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Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who served as the 26th
prime minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
from 2007 to 2010 and June to September 2013. He held office as the leader of the Labor Party from 2006 to 2013. Since 2023, Rudd has served as the 23rd ambassador of Australia to the United States. Born in
Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Rudd graduated from the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
with honours in
Chinese studies Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilization p ...
, and is fluent in Mandarin. Before politics, he worked as a diplomat and public servant for the Queensland state government of Wayne Goss. Rudd was elected to the
Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...
at the 1998 federal election for the
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
division of Griffith. He was promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2001 as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. He assumed leadership of the Labor Party in December 2006 by defeating
Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. Since 2022 he has served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial. Previously, he was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the ...
in a leadership spill, becoming
leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
. Rudd led Labor to a
landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the winning Candidate#Candidates in elections, candidate or political party, party achieves a decisive victory by an overwhelming margin, securing a very large majority of votes or seats far beyo ...
at the 2007 election; his government's earliest acts included ratifying the
Kyoto Protocol The was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is oc ...
on climate change and delivering the first national apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples for the Stolen Generations. His government responded to the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, implementing economic stimulus packages that resulted in Australia becoming one of the only developed countries to avoid the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
. Rudd's government also oversaw the establishment of the National Broadband Network (NBN), the launch of the
Digital Education Revolution The Digital Education Revolution (DER) was an Australian government–funded educational reform program, promised by then prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd during the launch of his 2007 Australian federal election campaign in Brisbane. It w ...
and
Building the Education Revolution Building the Education Revolution (BER) was an Government of Australia, Australian government program administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) designed to provide new and refurbished infrastructur ...
programs, dismantling
WorkChoices WorkChoices was the name given to changes made to the federal industrial relations laws in Australia by the Howard government#Fourth term: 2004–2007, Howard government in 2005, being amendments to the ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' by the '' ...
, and withdrew Australian troops from the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
. By 2010, Rudd's leadership had faltered due to a loss of support among the Labor caucus and failure to pass key legislation like the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. He resigned as prime minister in June 2010 after his deputy Julia Gillard challenged him in a leadership spill. He was replaced by Gillard as prime minister, who later appointed him as Minister for Foreign Affairs in her government. Leadership tensions between Rudd and Gillard continued, leading to Rudd resigning as Foreign Minister in February 2012 to unsuccessfully challenge her for the leadership of the party. After further leadership speculation, Rudd defeated Gillard in a final leadership ballot in June 2013, becoming prime minister for the second time. However, Labor were defeated in the 2013 election, ending his second term after only two months. Rudd retired from parliament following the election, but he has stayed active in political discourse and academia, completing a DPhil at Jesus College, Oxford, in 2022. He has been involved in a number of international organizations, advocating for issues such as China–United States relations and Australian media diversity. He was appointed as Australia's Ambassador to the U.S. by the Albanese government in March 2023.


Early life and education

Rudd is of English and Irish descent. His father's great-grandparents were English: Thomas Rudd and Mary Cable. Thomas had been convicted of stealing a bag of sugar, arriving in NSW on board the '' Earl Cornwallis'' in 1801. Mary had been sentenced to transportation for stealing a bolt of cloth, arriving in the colony in 1804. His mother's grandparents, Owen Cashin and Hannah Maher, who were both born in Ireland, met and married in Brisbane in 1887. Rudd was born in
Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, to Albert ("Bert") and Margaret (née DeVere) Rudd, the youngest son of four children, and grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Eumundi. At an early age (5–7), he contracted rheumatic fever and spent a considerable time at home convalescing. It damaged his heart, in particular the valves, for which he has thus far had two aortic valve replacement surgeries, but this was discovered only some 12 years later. Farm life, which required the use of horses and guns, is where he developed his lifelong love of horse riding and shooting clay targets. He attended Eumundi State School. When Rudd was 11, his father, a share farmer and Country Party member, died. Rudd states that the family was required to leave the farm amidst financial difficulty between two and three weeks after the death, though the family of the landowner states that the Rudds didn't have to leave for almost six months. Following this traumatic childhood and despite familial connections with the Country Party, Rudd joined the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
in 1972 at the age of 15. Rudd boarded at
Marist College Ashgrove Marist College Ashgrove (abbreviated as MCA) is an Independent school, independent Roman Catholicism in Australia, Roman Catholic Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary school for Sin ...
in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, although these years were not happy due to the indignity of poverty and reliance on charity; he was known to be a "charity case" due to his father's sudden death. He has since described the school as "tough, harsh, unforgiving, institutional Catholicism of the old school". Two years later, after she retrained as a nurse, Rudd's mother moved the family to Nambour, and Rudd rebuilt his standing through study and scholastic application and was dux of Nambour State High School in 1974. In that year, he was also the state winner of the "Youth Speaks for Australia" public speaking competition sponsored by the Jaycees. His future Treasurer
Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954) is an Australian politician serving as the 25th and current Australian Labor Party National Executive#National Presidents, National President of the Labor Party since 2018, previously serving as the 14th de ...
attended the same school at the same time, although they did not know each other as Swan was three years ahead. Rudd studied at the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, where he resided at Burgmann College and graduated with Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) with First-Class Honours. He majored in Chinese language and
Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
, and became proficient in Mandarin. His Chinese name is Lù Kèwén ( zh, t=陸克文, s=陆克文).; ; ; Rudd completed his BA in 1978, deferring his honours component for a year during which time he took a study trip to Taiwan. He also volunteered as a research assistant with the Zadok Institute for Christianity and at a St Vincent de Paul drug rehabilitation centre. Rudd's thesis on Chinese democracy activist Wei Jingsheng was supervised by Pierre Ryckmans, the eminent Belgian-Australian
sinologist Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilizatio ...
. During his studies, Rudd did housecleaning for political commentator Laurie Oakes to earn extra money. In 1980 he continued his Chinese studies at the Mandarin Training Center of
National Taiwan Normal University National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) is a National university, national comprehensive university in Taipei and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university enrolls approximately 17,000 students each year. Approximately 1,600 students are Intern ...
in Taipei, Taiwan. Delivering the 2008
Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...
Lecture at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
on ''The Reforming Centre of Australian Politics'', Rudd praised the former Labor Prime Minister for implementing educational reforms, saying he was:
... a kid who lived Gough Whitlam's dream that every child should have a desk with a lamp on it where he or she could study. A kid whose mum told him after the 1972 election that it might just now be possible for the likes of him to go to university. A kid from the country of no particular means and of no political pedigree who could therefore dream that one day he could make a contribution to our national political life.


Early diplomatic career

Rudd joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1981 as a graduate trainee. His first posting was as Third Secretary at the Australian Embassy in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
from November 1981 to December 1983 where he organised an Australian film festival, represented Australia at the Stockholm Conference on Acidification of the Environment, and reported on Soviet gas pipelines and European energy security. In 1984, Rudd was appointed Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Beijing, and promoted to First Secretary in 1985, where he was responsible for analysing
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...
politics, economic reform, arms control and human rights under
Ross Garnaut Ross Gregory Garnaut (born 28 July 1946, Perth) is an Australian economist, currently serving as a vice-chancellor's fellow and professorial fellow of economics at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of numerous academic publications ...
, David Irvine and Geoff Raby. He returned to Canberra in 1987 and was assigned to the Policy Planning Branch, then the Staffing Policy Section, and was selected to serve as the Office of National Assessments Liaison Officer at the Australian High Commission in London commencing in 1989 but declined.


