Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd AC (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and June to September 2013. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Rudd has been serving as the 23rd and current ambassador of Australia to the United States since 2023.[4]
For the rugby league player, see Kevin Rudd (rugby league).
Kevin Rudd
- Michael Jeffery
- Quentin Bryce
Julia Gillard
Anthony Albanese
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Kim Beazley
3
- Politician
- diplomat
Kevin 07[3]
- Paul Irwin Crookes
- Rana Mitter
Born in Nambour, Queensland, Rudd graduated from the Australian National University with honours in Chinese studies, 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 at the 1998 federal election, as a member of parliament (MP) for Griffith. Promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2001 as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, and assumed leadership of the Labor Party in December 2006 by defeating Kim Beazley in a leadership spill, becoming leader of the opposition. Rudd led Labor to a landslide victory at the 2007 election; his government's earliest acts included ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and delivering the first national apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples for the Stolen Generations. His government responded to the financial crisis of 2007–2008, implementing economic stimulus packages that resulted in Australia becoming one of the only developed countries to avoid the Great Recession. Rudd's government also oversaw the establishment of the National Broadband Network (NBN), the launch of the Digital Education Revolution and the Building the Education Revolution, dismantled WorkChoices, and withdrew Australian troops from the Iraq War.
By 2010, Rudd's leadership faltered due to a loss of support among the Labor caucus and failure to pass key legislation like Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. In June 2010, Rudd resigned as prime minister after his deputy Julia Gilard challenged him in a leadership spill. He was replaced by Gillard as prime minister, who later appointed him as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in her government. Leadership tensions between Rudd and Gillard would continue, leading to Rudd resigning as Foreign Minister in February 2012 to unsuccessfully challenge her for the leadership of the party. After a lengthy political rivalry between the two, 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 has stayed active in political discourse and academia. He has been involved in a number of international organizations, advocating for issues such as China-United States relations and Australian media diversity, and was appointed as Australia's Ambassador to the U.S. by the Albanese government in March 2023.
Rudd maintained long periods of popularity in opinion polls during his initial tenure as prime minister for his management of the global financial crisis and his well renowned apology to the Indigenous community,[5][6][7] achieving some of the highest approval ratings for an Australian prime minister on record during the height of the financial crisis.[8][9] 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.[10][11][12][13] He is often ranked in the middle-to-lower tier of Australian prime ministers.[14][15][16]
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 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.[33] 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 politics, economic reform, arms control and human rights under Ross Garnaut, David Irvine and Geoff Raby.[33] 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.[34]
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 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.[30] 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 (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".[35]
The Goss Government saw its majority slashed in 1995, 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 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,[36] 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.
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 and underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder.[230] His first public statements after the operation were in an interview[231] with ABC Radio National's Phillip Adams for Late Night Live, which received wide national coverage;[232] 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.[229] Rudd and Gillard were subsequently photographed together during a private meeting in Brisbane, both appearing uncomfortable, unsmiling and unspeaking.[233] Rudd was comfortably re-elected as the Member for Griffith.[234] The election resulted in a hung parliament after both major parties failed to win a majority of seats.[235] Weeks later, Gillard was able to form a minority government with the support of the Greens and independent MPs.[236]
Post-political career (2013–present)
Resignation from Parliament
On 13 November 2013, Rudd announced that he would soon resign from Parliament.[279] 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.[101][280] Rudd submitted his resignation in writing to the Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, on 22 November 2013, formally ending his parliamentary career.[281] Terri Butler was selected to run for the Labor Party at the resulting by-election in the electorate of Griffith to be held on 8 February 2014.[282] Rudd offered Butler his support and advice, and campaigned with her in a low-key appearance on 11 January 2014.[283][284] Butler ultimately succeeded Rudd in the seat.[285]