Australia’s foreign minister portfolio has been left vacant and the discussion on who will replace Kevin Rudd is now underway. Whatever his flaws as a prime minister, Rudd was perceived, on a certain level…
"Business as usual" isn't an option for Prime Minister Julia Gillard if she wants to look like a leader.
AAP
Now that the party’s votes are in, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has to make up ground with the voters. The polls are indicating the Labor Government is in deep trouble. Kevin Rudd was nothing if not analytical…
Gillard had a strong performance after yesterday's leadership ballot, but there's still a long way to go.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
One of Julia Gillard’s better days in Australian politics was nonetheless brought to an unusual end yesterday with the resignation of Mark Arbib.
The former right faction leader, who most recently served…
Julia Gillard claimed a definitive victory this morning: now the hard work begins.
AAP
From Kevin Rudd’s surprise resignation last week to this morning’s galvanising ballot, The Conversation has kept you up-to-date with analysis from Australia’s foremost academic political analysts.
Just…
Gillard leaves the ballot with allies Wayne Swan and Craig Emerson.
Julia Gillard won an impressive victory today, one that Kevin Rudd will find it very difficult to come back from. The scale of her victory contrasted with support for Rudd among the broader public or even…
Gillard had strong support from caucus this morning.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Prime minister Julia Gillard has defeated Kevin Rudd in this morning’s leadership ballot by 71 votes to 31.
Rudd has said he will not initiate a further challenge to the prime minister’s leadership, but…
Reading from the 07 handbook won't help Rudd this time around.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
Arriving back in Australia on Friday, Kevin Rudd said, “If you have a strong view on the future prime ministership of the country, your power as the people is what will count.”
In response to Rudd’s call…
The process Labor uses to remove and replace parliamentary leaders contains some surprises.
AAP/John Pryke
At 10am today, the Labor caucus will meet to settle the leadership battle between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. But how does the leadership selection process actually work?
While the contest between Gillard…
Kevin Rudd and Therese Rein spend their Sunday morning at church rather than in front of a TV.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Sunday mornings are special.
Sure, 99% of the non-political world is sound asleep (or still attempting to make their way home after a night on the town), but for many political enthusiasts Sunday mornings…
Kevin Rudd may not have the power to swing his home state.
AAP/Kym Smith
By Clive Bean, Queensland University of Technology
During his campaign to wrest the Labor leadership from prime minister Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd has repeatedly made reference to his home state of Queensland.
With the Sunshine State set to go to the…
Rudd has been appealing to his Queensland constituents, but will it work?
Kevin Rudd’s announcement of resignation as Foreign Affairs Minister and subsequent leadership challenge has been a carefully constructed exercise in the sort of politics on which Queensland thrives. He…
Julia Gillard never had the courage to confront Kevin Rudd.
ABC News 24
Kevin Rudd has formally announced he will contest the Labor leadership in a ballot on Monday. This is just the latest act in the pantomime of Australian politics.
This drama production is an indulgence…
Can Kevin Rudd in 2012 be a different kind of leader to the Kevin Rudd of 2010?
AAP
As a Monday showdown looms, one of the big questions being asked by members of the Labor caucus is whether Kevin Rudd in 2012 can be a different kind of the leader to the Kevin Rudd of 2010.
Even as Rudd…
The greatest curiosity of the Labor leadership brawl is Kevin Rudd’s “faceless men” line, which seems to refer to prominent parliamentary colleagues with very recognisable faces. But there is method in…
Rudd's style is individualistic, Gillard prefers a more consultative approach.
AAP/Alan Porritt
It is fitting that Kevin Rudd’s official campaign for a return to the Labor leadership commenced in the United States, for his political project is one forged in the image of what many Australians imagine…
Kevin Rudd is widely known on the international stage from his time as prime minister then foreign minister.
AAP/David Foote
Kevin Rudd’s dramatic resignation as Foreign Minister yesterday has left Australia without a permanent cabinet level representative on the world stage.
Trade Minister Craig Emerson will take over Rudd…
The leadership spill could lead to constitutional confusion if Rudd wins next week's ballot.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced this morning that she will hold a leadership ballot at 10am on Monday, to “settle once and for all” Labor’s escalating leadership crisis.
