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| Kevin Rudd's memoir highlights 'brutal nature of Australian politics' | Kevin Rudd's memoir highlights 'brutal nature of Australian politics' |
| (3 months later) | |
| Former prime minister writes about soured relationship with Julia Gillard and how they plotted Kim Beazley’s downfall | |
| Australian Associated Press | |
| Sat 21 Oct 2017 02.18 BST | |
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| Kevin Rudd’s new memoir describes his agreement with Julia Gillard that he would have two terms as opposition leader despite opposition from his faction. | Kevin Rudd’s new memoir describes his agreement with Julia Gillard that he would have two terms as opposition leader despite opposition from his faction. |
| The former prime minister details in the book – Not for the Faint-hearted: A personal reflection on life, politics and purpose – how they shook hands on an agreement that she would be deputy leader. | The former prime minister details in the book – Not for the Faint-hearted: A personal reflection on life, politics and purpose – how they shook hands on an agreement that she would be deputy leader. |
| “She said I should be given two terms as opposition leader,” Rudd writes in an extract in The Weekend Australian. | “She said I should be given two terms as opposition leader,” Rudd writes in an extract in The Weekend Australian. |
| “If I had failed to win by then, then she would reserve her rights. She then added a caveat that if I went backwards in the 2007 election, when measured against [Mark] Latham’s result in 2004, she would also have to give some thought as to her next move. Both propositions sounded reasonable to me. We shook hands on it.” | “If I had failed to win by then, then she would reserve her rights. She then added a caveat that if I went backwards in the 2007 election, when measured against [Mark] Latham’s result in 2004, she would also have to give some thought as to her next move. Both propositions sounded reasonable to me. We shook hands on it.” |
| He acknowledges that he underestimated her ambition and also his regret in appointing Wayne Swan as treasurer. | He acknowledges that he underestimated her ambition and also his regret in appointing Wayne Swan as treasurer. |
| Rudd also recounts how he and Gillard plotted the downfall of then party leader Kim Beazley. | Rudd also recounts how he and Gillard plotted the downfall of then party leader Kim Beazley. |
| “This agreement was one of the reasons I was taken by surprise during the events of June 2010, when Julia acted to ensure that not only would I not be given two terms as Labor leader, I would only be given one, and that would be as a Labor prime minister who had actually prevailed against the then invincible [John] Howard. Such is the brutal nature of Australian politics played at its hardest.” | “This agreement was one of the reasons I was taken by surprise during the events of June 2010, when Julia acted to ensure that not only would I not be given two terms as Labor leader, I would only be given one, and that would be as a Labor prime minister who had actually prevailed against the then invincible [John] Howard. Such is the brutal nature of Australian politics played at its hardest.” |
| Rudd has been at Oxford, where he is undertaking doctorate of philosophy research into China and its role in the world, but will return to Australia next week to launch his memoir. | Rudd has been at Oxford, where he is undertaking doctorate of philosophy research into China and its role in the world, but will return to Australia next week to launch his memoir. |
| Rudd, who will speak at numerous Q&As for his book, said in a Twitter video on Wednesday that he was expecting comfortable as well as uncomfortable questions to be asked. | Rudd, who will speak at numerous Q&As for his book, said in a Twitter video on Wednesday that he was expecting comfortable as well as uncomfortable questions to be asked. |
| “And on the uncomfortable questions, I’ll do my absolute best to avoid answering them,” he quipped. | “And on the uncomfortable questions, I’ll do my absolute best to avoid answering them,” he quipped. |
| Kevin Rudd | |
| Julia Gillard | |
| Australian politics | |
| Labor party | |
| Wayne Swan | |
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