Entry into politics

In 1988, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Opposition Leader in Queensland, Wayne Goss. He remained in that role when Goss was elected
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
in 1989, a position he held until 1992 when Goss appointed him Director-General of the Office of Cabinet. In this position, Rudd was arguably Queensland's most powerful bureaucrat. He presided over a number of reforms, including development of a national program for teaching foreign languages in schools. Rudd was influential in both promoting a policy of developing an Asian languages and cultures program which was unanimously accepted by the
Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...
(COAG) in 1992 and later chaired a high-level working group which provided the foundation of the strategy in its report, which is frequently cited as "the Rudd Report". The Goss Government saw its majority slashed in
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, before losing it altogether after a by-election one year later. After Goss' resignation, Rudd left the Queensland Government and was hired as a Senior China Consultant by the accounting firm
KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...
Australia. While in that position, he won selection to be the Labor candidate for the seat of Griffith at the 1996 federal election. Despite being endorsed by the retiring Labor MP,
Ben Humphreys Benjamin Charles Humphreys (17 August 1934 – 17 November 2019) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 1977 to 199 ...
, Rudd was considerably hampered by Labor's unpopularity in Queensland, as well as a redistribution that almost halved Labor's majority. Rudd was defeated by Liberal Graeme McDougall on the eighth count as Labor won only two seats in Queensland. Rudd stood in the same seat against McDougall in the 1998 election, this time winning on the fifth count.


Member of Parliament (1998–2007)

Rudd made his maiden speech to the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
as the new Member for the
Division of Griffith The Division of Griffith is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, electoral division for the Australian House of Representatives. The division covers the inner southern Suburb#Australia and New Zealand, suburbs of Brisbane, Qu ...
on 11 November 1998. It drew heavily his personal experience of poverty to argue for the need for strong social security, public hospitals, and public housing.


Shadow Minister (2001–2006)

Following Labor's defeat in the 2001 federal election, Rudd was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet and appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 2002, he met with British intelligence and helped define the position that Labor would take in regards to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
There is no debate or dispute as to whether Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. He does. There's no dispute as whether he's in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. He is.
After the fall of
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
he would criticise the Howard government over its support for the United States, while maintaining Labor's position of support for the Australian-American alliance.
Well, what Secretary Powell and the US seems to have said is that he now has grave doubts about the accuracy of the case he put to the United Nations about the claim that Iraq possessed biological weapons laboratories – the so-called mobile trailers. And here in Australia, that formed also part of the government's argument on the war. I think what it does is it adds to the fabric of how the Australian people were misled about the reasons for going to war.
Rudd's policy experience and parliamentary performances during the Iraq War made him one of the best-known Labor members. When Labor Leader Simon Crean was challenged by his predecessor
Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. Since 2022 he has served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial. Previously, he was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the ...
, Rudd did not publicly commit himself to either candidate. When Crean resigned, Rudd was considered a possible candidate for the Labor leadership, however he announced that he would not run in the leadership ballot, and would instead vote for Kim Beazley. Rudd was predicted by some commentators to be demoted or moved as a result of his support for Beazley following the election of
Mark Latham Mark William Latham (; born 28 February 1961) is an Australian politician and media commentator who is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He previously served as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the ...
as Leader, but he retained his portfolio. Relations between Latham and Rudd deteriorated during 2004, especially after Latham made his pledge to withdraw all Australian forces from Iraq by Christmas 2004 without consulting Rudd. After Latham failed to win the 2004 federal election, Rudd was again spoken of as a possible alternative leader, although he disavowed any intention of challenging Latham. When Latham suddenly resigned in January 2005, Rudd was in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and refused to say whether he would be a candidate for the Labor leadership. After returning from Indonesia, Rudd announced that he would again not contest the leadership, and Beazley was subsequently elected unopposed. Following this, Rudd was given expanded responsibilities in the Shadow Cabinet, retaining his role as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and also becoming the Shadow Minister for Trade.


Leader of the Opposition (2006–2007)

Following opinion polls indicating that voter support for Rudd as Labor Leader was higher than for Beazley, speculation mounted that Rudd would challenge Beazley for the leadership. One particular poll in November 2006 indicated that support for Labor would double if Rudd was to become Leader. On 1 December 2006, Beazley called a leadership election. Rudd announced his candidacy for the leadership hours later. On 4 December, Rudd was elected Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition with 49 votes to Beazley's 39. Julia Gillard was subsequently elected unopposed as Deputy Leader after Jenny Macklin resigned. At his first press conference as Labor Leader, having thanked Beazley and Macklin, Rudd said he would offer a "new style of leadership" and would be an "alternative, not just an echo" of the Howard government. He outlined the areas of
industrial relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor union, labor/trade unions, employer organ ...
, the war in Iraq,
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, Australian federalism, social justice and the future of Australia's manufacturing industry as major policy concerns. Rudd also stressed his long experience in state government and also as a diplomat and in business before entering federal politics. Rudd and the Labor Party soon overtook the Howard government in both party and leadership polling. Rudd maintained a high media profile with major announcements on an "education revolution", federalism, climate change, a National Broadband Network, and the domestic car industry. In March 2007, the government raised questions over a series of meetings Rudd had had with former West Australian Labor Premier Brian Burke during 2005, alleging that Rudd had been attempting to use Burke's influence to become Labor leader (after losing office, Burke had spent time in prison before returning to politics as a lobbyist). Rudd said that this had not been the purpose of the three meetings and said that they had been arranged by his colleague Graham Edwards, the Member for Cowan. From 2002, Rudd appeared regularly in interviews and topical discussions on the popular breakfast television program ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
'', along with Liberal MP
Joe Hockey Joseph Benedict Hockey (born 2 August 1965) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament for Division of North Sydney, North Sydney from 1996 Australian federal election, 1996 until 2015. He was the Treasurer ...
. This was credited with helping to raise Rudd's public profile even further. Rudd and Hockey ended their joint appearances in April 2007, citing the increasing political pressures of an election year. On 19 August 2007, it was revealed that Rudd, while on a visit to New York City as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, had visited a strip club in September 2003, with ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' editor Col Allan and Labor MP Warren Snowdon. By way of explanation, Rudd said: "I had had too much to drink, I have no recollection, and nor does Mr Snowdon, of any incident occurring at the nightclub – or of being asked to leave...it is our recollection that we left within about an hour". The incident generated a lot of media coverage, but made no impact on Rudd's popularity in the polls. Some believe the incident may have enabled Rudd to appear "more human" and lifted his popularity.


2007 election

Electoral writs were issued for the 2007 federal election on 17 October 2007. On 21 October, Rudd faced incumbent Prime Minister John Howard in a television debate, where he was judged by most media analysts to have performed strongly. On 14 November, Rudd officially launched the Labor Party's election campaign with a policy of fiscal restraint, usually considered the electoral strength of the opposing Liberal Party. Rudd proposed Labor spending measures totalling $2.3 billion, contrasting them to $9.4 billion Rudd claimed the Liberals had promised, declaring: "Today, I am saying loud and clear that this sort of reckless spending must stop."Rudd warns of Howard's 'reckless spending'
 – Lateline transcript
Rudd undercuts Howard 'This sort of reckless spending must stop'
 – Canberra Times; Laurie Oake
Rudd calm in the crisis
 – The Mercury, 24 November 2008
The election was held on 24 November, and was won overwhelmingly by Labor. The result was dubbed a 'Ruddslide' by the media and was underpinned by the considerable support from Rudd's home state of Queensland, with the state result recording a two-party preferred swing of 7.53%.; The overall swing was 5.44% from the Liberals to Labor, the third largest swing at a federal election since two party estimates began in 1949. As foreshadowed during the election campaign, on 29 November Rudd announced the members of his Government (see First Rudd Ministry), breaking with more than a century of Labor tradition whereby the frontbench was elected by the Labor caucus, with the leader then given the right to allocate portfolios.


