's now in the bin

The Prime Minister will be forced to reshuffle the Cabinet after sacking Simon Crean from the ministry when he sparked the third leadership spill in as many years.

SHOCK TACTICS: PM Julia Gillard arrives at the Labor leadership spill meeting with supporters. Picture: Kym Smith

TODAY'S ROLLING COVERAGE: Gillard surprised Rudd didn't challenge

Parliamentary Secretary Richard Marles last night quit the front bench, while fellow Rudd backers chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon and whips Ed Husic and Janelle Saffin declared they would resign their positions when Parliament resumes in seven weeks.

In a sign of ongoing recriminations, Cabinet members last night said other ministers who were involved in "a campaign of destabilisation" against Ms Gillard should resign.

Ministers including Chris Bowen, Kim Carr and Mark Butler are believed to be under pressure to stand down.

Labor appears likely to maintain its fragile hold on the hung Parliament after key Independents and Greens pledged to continue propping up the Gillard government.

Independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Andrew Wilkie voted with the Opposition in a move to bring on a no confidence motion that achieved a majority of 73 votes to 71 but not the absolute majority of 76 needed to succeed. But Opposition Leader Tony Abbott demanded an early election after what he said was a "bizarre day in the life of this Parliament".

Leahy editorial cartoon, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, before and after the spill. Leahy

"We cannot wait till September 14," he said.

"If the Prime Minister was concerned about the party, if she was concerned about the country, if she was less concerned about herself and her own survival, there would be an election now."

In an extraordinary series of events on the last sitting of Parliament until the May Budget:

• Mr Crean urged Ms Gillard to call a leadership spill and threatened to spark a petition that would force one if she refused;
• Mr Crean said he would challenge Wayne Swan for the role of deputy leader;
• Ms Gillard announced she would call a spill at the beginning of Question Time and mounted a defence of her record;
• Mr Rudd said he would not stand against Ms Gillard because he would not break his vow last year not to challenge her.

In a brief statement after the Labor Caucus meeting, Ms Gillard thanked MPs for back ing her and insisted she could move on from the turmoil.

"Today the leadership of our political party, the Labor Party, has been settled and settled in the most conclusive fashion possible," she said.

Ms Gillard was joined by Mr Swan, who said the failed coup "does end these matters once and for all".

After sparking the leadership spill, Mr Crean who said he did not regret his actions hit out at Mr Rudd for not standing in the ballot.

He said the failed leadership spill could still be a "circuit breaker" and gave Ms Gillard "a much stronger mandate".

The Labor Party elder ridiculed Mr Rudd's insistence he would not challenge Ms Gillard.

"He wasn't challenging, the Prime Minister called it on ... because I asked her to," Mr Crean said. "He should have run, there is no question about that. He's only got one obligation now and that's to back off completely."

EDITORIAL: Time for the PM to end the pain
PARTY GAMES: Labor's tragicomedy leaves Abbott laughing
COMMENT: Rudd and Co. bash final nail into Labor's coffin
PLAN OF ATTACK: The detailed Rudd plan that's now in the bin

Mr Rudd only declared he would not run 10 minutes before the Labor caucus meeting, saying: "I believe in honouring my word."

But Mr Rudd also admitted he had canvassed the possibility of being delivered the leadership if Ms Gillard stood down.

"I said that the only circumstances under which I would consider a return to the leadership would be if there was an overwhelming majority of the parliamentary party requesting such a return ... I am here to inform you that those circumstances do not exist," he said.

His declaration came after Mr Marles publicly urged support for Mr Rudd and Mr Fitzgibbon admitted leadership talks were under way within the Government.

Frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who backed Mr Rudd in the last leadership challenge, said: "I will never support a spill motion against a sitting prime minister".

Mr Fitzgibbon said he did not resile from his warning that Labor was headed for a "wipeout" but said he would accept Ms Gillard's victory.

Mr Marles last night said "the idea of a Rudd prime ministership is now over".

The spectacular leadership stoush came after Labor was forced to dump its controversial media reforms after Ms Gillard failed to win enough support from crossbenchers.

It also overshadowed a historic parliamentary apology to victims of forced adoptions.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Rudd takes to cliff top to outline future

Dengan url

http://suarabisikan.blogspot.com/2013/03/rudd-takes-to-cliff-top-to-outline.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Rudd takes to cliff top to outline future

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Rudd takes to cliff top to outline future

sebagai sumbernya