PARLIAMENTARY REPORT
House of Representatives. I would also like to thank him for the support he has provided me as Speaker and wish him well in his retirement”.
Former Prime Minister Rudd announces retirement On 13 November 2013 the former Labor Prime Minister, Hon. Kevin Rudd, MP, announced that he was resigning from Parliament. In November 2007 Mr Rudd won the federal election defeating the then Prime Minister, Hon. John Howard, MP. In June 2010 the parliamentary Labor Party removed him as leader of the party and replaced him with Hon. Julia Gillard, MP, who became Prime Minister. Ms Gillard won the August 2010 by a narrow margin and was able to form government with the support of the cross- benches. In June 2013 Mr Rudd
AUSTRALIA
Rudd resigned from his post after his party’s defeat in the September General Election
Hon. Julia Gillard, MP
challenged Ms Gillard for the Labor leadership defeating her 57 votes to 45. Mr Rudd became Prime Minister for a second time but lost the September 2013 federal election to the Liberal/ National Coalition led by Mr Abbott.
In announcing his retirement, Mr Rudd paid tribute to his family who had supported him through his career and noted that it was now the time to put them first. Mr Rudd commented that “my family have given their all for me in public life and for the nation. It is now time that I gave something
back to them”. In relation to the timing of his announcement, Mr Rudd stated that “I also believe that it is right and proper to report my decision to the Parliament at the earliest opportunity, and that day is today. I have chosen to do so now to create minimal disruptions to the normal proceedings of the House. My predecessors as Prime Minister, Prime Ministers Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke and Keating, reached similar decisions to leave the parliament before the subsequent election, as did would-be Prime Ministers Costello and Downer. Perhaps Prime Minister Howard would have done the same had he retained the seat of Bennelong, although we will never know”.
Mr Rudd thanked the people of Australia for electing him as Prime Minster and noted that “it is a singular honour to serve in the high office of Prime Minister of Australia”.
He commented that “when the history is one day written, detached from the passions of our time, perhaps it will be remembered that we did navigate Australia through the worst global economic crisis since the Depression without a recession, without the scourge of mass unemployment—a terrible thing
348 | The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue Four
when you see it in Europe today— and with our AAA credit ratings intact. It may also be remembered that we helped establish the G20 as the premier institution of global economic governance as well as securing Australian membership of it; that we ratified Kyoto, because we believe in the reality of climate change, and we acted on our commitments to reduce carbon emissions; that we brought into being Australia’s first ever national curriculum, our first ever paid parental leave scheme and the biggest aged pension increase in our history; and that as a nation we finally delivered an official Apology to Aboriginal Australians”. The Prime Minister in
responding to Mr Rudd, commented that “this is a special occasion. The former Prime Minister, the Member for Griffith, who has just addressed us, has been a very significant part of this Parliament for the best part of two decades. Whether we are on his side of the Parliament or the other side of the Parliament, whether we have been his friends or his foes, or at times both, this is a significant moment in the life of this Parliament—to lose someone who has been one of the big figures in this Parliament and one of the big figures in the public
life of our country over the best part of two decades. As a political opponent, but as someone who has known the member for Griffith quite well for a long time, I salute him and I wish him and his family all the best for the future. I express my confidence that, one way or another, he will continue to serve our country and his party and that he will continue to support the causes he believes in, many of which are causes which all of us right around this chamber and right around our country support as well”. The Leader of the Opposition praised his predecessor, saying “as Prime Minister his most significant achievements will be recorded—the apology; helping steward the nation through the global financial crisis with Treasurer Wayne Swan; putting climate change as a national political issue in the mainstream debate; championing the National Broadband Network; and before entering parliament and during his time as Prime Minister— and, indeed, as foreign affairs minister—representing Australia with distinction. “In large part our presence on the United Nations Security Council was due to his vision for that post and for Australia’s role in the world”.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124