First term as Prime Minister (2007–2010)

On 3 December 2007, Rudd was sworn in as the 26th prime minister of Australia by
governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
Michael Jeffery. Rudd was the first Labor Prime Minister since Paul Keating left office in 1996, and the first to make no mention of the monarch when taking his oath of office. He also became only the second Queenslander to lead his party to a federal election victory (the first being Andrew Fisher in 1910) and was the first prime minister since the Second World War not to have come from either
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
or Victoria. Early initiatives of the
Rudd government Rudd Government may refer to the following Australian governments: * Rudd government (2007–10) * Rudd government (2013) {{Dab ...
included the signing of the
Kyoto Protocol The was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is oc ...
, a Parliamentary Apology to the Stolen Generations and the 2020 Summit in April 2008. Other achievements of the Rudd government included keeping Australia out of recession during the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, commencing the rollout of the National Broadband Network, the introduction of nationwide early childhood education, the development of a national
Australian Curriculum The Australian Curriculum is a national curriculum for all primary and secondary schools in Australia under progressive development, review, and implementation. The curriculum is developed and reviewed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment a ...
for schools, the construction of 20 cancer clinics around regional Australia, and paid
parental leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
. Rudd was named as one of the most influential people in the world by ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine in 2008. During his first two years in office, Rudd set records for popularity in Newspoll opinion polling, maintaining very high approval ratings. By 2010, however, Rudd's approval ratings had begun to drop significantly, with controversies arising over the management of the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, the Senate refusal to pass the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, policies on
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A per ...
s and a debate over a proposed "super profits" tax on the mining industry. On 23 June 2010, following lengthy media speculation,
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
Julia Gillard publicly asked that a leadership election be held. Rudd announced a leadership election for the following day.


Domestic policies


Environment

In opposition, Rudd made combatting
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
a key priority for the Labor Party, proposing an
emissions trading Emissions trading is a market-oriented approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). One prominen ...
scheme and setting an ambitious long term target of a cut to greenhouse gas emissions by 60% before 2050. He also released a plan before the election to require 20% of Australia's electricity to be generated from renewable power sources. Prior to the election, Paul Kelly wrote that Rudd had "enshrined climate change as the new moral passion for the Labor Party in a way that recalled Ben Chifley's invocation of the Light on the Hill". The first official act of the Rudd government, on 3 December 2007, was to ratify the
Kyoto Protocol The was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is oc ...
. Rudd attended the UN Climate Change Conference in
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, in December 2007 just ten days after being sworn in. In February 2008, the Prime Minister told Parliament that "the costs of inaction on climate change are much greater than the costs of action" and that "Australia must... seize the opportunity now to become a leader globally". In the 2008 budget, the Rudd government set out its climate agenda which included an emissions trading scheme and a number of renewable energy, energy efficiency and research, development and demonstration (RD&D) programs. Rudd established the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology globally and the sharing of information. The institute was launched in a joint press conference with US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and Rudd at the Major Economies Forum in Italy in 2009. Obama said the partnership aimed to double the amount of investment in research and development needed to make alternative technologies viable and "points to the ability for us to pool our resources in order to see the technological breakthroughs necessary in order for us to solve this problem." The Institute received international support with 15 governments and more than 40 major companies and industry groups signing on as foundation members. The Rudd government committed significant resources to renewable energy. Legislation for an expanded Renewable Energy Target was passed in August 2009, expanding it from 9,500 GWh by 2010 to 45,000 GWh by 2020 and introducing a 'solar credits' multiplier to provide an additional incentive for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems. The Rudd government sought to introduce an emissions trading scheme to tackle climate change in Australia and embarked on a thorough policy development process involving the Garnaut Review led by its climate change adviser,
Ross Garnaut Ross Gregory Garnaut (born 28 July 1946, Perth) is an Australian economist, currently serving as a vice-chancellor's fellow and professorial fellow of economics at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of numerous academic publications ...
, followed by a green paper on ETS design issues, Treasury modelling to inform mitigation target decisions and a final white paper, which would be published in December 2008. The White Paper included a plan to introduce an
emissions trading Emissions trading is a market-oriented approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). One prominen ...
scheme in 2010, known as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, and gave a target range for Australia's greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 of between 5% and 15% less than 2000 levels. However, the ultimate legislation was frustrated in the
Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The powers, role and composition of the Senate are set out in Chap ...
— with the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, Nationals and
Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a Left-wing politics, left-wing green party, green Australian List of political parties in Australia, political party. As of 2025, the Greens are the third largest politica ...
voting against it, the Senate rejected it on 13 August 2009. Rudd and key Labor ministers worked with the Liberals under opposition leader
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...
, who personally supported action on emissions, to achieve compromise on details of the scheme and gain their support. On 1 December 2009, Turnbull was replaced in a leadership spill called over the issue, by ETS opponent
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
, and the following day, the Senate voted against the revised package of bills. Rudd criticised the Liberals heavily for their refusal to support the legislation ("What absolute political cowardice, what absolute failure of leadership, what absolute failure of logic ...") but in April 2010 announced that the Government would delay implementing an emissions trading scheme until 2011.Rudd personally committed himself to international action on climate change in the lead-up to the
Copenhagen Summit The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. The conference included the 15th session of the Conference of the Partie ...
in December 2009. Ahead of the summit, he convened a meeting of leaders at the 2009 APEC conference in Singapore which brought together the leaders of China, the United States, Japan and Denmark for the first time to discuss their respective positions. Rudd announced financial help for small island states affected by climate change at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009 and used the meeting to rally support for the Copenhagen summit. Rudd played a key role in Copenhagen in delivering an accord despite the wide divergence of views among advanced and emerging economies.
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, the then-prime minister of the United Kingdom, said of Rudd at Copenhagen: "Kevin stood up to those who wanted to say 'no' on climate change ... The fact we got a Copenhagen declaration which has now led to the next stage ... is in no small measure due to him." However, the perceived weakness of the Copenhagen accord in setting binding targets impacted upon the momentum towards an emissions trading scheme at home. Rudd reflected later that "we all failed... though not for want of effort from many of us."


Stolen Generations

As the parliament's first order of business, on 13 February 2008, Rudd gave a national apology to
Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
s for the '' stolen generations''. The apology, for the policies of successive parliaments and governments, passed unanimously as a motion by both houses of parliament.; ; ; ; ; Rudd pledged the government to bridging the gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australian health, education and living conditions, and in a way that respects their rights to self-determination. During meetings held in December 2007 and March 2008 the
Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...
(COAG) adopted six targets to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians over the next five to twenty years. As of 2016, there have been eight Closing the Gap Reports presented to Parliament, providing data in areas that previously had none and updates on progress. Since leaving politics, Rudd has established the Australian National Apology Foundation, as foreshadowed in his final speech to Parliament, to continue to promote reconciliation and closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. He has contributed $100,000 to the Foundation and to kickstart fundraising for a National Apology Chair at the Australian National University.


