His policies on handling the Global Financial Crisis, in particular the âpink battsâ scheme, a revised policy on asylum seekers and an inability to get the upper hand in taxing the profits of the mining industry, were in trouble. Kevin Rudd was to become the first prime minister to be dumped by his own party in his first term.
On 23 June 2010, Ruddâs chief-of-staff sought to measure support for Rudd across the party. This was enough to spur his deputy, Julia Gillard, late that evening, to ask him to hold a leadership election as soon as possible, but he stood down before the vote and Gillard was elected unopposed as Australiaâs first woman prime minister the next morning. Two years and seven months after his election success, Rudd was tearful in public as he conceded a sudden and brutal night-time removal from office.
The sudden and ruthless nature of his removal soon appeared unpopular with the voting public. Gillard appointed him as foreign minister and, in public at least, they worked together for the federal election later that year, where Gillardâs victory saw her leadinga minority government reliant on the support of independents. Rudd resumed as foreign minister in the new Gillard ministry but policy differences with Gillard continued and so too his continuing resentment at his loss of leadership. All this came to a head in February 2012 when he resigned as foreign minister, declaring Gillard was not giving him support against attacks from Laborâs âfaceless menâ.
The party was unravelling, with some Labor MPs describing Rudd as a âpsychopath with a giant egoâ, and even the treasurer, Wayne Swan, calling Rudd âdysfunctionalâ. But Gillard was slipping so badly in the polls that party heavyweights thought Rudd, despite his temperament, would do better than the increasingly toxic Gillard. On 26 June 2013 she called a leadership ballot which Rudd won 57-45. On 27 June he was sworn in as prime minister for a second time â he had his revenge on his former political executioners. However, less than eleven weeks later he lost a federal election, although he received grudging praise for his campaign role, which Labor leaders were convinced saved the party from electoral disaster. Rudd resigned from parliament later that year and a by-election was held in his seat in February 2014.
He took up a number of appointments that year including the chair of the International Peace Instituteâs Independent Commission on Multilateralism. Later in2014 he headed a project at Harvard Kennedy Schoolâs Belfer Center, on US-China relations. In January 2015 he was appointed the first president of the Policy Institute of the Asia Society, a newly created US-based global think tank focusing on Asia. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in welcoming the appointment, praised Rudd as âa rare global thinker and a sophisticated practitioner of global policymakingâ.
JULIA EILEEN GILLARD
DEALMAKER
TERM
24 June 2010-27 June 2013
J ulia Gillard achieved a number of firsts: the first female deputy leader of her party, the first female leader of the party and first female Australian prime minister. She was the first unmarried prime minister (although in a de facto relationship) and one of the few who openly professed no religion. She was credited with political toughness and resilience and away from the public stage was known for a personal warmth and high intelligence.
However, she was seen as failing in the key ability to communicate, once elected prime minister, and her judgement was questioned often within the government as well as outside it. Introducing a carbon tax was a broken promise that resonated badly. She came under sustained personal attack because of her gender; she said after leaving office that such attacks had filled her with rage but she had chosen not to focus on them. Above all she was seen as a successful dealmaker, holding together a
On 23 June 2010, Ruddâs chief-of-staff sought to measure support for Rudd across the party. This was enough to spur his deputy, Julia Gillard, late that evening, to ask him to hold a leadership election as soon as possible, but he stood down before the vote and Gillard was elected unopposed as Australiaâs first woman prime minister the next morning. Two years and seven months after his election success, Rudd was tearful in public as he conceded a sudden and brutal night-time removal from office.
The sudden and ruthless nature of his removal soon appeared unpopular with the voting public. Gillard appointed him as foreign minister and, in public at least, they worked together for the federal election later that year, where Gillardâs victory saw her leadinga minority government reliant on the support of independents. Rudd resumed as foreign minister in the new Gillard ministry but policy differences with Gillard continued and so too his continuing resentment at his loss of leadership. All this came to a head in February 2012 when he resigned as foreign minister, declaring Gillard was not giving him support against attacks from Laborâs âfaceless menâ.
The party was unravelling, with some Labor MPs describing Rudd as a âpsychopath with a giant egoâ, and even the treasurer, Wayne Swan, calling Rudd âdysfunctionalâ. But Gillard was slipping so badly in the polls that party heavyweights thought Rudd, despite his temperament, would do better than the increasingly toxic Gillard. On 26 June 2013 she called a leadership ballot which Rudd won 57-45. On 27 June he was sworn in as prime minister for a second time â he had his revenge on his former political executioners. However, less than eleven weeks later he lost a federal election, although he received grudging praise for his campaign role, which Labor leaders were convinced saved the party from electoral disaster. Rudd resigned from parliament later that year and a by-election was held in his seat in February 2014.
He took up a number of appointments that year including the chair of the International Peace Instituteâs Independent Commission on Multilateralism. Later in2014 he headed a project at Harvard Kennedy Schoolâs Belfer Center, on US-China relations. In January 2015 he was appointed the first president of the Policy Institute of the Asia Society, a newly created US-based global think tank focusing on Asia. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in welcoming the appointment, praised Rudd as âa rare global thinker and a sophisticated practitioner of global policymakingâ.
JULIA EILEEN GILLARD
DEALMAKER
TERM
24 June 2010-27 June 2013
J ulia Gillard achieved a number of firsts: the first female deputy leader of her party, the first female leader of the party and first female Australian prime minister. She was the first unmarried prime minister (although in a de facto relationship) and one of the few who openly professed no religion. She was credited with political toughness and resilience and away from the public stage was known for a personal warmth and high intelligence.
However, she was seen as failing in the key ability to communicate, once elected prime minister, and her judgement was questioned often within the government as well as outside it. Introducing a carbon tax was a broken promise that resonated badly. She came under sustained personal attack because of her gender; she said after leaving office that such attacks had filled her with rage but she had chosen not to focus on them. Above all she was seen as a successful dealmaker, holding together a
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