Resignation of Kevin Rudd
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
The resignation of Kevin Rudd as Minister for Foreign Affairs will not bring an end to the damage to Australia's interests and international reputation being caused by the poisonous relationship that continues to fester between the Prime Minister and Kevin Rudd.It has been obvious for months that Prime Minister Gillard and then Foreign Minister Rudd were not consulting each other and Australia's national interest has suffered as a result.
This standoff has led to disastrous decisions such as the arbitrary ban on live cattle sales to Indonesia, the farcical announcement of the Malaysian solution on people smuggling, and the split on whether to support a no-fly zone over Libya.
The tender for the Australia Network became a pawn in the power play between Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd, when responsibility for it was stripped from the Department of Foreign Affairs and handed to a Gillard supporter, the Minister for Communications.
The best way to resolve Labor's internal warfare and bring certainty to Australia's domestic and international affairs is for an election to be held.