Economy

The Rudd government's economic policy response to the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
has been cited as an effective international model and described by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz as "one of the strongest Keynesian stimulus packages in the world" that "helped Australia avoid recession and saved up to 200,000 jobs". Following the start of the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, increased exports and consumer spending stimulated by the Rudd government's intervention helped the Australian economy avoid recession in 2009. Australia was the only western economy to do so. Internationally, Kevin Rudd helped lead efforts to make the G20 the most influential global forum coordinating policies to counter the global impact of the crisis. In his first speech to Parliament in 1998, Rudd outlined his belief in the need for governments to take an active role in the economy, particularly to assure equality of opportunity. He affirmed his general belief in competitive markets, but repudiated
neoliberalism Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pe ...
and
free market In economics, a free market is an economic market (economics), system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of ...
economists such as
Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) was an Austrian-born British academic and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobe ...
, saying governments must regulate markets and intervene where they fail. Upon becoming leader in December 2006, he promised an economic policy with two arms to its philosophy and practice: rewarding hard work and achievement, but with a guarantee of fairness and social justice. On election to office prior to the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, the Rudd government announced a five-point plan to combat inflation. The first budget of the Rudd government was delivered by Treasurer
Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954) is an Australian politician serving as the 25th and current Australian Labor Party National Executive#National Presidents, National President of the Labor Party since 2018, previously serving as the 14th de ...
in May 2008 and a projected surplus of $21.7 billion was announced. In line with Rudd's explanation of his economic philosophy on taking office, his government intervened early as the
global recession A global recession is a recession that affects many countries around the world—that is, a period of global economic slowdown or declining economic output. Definitions The International Monetary Fund defines a global recession as "a decline ...
began to take hold by guaranteeing bank deposits and announcing two stimulatory spending packages. The first was worth $10.4 billion and announced in late 2008, and included measures such as lump sum payments for low to middle income earners, increasing the first homebuyers' bonus, doubling training places and fast-tracking a national infrastructure program. The second, worth $42 billion, was announced in February 2009 and included $900 cash payments to resident taxpayers who paid net tax in the 2007–08 financial year. Stating that his Government would "move heaven and earth to reduce the impact of the global recession", Rudd delivered a spending program for infrastructure, schools and housing worth $28.8 billion as part of this package. After initially raising interest rates to combat inflation, The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates several times in increments of up to 1 percent, and fell to 3 percent in May 2009, the lowest since 1960. The second budget, released in May 2009, projected a $57.6 billion deficit for 2009–10. The majority of the deficit was created by a loss of taxation revenue as a result of the recession, with the rest made up in stimulus and other spending. The downturn was expected to remove $210 billion in taxation revenue from the budget over the next four years. The Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, as it was branded, contained a range of programs implemented through Commonwealth legislation and overseen by Commonwealth agencies, although administered by state governments and other authorities. The
Building the Education Revolution Building the Education Revolution (BER) was an Government of Australia, Australian government program administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) designed to provide new and refurbished infrastructur ...
(BER) program, worth $16.2 billion, sought to stimulate the nationwide economy by employing construction workers in school building developments. These included the construction of libraries, classrooms and multipurpose centres, the refurbishment and repairs of existing facilities, and science and language centres in 70 secondary schools in disadvantaged areas. A$4 billion Energy Efficient Homes Package was also launched, containing a Home Insulation Program (HIP) which provided $1,600 worth of assistance to owner-occupiers to install ceiling insulation in existing homes. The government estimated that 40% of homes were not insulated, and that this had costs in energy waste, household bills for heating and cooling, and resident health and comfort among others. Other components included social and defence housing construction, funding for local community infrastructure and road projects, and the $950 cash bonus. The OECD assessed in its 2009 Economic Outlook Report that the Rudd government's policy response to the crisis had reduced the impact of the global recession on employment. Two major controversies, however, affected public reception of the scheme. The Home Insulation Program became controversial in early 2010 after reports of house fires, possible fraud and the deaths of four young insulation installers. Rudd responded by demoting the minister responsible,
Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...
, suspending the scheme and commissioning an immediate review of the program by Dr Allan Hawke. Hawke noted in his report that "despite the safety, quality and compliance concerns, there were solid achievements against the program objectives". Approximately 1.1 million homes had been insulated through the scheme by April 2010, about 10,000 jobs had been created, and national safety standards and training were a focus. However, Hawke found the department was not up to the task of monitoring thousands of independent contractors around Australia on a tight timeframe and that demand was higher than anticipated, which led to safety and quality risks that "cannot be fully abated". Greg Combet, who had been appointed Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, announced upon the report's release on 22 April that the scheme would not resume, and that he would work to restore public confidence in the home insulation industry. Rudd personally apologised to the families on 26 April. In a 2014 Royal Commission investigation into the scheme, Rudd accepted his Government's responsibility for systems failures that led to the deaths, describing them as a "deep tragedy" and acknowledged the pain of the families involved. The
Building the Education Revolution Building the Education Revolution (BER) was an Government of Australia, Australian government program administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) designed to provide new and refurbished infrastructur ...
program rolled out 23,670 school projects around Australia representing a completion rate of 92 per cent. However, claims of overpricing and poor value for money in some projects resulted in a taskforce being established to examine the implementation of the scheme, led by Brad Orgill, the former CEO of UBS Australasia. Only 3% of complaints about the scheme were upheld, and most projects were found to have been good value for money. In early 2009, during the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
, Rudd stated "that the great neo-liberal experiment of the past 30 years has failed", and that "Neo-liberalism and the free-market fundamentalism it has produced has been revealed as little more than personal greed dressed up as an economic philosophy. And, ironically, it now falls to social democracy to prevent liberal capitalism from cannibalising itself." Rudd called for a new era of "social capitalism" from social democrats such as himself and US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to "support a global financial system that properly balances private incentive with public responsibility". The
Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...
has acknowledged Kevin Rudd as one of the founders of the G20 that helped prevent a second global depression. The Rudd government's third budget in 2010 projected a $40.8 billion deficit for 2010–11 but forecast that Australia would return to surplus by 2012–13. The government proposed a "super profits" tax on the mining industry and included $12 billion in revenue from the proposal in the forecast, although the tax had not been passed by the Senate.


Australia 2020 Summit

In February 2008 Rudd announced the Australia 2020 Summit, held from 19 to 20 April 2008, which brought together 1000 leading Australians to discuss ten major areas of policy innovation. Among the initiatives supported at the event, the summit voted in favour of a plebiscite on Australia "relinquishing ties" to the United Kingdom followed by a referendum on the model for an Australian republic, a bill of rights, the re-formation of an Indigenous peak representative body similar to ATSIC, (which had been abolished by the Howard government), the introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme and a National Disability Insurance Scheme, and a review of the taxation system. Findings released in April 2009 reported that nine out of the 1000 submitted ideas were to be immediately enacted and that the government was deliberating on other ideas proposed. By mid-2010, among the key reform ideas suggested, Prime Minister Rudd had sought to introduce an ETS, but postponed it after failing to secure passage through the
senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
; formed a consultative committee on a Bill of rights then rejected its recommendation for implementation; established the
National Congress of Australia's First Peoples National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...
in 2010; commissioned the Henry Review of taxation (on the basis of which the
Rudd government Rudd Government may refer to the following Australian governments: * Rudd government (2007–10) * Rudd government (2013) {{Dab ...
proposed a new "super-profits" tax on mining); and Rudd had described the issue of a vote on a republic as not being "a priority".