Kevin Rudd has not formally…
Rudd might think he's the messiah, but Gillard begs to differ.
AAP/Alan Porritt
He’s not the messiah … or is he?
This morning Nicola Roxon went to the heart of the matter when she said of Kevin Rudd, “he’s not the messiah”. Most of us were hoping that she’d complete the statement…
Julia Gillard addressed the leadership crisis at a press conference in Adelaide this morning.
ABC News24
The leadership contest between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd is largely a clash of personalities and a raw struggle for power, and there is essentially little policy difference between them.
But should…
Kevin Rudd has said Julia Gillard is not the best person to lead Labor to the next election.
ABC News24
Less than 12 hours after making his dramatic resignation in Washington, Rudd was back at the lectern. This time, however, his speech sounded more like a campaign pitch.
Watch part of Kevin Rudd’s conference…
Rudd's been incendiary since he was replaced as leader.
AAP/Tony Phillips
From the time Julia Gillard succeeded Kevin Rudd as prime minister there was a ticking time bomb that no one thought to defuse.
His promised inclusion in a cabinet whose membership was instrumental in…
Preparing a repeat? Kevin Rudd has first mover advantage in a leadership tussle, experts say.
AAP
Kevin Rudd’s dramatic decision to resign in the early hours of the morning in Washington has caught Prime Minister Julia Gillard on the hop.
In response, Prime Minister Gillard has issued a brief statement…
If nothing else, Australian politics has been full of surprises since the 2010 election. The hung parliament, the introduction of controversial policies and the recent manoeuvrings over the role of parliamentary…
Kevin Rudd has announced he will stand down as Foreign Minister.
AAP
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has announced he will step down from his post, sparking immediate speculation about his next move and whether he will challenge Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.
In a press…
Kevin Rudd will only give a smug smile when asked about his designs on Julia Gillard's job.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Watching Kevin Rudd in his almost daily struggle to avoid giving a straight answer to questions about whether he’ll challenge Julia Gillard is as painful as listening to a smoker justify why they won’t…
Senator Arthur Sinodinos makes his maiden speech earlier this year.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Welcome to this In Conversation between Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos and Macquarie University politics expert Craig Mark.
Sinodinos is a political paradox: he’s the newest member of the Australian…
Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in November last year was a very significant step towards reform in Burma.
EPA/Mizzima News
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is cautious, but says we are seeing the first signs of change in Burma, but the government there still needs to do more for its people. He is correct in saying “It is in our…
Julia Gillard has enjoyed mixing with Barack Obama on the foreign policy stage.
AAP/AusPic Howard Moffat
When President Obama begins his long-awaited visit to Australia today, he’ll have a keen tour guide in Julia Gillard. They’ve developed an apparently firm friendship in recent months. But should the Prime…
Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd celebrated the government's carbon tax success, but she doesn't have much reason to celebrate.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Last week demonstrated how fast fortunes may change in politics. Just as the government thought it could get onto the front foot, it experienced a significant setback by not being able to make changes…
Julia Gillard and her Immigration Minister Chris Bowen haven't had the best of weeks.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The Malaysia Solution isn’t quite dead, but its vital signs are certainly not good. With a steely look in her eye, and barely concealed anger, Julia Gillard blamed Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for “trashing…
Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard are not seeing eye to eye on pairing.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The decision last month by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to severely restrict the practice of “pairing” votes in Parliament is another demonstration of the fractious and polarised state of federal politics…
Julia Gillard could face another awkward moment if Kevin Rudd moves against her next year.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Kevin Rudd’s presence as Foreign Minister has been a constant reminder that Julia Gillard’s ascension to Prime Minister was never fully accepted in the electorate, a perception confirmed by the 2010 election…
China can easily rouse its banks, but awakening its consumers will be tougher.
AAP
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett’s bold claim on Friday that his state was looking “over the horizon” past Canberra to forge stronger links with China capped off a few weeks of strong rhetoric from…
Ambassador Geoff Raby and Kevin Rudd need to build a resilient relationship with China.
AAP/Dan Peled
“To speak Chinese is not to know China,” our man in Beijing announced this week. “Many examples can be found of people who speak Mandarin to a high level but who do not understand how China works. They…
