The 24 hours that changed Australian politics forever
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It was like a lightning strike. Over in the blink of an eye, or half a day to be exact. But before we watch PM Gillard move into The Lodge, Crikey takes a look back at the events of the last 12 hours. Here’s how it happened. Yesterday, 9.00am: NSW Right faction power broker Mark Arbib has a meeting with Gillard in her office. Reportedly offers her the leadership. 10.30am: The AWU, led by secretary Paul Howes, meet in Sydney and throw their support behind Gillard. Early afternoon: Labor powerbrokers Bill Shorten, David Feeney, Don Farrell and Tony Burke have a meeting with Gillard in her office. They tell her they have lost confidence in the PM. 2.30pm: Question time goes on as usual in the House but the movements on the leadership continue behind the scenes. 7.00pm: Rudd, Gillard, Anthony Albanese, Lindsay Tanner, Wayne Swan and John Faulkner meet in the PM’s office for crisis talks over the leadership. Gillard tells Rudd she intends to challenge him for the leadership. 7.30pm: At dinner in a restaurant in Kensington, Shorten does the numbers working two phones and crossing names off a list. 9.00pm: Factional powerbrokers are confident of the numbers in support of Gillard if she decides to challenge. 10.10pm: Rudd calls a press conference and confirms there will be a leadership spill at 9am on Thursday. He says: “I was elected to do a job. I intend to continue to do that job … I think I’m quite capable of winning tomorrow.” 10.40pm: Gillard emerges from the PM’s office and confirms she will be a candidate for the leadership in tomorrow’s spill. 10.40pm: AWU Secretary Paul Howes goes on Lateline to explain his union’s position: “We have to look at what’s in the best interests of our members of our union to ensure fairness remains in our member workplaces and we think that Julia Gillard is the best option to lead Labor to victory at the upcoming election.” Today, 8.30am: Reports suggest Gillard has 70-plus votes and Rudd has about 30. There are whispers that Rudd’s supporters have conceded defeat. 8.58am: Gillard and Wayne Swan walk side-by-side into the caucus meeting. This is the first public show of the challenging ticket. 9.00am: The Labor caucus files into the party room for the leadership spill and are locked away with the press breathing at the door. 9.30am: Reports that ballot is called off; Rudd has stepped down and Gillard is the new prime minister. 9.36am: Caucus spokesman and NSW Senator Michael Forshaw emerges from the caucus room to make the announcement: “The new leader elected unopposed is Julia Gillard, the new deputy leader is Wayne Swan.” 11.25am: Rudd holds press conference, announcing that he will be recontesting election. Breaks down in tears at times, especially when speaking of Sorry Day, health reform, and his wife and family. 11.55am: Gillard delivers press conference. Calls a cease fire on political advertising with the mining industry, pays tribute to Kevin Rudd. |
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10 Comments
Kensington is a long way to go for dinner with all of this taking place.
In which state was Bill Shorten: Qld, NSW, Vic, SA or WA? There’s a Kensington in each…but not in the ACT.
Shorten is from VIC.
The NSW Kensington is now famous for ex-minister David Campbell’s romp in a gay club.
@ Soctratease
My above post was a limp attempt to be cute by asking from which state Bill Shorten was making his calls. We know he was actually in Kingston, ACT.
“Australian politics changed forever”?
Really? How?
Agreed Frank.
Nothing will change.
@ Frank C & Elan
I disagree, a new precedent has now been established ie: no PM can allow their approval rating to fall from record numbers (even if it remains higher than the Opposition alternative) otherwise the knives may be sharpened.
Good luck to all future PMs for they will have to sleep with one eye open. It will also end in tears for Gillard someday, possibly not until years down the track, but it’s guaranteed to happen eventually.
“no PM can allow their approval rating to fall from record numbers (even if it remains higher than the Opposition alternative) otherwise the knives may be sharpened. “
Agreed Zuts. Nothing changes.
“Changed Australian politics forever” - aren’t they just honouring some well-worn traditions of leadership (‘et tu Brutus’).
Speaking of leadership, people can bemoan the polls and approval ratings, but I see it simply as the excuse needed to ditch someone who was never a comfortable fit in the role.
Anyway Gillard has played it well from the start, back with the challenge on Beazley. It was between her and Rudd, and she couldn’t have won government then, so the best move was to unite with Rudd to win the election etc.
So the spill was always matter of time. I’m sure even Gillard would have prefered to wait until the next term, but with Rudd’s leadership-style grating on everyone, a looming electoral disaster, and Gillard having proved herself as deputy PM, it was the right time.
The pundits agree on the following (well, the TV groupies I’ve seen, van onselen, Christine Wallace, Richo the Sleaze et al)
(i) Everyone likes Gillard. A winner.
(ii) She wasn’t involved in Rudd’s execution.
(iii) People don’t care about Rudd. Kevin2Heaven. Therefore ALP polls will improve.
(iv) Climate change action is a vote winner. (Gillard “believes” (her word) in AGW, and genuflected to “the wind and the sun”.)
This all strikes me as yet more wishful thinking from the political sauna…
Gillard said herself she was aware of the putsch for “several days”. She chose to knife Rudd.
Her “popularity” is at best thin- as Deputy PM. As a factional politician who has done nothing (ever) except partisan politics she’s slick, but these are less partisan times. She’s also yet another parliamentary lawyer(wince) . She was no. 2 in Rudd’s authoritarian Gang of Four, and seems to me to be a natural authoritarian. If she rules through the factions she may please them, but I can’t see “collegiality” making a comeback.
Rudd’s approval was down to about 50%. Many people are appalled by his brutal removal and the fact he never got a second chance. This may neutralise the 1st woman PM frisson…
Rudd’s slide started in Copenhagen. It just took time for the implications to sink in. The expensive, futile, premature and anti-working class push for “climate change action” gave us Abbott and cost us Rudd. If Gillard revives this urban middle-class conceit, she’ll rescue Abbott from the 1950s crypt he escaped from.
Gillard will then be an historical footnote.
Her comments on “climate action” have been ambiguous: “consensus” is necessary, she says. Taken literally, this is ridiculous. Polling tells us scepticism/denial is now about equal to belief. So what will she do? Continue Rudd’s policy of deferral? A new aggressive “climate” policy before the election would probably be fatal. So she’ll hedge and fudge. If she emerges after the election (if she wins) as Joan of Arc, climate warrior, expect counter-revolution.