Industrial relations

Kevin Rudd came to office pledging to overhaul
WorkChoices WorkChoices was the name given to changes made to the federal industrial relations laws in Australia by the Howard government#Fourth term: 2004–2007, Howard government in 2005, being amendments to the ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' by the '' ...
, a key Howard government policy commencing in March 2006 which had been attacked for reducing pay and conditions in the workplace, and which was crucial to Howard's defeat at the 2007 federal election. Upon Rudd's arrival as Leader of the Opposition in December 2006, he gave a speech emphasising this commitment. In April 2007, he announced Labor's "Forward with Fairness" plan to take to the election, which included a phased abolition of
Australian Workplace Agreement An Australian workplace agreement (AWA) was a type of formalised individual agreement negotiated between an employer and employee in Australia that existed from 1996 to 2009. Employers could offer a "take it or leave it" AWA as a condition of empl ...
s (AWAs) over five years, a safety net consisting of 10 National Employment Standards, an independent umpire and simplified industrial awards. It also included the restoration of unfair dismissal laws for companies with under 100 employees (probation period of 12 months for companies with less than 15 employees), and the retention of the Australian Building and Construction Commission until 2010. It retained the illegality of secondary boycotts, the right of employers to lock workers out, restriction of a union right of entry to workplaces, and restrictions on workers' right to strike. It was broadly seen as a concession to business on some areas of concern while still upholding key elements of the original plan. On 20 March 2008, the ''Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008'' gained assent, and gave effect to some of these measures, including preventing any new AWAs from being signed. Rudd declared AWA's "dead and buried", saying: "Today we declare this shameful chapter in the history of Australia's workplaces to be dead and buried. And today with this legislation we begin the process of burying the rest of the Work Choices omnibus once and for all." In 2009, the '' Fair Work Act'' was passed. Rudd also established a single industrial relations bureaucracy called Fair Work Australia, designed to play a far more interventionist role than the Howard government's Fair Pay Commission. Fair Work Australia mediated the 2011 Qantas industrial disputes.


Education

During the election, Rudd promised a "
Digital Education Revolution The Digital Education Revolution (DER) was an Australian government–funded educational reform program, promised by then prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd during the launch of his 2007 Australian federal election campaign in Brisbane. It w ...
", including provision of a computer on the desk of every upper secondary student. The program initially stalled with state governments asserting that the proposed funding was inadequate. The federal government increased proposed funding from $1.2 billion to $2 billion, and did not mandate that a computer be provided to each upper secondary student. The program supplied office software, photo and video editing software, and web design software, some of it unusable due to the hardware becoming obsolete.


Immigration

As prime minister, Rudd professed his belief in a " Big Australia", while his government increased the immigration quota after to around 300,000 people. In 2010, Rudd appointed
Tony Burke Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for the Arts. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has served as member of ...
as population minister to examine population goals. In 2008, the government adjusted the mandatory detention policies established by the Keating and Howard governments and declared an end to the Pacific Solution. Boat arrivals increased considerably during 2009 and the Opposition said this was due to the government's policy adjustments, the Government said it was due to "push factors". After a fatal explosion on an asylum seeker boat in April 2009, Rudd said: "People smugglers are the vilest form of human life." Opposition frontbencher
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
said that Kevin Rudd was inept and hypocritical in his handling of the issue during the Oceanic Viking affair of October 2009. In April 2010, the Rudd government suspended processing new claims by Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers, who comprised 80 per cent of all boat arrivals, for three and six months respectively.


Taxation

In the 2007 election, Rudd committed to increase the fairness of the tax system. The 2008 Budget aimed to achieve this with a range of measures including $47 billion of tax cuts over four years focused on lower and middle income workers, an increase of the child care tax rebate from 30% to 50%, an increase of the income level at which the Medicare Levy Surcharge was targeted, and introducing means tests for some other benefits. Some other measures were blocked or amended in the Senate, in which any crossbencher in combination with the Liberal-National Coalition could defeat a bill. In May 2008, Rudd committed to a "root and branch" review of all aspects of the Australian taxation system, led by the secretary of the Treasury, Ken Henry, and taking evidence from a wide range of sources. After receiving around 1,500 submissions and running a two-day conference, the Henry Tax Review reported to the Treasurer in December 2009. On 2 May 2010, the Rudd government formally responded, announcing a package of measures to help support investment in the non-mining sectors and rebalance the economy to a more sustainable trajectory. The government's tax plan had three components: reducing the corporate tax rate to 28% and introducing investment incentives for small business; increasing the compulsory employee superannuation rate to 12% to increase the savings base; and eliminating state-based mining royalties, establishing a $5.6 billion infrastructure fund to support resources sector expansion and competitiveness, and increasing tax rebates for mining exploration. These three components were to be funded by a new Resources Super Profits Tax (RSPT) on the 'super profits' of mining companies. The RSPT was a profits-based tax, which meant that when resource companies made large profits their effective tax rate increased and when those profits fell, their tax rate fell. The tax policy was the subject of strong opposition from the mining industry, including an advertising campaign. Immediately following Kevin Rudd's replacement as prime minister by Julia Gillard, the Government did a deal with the largest mining companies to replace the RSPT with a new tax – the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT). The Government claimed the new tax would raise $10.6 billion in its first two years, just $1.5 billion less than the $12 billion that RSPT had been forecast to raise. It was quickly realised that this was a wildly optimistic estimate. John Quiggin said, "All the changes that were made to the package between the original tax and the agreement they reached in the end were too generous." Prior to the introduction of the MRRT in the May 2012 budget, the government revised down its forecasts, suggesting that the tax would only bring in $3 billion for the financial year. In October 2012, the figure was reduced to $2 billion, while on 14 May 2013, it was announced that the receipts were expected to be less than $200 million.


Healthcare

Rudd announced a significant and far-reaching strategic reform to Australian healthcare in 2010. However, this was not pursued beyond in-principle agreements with Labor State and Territory governments, and was scrapped by Julia Gillard during her first year in office.


Families

The Rudd government increased the age pension by more than $100 a fortnight for singles and $76 for couples, the largest increase since 1909, in response to the Harmer Review which found that single retirees living on their own were unusually disadvantaged. It also lifted the Child Care Tax Rebate from 30 to 50 per cent for around 600,000 families – paid quarterly rather than annually. In addition, the Government introduced an Education Tax Refund of 50 per cent of up to $750 per child, benefiting 1.3 million families. Prime Minister Rudd was also responsible for Australia's first paid
parental leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
scheme – benefiting 150,000 new parents 18 weeks of paid leave each year.


Disabilities

Work began under Rudd on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. First floated as a big idea by advocates at the 2020 Summit in April 2008, the Rudd government doubled funding for disability services to the States and introduced the National Disability Strategy. The PM referred the idea of an insurance scheme to the Productivity Commission in 2009, announced at the National Disability Awards in Canberra.


Foreign affairs

As prime minister, Rudd saw Australia as being able to help shape world responses to urgent global challenges through active diplomacy, including the creation of global and regional institutions and building of coalitions, and playing an important role in the "Asia Pacific century". Rudd's first official overseas visit as prime minister was to Indonesia in December 2007 for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, then visited Australian troops serving in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. In February 2008, he visited
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
following the assassination attempt on the
President of East Timor The president of Timor-Leste, officially the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste (; ) is the head of state of the Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The executive powers of the president are limited; however, the P ...
, Dr José Ramos-Horta, and in March 2008 travelled to
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
and the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
. The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Dr Derek Sikua, was also the first foreign head of government Mr Rudd received as prime minister. In April 2008, Rudd signed Australia to the global Millennium Development Goals Call to Action.


Pacific Islands

A close, co-operative relationship was developed with the Pacific Island nations, leading to Australia hosting the Pacific Islands Forum in 2009, and the application of a
Millennium Development Goals In the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 created following the Millennium Summit, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These w ...
framework to Australian aid programs with development partners across the Pacific. The revised aid program set out concrete goals in areas such as health, education and employment for Australia's 15 development partners in the region. In August 2008, at the Pacific Islands Forum in Niue, Mr Rudd also announced the introduction of a three-year pilot seasonal worker scheme for up to 2,500 workers from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati to work in Australia's horticulture industry for up to seven months. This acceptance of guest workers was a radical departure from previous Australian policy. The seasonal worker scheme got off to slow start, bringing in 1,100 workers to 2012. However, it accelerated over the ensuing years as demand for labour increased.


Iraq

In his 2007 election campaign, Kevin Rudd committed to withdrawing Australian military forces from Iraq. He dismissed each of the reasons which had been used to commit Australian troops to the Iraq War in 2003, and accused his predecessor of abusing pre-war intelligence, some of which indicated that an attack on Iraq would increase the threat of terrorism. In accordance with a Multinational Force Iraq agreement with the new Iraqi Government, Labor's plan to withdraw the
Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...
combat contingent was completed on 28 July 2009, three days ahead of the deadline. In mid-2010, there were about 65 ADF personnel remaining in Iraq supporting UN operations or the Australian Embassy. In March 2009,
Nouri Al-Maliki Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki (; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is an Iraqi politician and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party since 2007. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and as Vice President ...
, the then-Prime Minister of Iraq, visited Australia. During the visit, Prime Minister Al-Maliki and then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed a declaration on increased cooperation in six key areas and to enhance trade and investment ties. The leaders agreed to an Australia-Iraq Agricultural Partnership focused on bolstering Iraq's agricultural productivity and food security as a central element of Iraq's reconstruction and development. Australia also appointed a Senior Trade Commissioner to contribute to stronger commercial links, and committed to an AusAID presence in Baghdad to support the Government's three-year A$165 million development assistance commitment.


Afghanistan

The Rudd government redefined Australia's role in Afghanistan, including Australia's particular responsibility for Uruzgan Province. In Afghanistan, the Australian presence not only trained the 4th Brigade of the Afghan National Army, but also undertook large scale programs in the education of women and girls, the building of mosques with schools attached, basic healthcare and the extension of the road network. From a total of $56 million spent on foreign aid in 2009–2010, $25 million went to Afghanistan through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. Rudd continued to support Australian military involvement in Afghanistan, despite the growing number of Australian casualties. On 29 April 2009, Rudd committed 450 extra troops to the region bringing the total to 1550. Explaining the deployment, he said, "A measured increase in Australian forces in Afghanistan will enhance the security of Australian citizens, given that so many terrorists attacking Australians in the past have been trained in Afghanistan." On a November 2009 visit to Afghanistan, Rudd told Australian troops: "We from Australia will remain for the long haul." In April 2010, the Australian Government decided not to commit further troops to Uruzgan Province to replace Dutch forces when they withdrew, but increased the numbers of diplomatic, development aid, and police personnel to around 50 with military effort and civilian work focussed on Uruzgan. The United States diplomatic cables leak reported Rudd's criticisms of Australia's European allies in the Afghanistan campaign.


Political positions


Nationhood

As shadow foreign minister, Rudd reformulated Labor's foreign policy in terms of "Three Pillars": engagement with the UN, engagement with Asia, and the US alliance. Although disagreeing with the original commitment to the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, Rudd supports the continued deployment of Australian troops in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, but not the continued deployment of combat troops. Rudd was also in favour of Australia's military presence in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. Rudd backs the road map for peace plan and defended Israel's actions during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, condemning Hezbollah and Hamas for violating Israeli territory. As prime minister, he also pledged support for East Timor, stating that Australian troops would remain in
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
for as long as East Timor's government wanted them to. Rudd also gave his support for the independence of
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
from
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, before Australia officially recognised the republic. This decision sparked protests of the Serbian Australian community against Rudd. In 2008 Rudd advised the appointment of Quentin Bryce as the first female Governor-General of Australia to
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
,
Queen of Australia The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parli ...
.


Society

Some commentators have described Rudd as a social conservative. He has moved to remove financial discrimination against
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
couples, but he had previously been opposed to legislation to recognise
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. In May 2013, however, Rudd announced he had changed his position based on personal experience and the fact that his children had long thought him "an unreconstructed dinosaur" for not supporting marriage equality legislation. He went on to say that "I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognise same sex marriage" while opposing any compulsion for churches to marry same-sex couples if that was not their wish. In a
conscience vote A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
in 2006, Rudd supported legislation to transfer regulatory authority for the abortion-inducing drug RU486 from the federal Minister For Health to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, removing the minister's veto on the use of RU486 in Australia. Rudd said that "For me and for the reasons I have outlined, the life of the unborn is of great importance. And having tested these reasons with men and women of faith, and men and women of science, that I've decided not to oppose this bill. " In another 2006 conscience vote, Rudd voted against legislation to expand embryonic stem cell research In May 2008, Rudd was drawn into the controversy over photographic artist
Bill Henson Bill Henson (born 7 October 1955) is an Australian contemporary art photographer. Art Henson has exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National ...
and his work depicting naked adolescents as part of a show due to open at an inner-city gallery in Sydney. In a televised interview, Rudd stated that he found the images "absolutely revolting" and that they had "no artistic merit". These views swiftly drew censure from members of the "creative stream" who attended the 2020 Summit convened by Rudd, led by actress
Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...
.


Resignation

On 23 June 2010, the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' reported that Rudd's Chief of Staff, Alister Jordan, had talked to over half of the Labor caucus to gauge the level of Rudd's support within the party. This followed significant media speculation that his deputy, Julia Gillard, would challenge him for the leadership. Late that evening, after it became clear that Rudd had lost the support of a large number of Labor MPs, Gillard publicly requested that Rudd hold a leadership election as soon as possible. Rudd subsequently announced a leadership election for 24 June, saying that he would stand. Hours before the vote, however, it became clear that Rudd would not have the support to win, and so he stood down as Labor leader and prime minister. Gillard was elected unopposed, becoming Australia's first female prime minister.
Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian former politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2019. He also ...
, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services and a key member of the Labor Party's right faction, speculated that it was the Government's handling of the insulation program, the sudden announcement of change of policy on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, and the way in which they had "introduced the debate" about the Resource Super Profits Tax as the main reasons which had led to a collapse in support for Rudd's leadership. Barry Cohen, a former minister in the
Hawke government The Hawke government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1983 to 1991. The government followed the Liberal-National Coalition Fraser government and was su ...
, said that many in the Labor Party felt ignored by Rudd's centralist leadership style, and his at times insulting and rude treatment of staff and other ministers. Many were willing to overlook this due to his immense popularity, but when Rudd's poll numbers began to drop in late 2009 and 2010, they wanted to install a leader more able to establish consensus and involve the party caucus as a whole. Rudd became the first Australian prime minister to be removed from office by his own party during his first term.


Popularity and assessment

Rudd maintained long periods of popularity in
opinion poll An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of qu ...
s during his initial tenure as prime minister for his management of the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
and his well renowned apology to the Indigenous community, achieving some of the highest approval ratings for an Australian prime minister on record during the height of the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
. However, he would see a rapid decrease in popularity after his failed handling of legislative negotiations, ultimately leading to the demise of his premiership. The circumstances of his removal from office have remained controversial; his supporters have decried the undemocratic nature of his ousting, while critics have accused him of an autocratic and flawed leadership style. He is often ranked in the middle-to-lower tier of Australian prime ministers.


2010 election

Rudd announced following his resignation as prime minister that he would re-contest his seat of Griffith for the 2010 federal election, set for 21 August. Early in the campaign, he suffered
abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues. Since the abdomen contains most of the body's vital organs, it can be an indicator of a wide variety of diseases. Given th ...
and underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder. His first public statements after the operation were in an interview with ABC Radio National's Phillip Adams for '' Late Night Live'', which received wide national coverage; in it, he denied being the source of political leaks concerning Julia Gillard. Gillard later requested that Rudd join the national campaign to boost Labor's chances of re-election, which he did. Rudd and Gillard were subsequently photographed together during a private meeting in Brisbane, both appearing uncomfortable, unsmiling and unspeaking. Rudd was comfortably re-elected as the Member for Griffith. The election resulted in a
hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...
after both major parties failed to win a majority of seats. Weeks later, Gillard was able to form a
minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...
with the support of the Greens and independent MPs.


Foreign minister (2010–2012)

Prime Minister Julia Gillard appointed Rudd as Minister for Foreign Affairs in Cabinet on 14 September 2010. He represented Gillard at a UN General Assembly meeting in September 2010.
WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by ...
, in 2010, published material about Kevin Rudd's term as prime minister, included United States diplomatic cables leak. As foreign minister, Rudd denounced publishing classified documents by WikiLeaks. The Australian media reported that references to Rudd in the cables included frank discussions between Rudd and US officials about China and Afghanistan. This included negative assessments of some of Rudd's foreign policy initiatives and leadership style, written in confidence for the US Government by the US Embassy staff in Australia. Before his first visit to Israel as foreign minister, Rudd stated Israel should be subject to
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...
inspection. Israeli Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician who served as Ministry of Finance (Israel), Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2022, having previously served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to ...
rejected the call. Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution and resignation of Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
, Rudd called for "constitutional reform and a clear timetable towards free and fair elections". In response to the
2011 Libyan civil war The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...
, Rudd announced in early March 2011, the international community should enforce a no-fly zone, as the "lesser of two evils". The US officials in Canberra sought clarification on what the Australian Government was proposing. Gillard said the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
should consider a full range of alternatives, and that Australia was not planning to send forces to enforce a no-fly zone. Following the devastating
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a  9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
in Japan, Rudd announced after talking with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, he had offered Australian field hospitals and disaster victim identification teams to help with recovery. Rudd also said he had offered Australian atomic expertise and sought urgent briefings following an explosion at a nuclear plant. Rudd announced his resignation as foreign minister on 22 February 2012, citing Gillard's failure to counter character attacks launched by Simon Crean and "other faceless men" as his reasons. Speaking to the press, Rudd explained that he considered Gillard's silence as evidence that she no longer supported him, and therefore he could not continue in office. "I can only serve as Foreign Minister if I have the confidence of Prime Minister Gillard and her senior ministers," he said. Rudd resigned as the Minister for Foreign Affairs followed heated speculation about a possible leadership spill. Craig Emerson temporarily replaced Rudd as Minister for Foreign Affairs, until Senator
Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party, New South Wales branch of the A ...
became Minister for Foreign Affairs on 13 March 2012.


Leadership tensions


February 2012 spill

Speculation regarding Rudd's desire to challenge Gillard to regain the leadership of the Labor Party—and hence the Prime Ministership—became a near constant feature of media commentary on the Gillard government. In October 2011, Queensland MP Graham Perrett, the member for the marginal Brisbane-area seat of Moreton, announced that if Labor replaced Gillard with Rudd, he would resign and force a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
. In her speech to Labor's 2011 Conference, Prime Minister Gillard mentioned every Labor Prime Minister since World War II with the exception of Kevin Rudd. The speech was widely reported as a snub to Rudd. In early 2012, Labor MPs began to openly discuss the issue of leadership. Simon Crean told Radio 3AW, " uddcan't be leader again...people will not elect as leaders those they don't perceive as team players". Following a '' Four Corners'' program that revisited Gillard's role in Rudd's downfall as prime minister, a breakdown in party discipline saw Labor MP
Darren Cheeseman Darren Leicester Cheeseman (born 8 June 1976) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2018, representing the seat of South Barwon. He previously held the federal seat of Corangamit ...
call on Gillard to resign, while his colleague Steve Gibbons called Rudd a "psychopath with a giant ego". Amidst the controversy, an expletive-laden video of out-takes of an intemperate Kevin Rudd attempting to record a Chinese language message during his time as prime minister was released anonymously on YouTube, apparently aimed at discrediting his push for the leadership. While Rudd said publicly only that he was "happy as Foreign Minister", media commentators widely declared that a leadership challenge was "on". When Rudd resigned on 22 February 2012,
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954) is an Australian politician serving as the 25th and current Australian Labor Party National Executive#National Presidents, National President of the Labor Party since 2018, previously serving as the 14th de ...
lambasted Rudd as "dysfunctional". His Cabinet colleague
Tony Burke Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for the Arts. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has served as member of ...
also spoke against Rudd, saying of his time in office that "the stories that were around of the chaos, of the temperament, of the inability to have decisions made, they are not stories.". Labor Senator Doug Cameron came out in support of Rudd and called on his colleagues to show him respect. Later that day, Rudd said that he did not think Gillard could defeat the Coalition at the next election and that, since his resignation, he had received encouragement from Labor MPs to contest the leadership. Gillard responded to these developments by announcing a leadership election for the morning of 27 February 2012, and stating that she would be a candidate. Two days later, Rudd announced his own candidacy. Before the vote, Rudd promised that he would not initiate any further leadership challenges against Gillard should he lose, but he did not rule out becoming Leader again at a later date. Gillard won the leadership election comfortably with 71 votes to Rudd's 31. Following the result Rudd returned to the backbenches, reiterating that he would not mount any further leadership challenges against Gillard, and stating that he would support her in any further leadership elections.


March 2013 spill

On 21 March 2013, following a request from Simon Crean, the prime minister, Julia Gillard, called a leadership spill. It was widely reported that Rudd was considering nominating for the leadership of the Australian Labor Party, but he chose not to stand. Gillard was the sole candidate and was elected unopposed.


June 2013 spill

On 10 June 2013, the security of Gillard's position as leader was put in doubt following the loss of significant support in the Labor caucus. Furthermore, polling in the preceding week indicated that the party could be left with a very low number of 40 seats in the Federal Parliament, while one Labor backbencher compared the Labor Party to the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
''. ABC reported that "some former staunch supporters" held the view that Gillard could not win the election, and ABC journalist Barrie Cassidy identified Rudd as the only feasible replacement. The political editor of ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
'' newspaper, Dennis Shanahan, reported on 10 June 2013 that Rudd had been "mobbed" by supporters in the Victorian city of
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
days earlier and that he was "expected to be returned to the ALP leadership". On 26 June 2013, Julia Gillard called a leadership spill, intending to head off any challenge. Rudd announced that he would challenge the prime minister. Gillard said that, in her view, the loser of the ballot should retire from politics; Rudd agreed that this would be appropriate. Key Gillard supporter
Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian former politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2019. He also ...
, who was one of the main figures responsible for Rudd's previous overturn as prime minister, this time announced his support for Rudd. Rudd subsequently won the leadership ballot, 57–45, and became the Leader of the Labor Party for the second time.


Second term as Prime Minister (2013)

Following the leadership election on 26 June 2013, Julia Gillard resigned as prime minister. After seeking legal advice from the acting Solicitor-General, Robert Orr, the
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
, Quentin Bryce, invited Rudd to be sworn in as prime minister for the second time on 27 June. At 9:53 am (AEST), Rudd was sworn in as prime minister for a second term, becoming the second Labor Prime Minister to have a second non-consecutive term; the first was Andrew Fisher.


2013 election

On 4 August 2013, Rudd announced that he had visited
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
Quentin Bryce at Parliament House, asking her to dissolve Parliament and for a federal election to be held on 7 September. After Labor subsequently lost the election, Rudd resigned as prime minister for the second time on 18 September 2013.


Post-political career (2013–present)


Resignation from Parliament

On 13 November 2013, Rudd announced that he would soon resign from Parliament. In his valedictory speech to the House of Representatives, Rudd expressed his attachment to his community but said he wanted to dedicate more time to his family and minimise disruption to House proceedings. Rudd submitted his resignation in writing to the Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, on 22 November 2013, formally ending his parliamentary career. Terri Butler was selected to run for the Labor Party at the resulting
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
in the electorate of Griffith to be held on 8 February 2014. Rudd offered Butler his support and advice, and campaigned with her in a low-key appearance on 11 January 2014. Butler ultimately succeeded Rudd in the seat.


International roles

In early 2014, Rudd left Australia to work in the United States, where he was appointed a Senior Fellow at the
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
, where he completed a major research effort on the future of US-China relations. Through 2014 Rudd joined the
Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...
as a distinguished statesman, and was appointed a distinguished fellow at both the Paulson Institute at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, Illinois and
Chatham House The Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, is a British think tank based in London, England. Its stated mission is "to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world". It ...
, London. In September of that year, he was appointed Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism at the International Peace Institute in Vienna, Austria, and in October became the first president of the
Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...
Policy Institute in New York City. On 5 November 2015, Rudd was appointed to chair Sanitation and Water For All, a global partnership to achieve universal access to drinking water and adequate sanitation. He has also actively contributed to the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
's Global Agenda Council on China. Rudd is also a member of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council. On 21 October 2016, he was awarded an honorary professorship at
Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...
. In 2016, Rudd asked the
Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...
(then a government of the Liberal-National Coalition) to nominate him for
Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
. At its meeting on 28 July, the Cabinet was divided on his suitability for the role and, on that basis, Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...
decided to decline the request; since nomination by the Australian government was considered a necessary prerequisite for candidacy, Turnbull's decision essentially ended Rudd's campaign; Rudd later confirmed as much. However, there remains dispute over what if any earlier assurances Turnbull may have given to Rudd and about what happened in the Cabinet meeting. Rudd is also a member of the
Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...
, a non-profit organisation comprising a network of former heads of state or government.


Royal commission into Australian news media

On 10 October 2020, Rudd launched a petition for a
royal commission A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
into what he termed the " Murdoch media monopoly" and its impact on Australian democracy. The public demand to sign the petition following Rudd's Twitter announcement caused the Australian Parliament House's ePetitions site to experience technical difficulties. On 25 October 2020, Rudd was joined by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who gave him his support, tweeting that he too had signed the petition. With more than 500,000 signatures, the petition became the most signed parliamentary e-petition in Australia and the third most signed parliamentary petition ever. The petition was tabled in the House of Representatives by Labor MP Andrew Leigh on 9 November 2020. Peta Credlin, a Sky News commentator gave an on air apology in February 2021 to Rudd as part of a confidential legal settlement regarding defamation over comments she made in 2020 about him and his petition.


Academic

In 2017, Rudd began studying for a doctorate on
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
at Jesus College, Oxford. In 2022, Rudd was conferred with a Doctorate of Philosophy from the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. In his thesis, titled "China's new Marxist nationalism: defining Xi Jinping's ideological worldview", Rudd argues that Xi has adopted a more Marxist political and economic approach to government and that will have negative consequences for economic growth and China as a whole.


Ambassador to the United States

In late 2022, there were calls for Rudd to be appointed as the next Australian Ambassador to the United States. On 20 December 2022, Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...
and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong announced that Rudd would be appointed as the 23rd Ambassador of Australia to the United States in early 2023, succeeding Arthur Sinodinos. Rudd assumed the position on 20 March 2023. In March 2024, Rudd was criticised by former US president
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, who labelled him "nasty" and indicated that he would be removed as US ambassador should Trump win the 2024 presidential election. Rudd had previously been highly critical of Trump during his
first presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
. Penny Wong later clarified that Rudd would stay on as ambassador even in the result of Trump winning the election. In the role, Rudd has been a vocal advocate for AUKUS security partnership, urging American decision makers to implement its promise of technology sharing. While it was hoped he might defuse tension between the United States and China in the role, Rudd has become a blunt critic of China's expansionism.


Writings

Rudd has authored several books. While prime minister, he co-authored a children's book with entertainer Rhys Muldoon, ''Jasper & Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle'', which was published in 2010. In October 2017, Rudd launched the first volume of his autobiography, entitled ''Not for the Faint-hearted: A Personal Reflection on Life, Politics and Purpose'', which chronicles his life until becoming prime minister in 2007. The following year, he published the second volume of his autobiography, ''The PM Years'', which covers his prime ministership, the events leading to his removal, and his subsequent return to the position in 2013. In March 2021, Rudd published ''The Case for Courage'' as part of Monash University Publishing's ''In the National Interest'' series. The book details
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
's domination of the Australian media landscape and poses ideas for how the Labor Party can ensure longevity in office. His next book, '' The Avoidable War'', focuses on the bilateral relationship between the United States and China and how the two nations can avoid conflict.


Personal life

In 1981, Rudd married Thérèse Rein whom he had met at a gathering of the Australian Student Christian Movement during his university years. Both were residents at Burgmann College during their first year of university. Rudd and Rein have three children.; ; Rudd is a supporter of the
Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...
. In 2011, Rudd won a tea-making competition in a competition to create Twinings' Australian Afternoon variety and announced that the proceeds from the sales of this blend will be donated to the RSPCA. In 2016, Twinings stopped donating the proceeds from the sales of this tea variety to the RSPCA.


Religion

Rudd and his family attend the Anglican church of St John the Baptist in Bulimba in his electorate. Although raised a Roman Catholic, Rudd was actively involved in the Evangelical Union while studying at the Australian National University, and he began attending
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
services in the 1980s with his wife. In December 2009, Rudd attended a Catholic Mass to commemorate the canonisation of Mary MacKillop at which he received Holy Communion. Rudd's actions provoked criticism and debate among both political and religious circles. A report by ''The Australian'' quoted that Rudd embraced Anglicanism but at the same time did not formally renounce his Catholic faith. Rudd was a mainstay of the parliamentary prayer group in
Parliament House, Canberra Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, the Legislature, legislative body of Politics of Australia, Australia's federal system of government. The building also houses the core of the Executive (government), execut ...
. He has been vocal about his Christianity and has given a number of prominent interviews to the Australian religious press on the topic. Rudd has defended church representatives engaging with policy debates, particularly with respect to
WorkChoices WorkChoices was the name given to changes made to the federal industrial relations laws in Australia by the Howard government#Fourth term: 2004–2007, Howard government in 2005, being amendments to the ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' by the '' ...
legislation,
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, global poverty, therapeutic cloning, and
asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...
.; ; In 2003, he described himself as "an old-fashioned Christian socialist". In a 2006 essay in ''
The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...
'', he argued:
A rulyChristian perspective on contemporary policy debates may not prevail. It must nonetheless be argued. And once heard, it must be weighed, together with other arguments from different philosophical traditions, in a fully contestable secular polity. A Christian perspective, informed by a social gospel or Christian socialist tradition, should not be rejected contemptuously by secular politicians as if these views are an unwelcome intrusion into the political sphere. If the churches are barred from participating in the great debates about the values that ultimately underpin our society, our economy and our polity, then we have reached a very strange place indeed.
He cites Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a personal inspiration in this regard. When in Canberra, Rudd and Rein worshipped at St John the Baptist Church, Reid, where they were married. Rudd often did a "door stop" interview for the media when leaving the church yard.


Health

In 1993, Rudd underwent a cardiac valve transplant operation ( Ross procedure), receiving a
cadaver A cadaver, often known as a corpse, is a Death, dead human body. Cadavers are used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue (biology), tissue to ...
ic aortic valve replacement for rheumatic heart disease. In 2011, Rudd underwent a second cardiac valve transplant operation, making a full recovery from the surgery.


Published works

* Contains the text of the ""29th Singapore Lecture"" delivered by Kevin Rudd, then Prime Minister of Australia, on 12 August 2008. * * * * *


See also

* Second Rudd Ministry * List of prime ministers of Elizabeth II


References


Bibliography

* * * Paul Kelly, ''Triumph and Demise: The Broken Promise of a Labor Generation'', Melbourne University Press, 2014.
Triumph and Demise
* * * *


External links

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