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Ten housekeeping tips for a future Labor government
Having recently "swapped the cabinet table for the kitchen table", former attorney general Nicola Roxon offers Labor tough advice on the lessons of the last six years of government, including the mishandling of the Rudd dismissal and the "bastardry" of the former prime minister's treatment of Julia Gillard. The following is the text of her John Button Memorial Lecture, published in full, exclusively on The Drum.
It's a great honour to be invited to give this speech. As a fellow Victorian, and part of the Maurice Blackburn alumni, I feel an extra buzz of closeness to John Button, although we were of different eras.
John Button was an honourable and good Labor man - much loved, in particular for his straight talking. I'm going to adopt that straight talking style tonight because we have some lessons to learn from the last six years. It might seem indulgent to go back over old ground, but if we don't talk frankly and constructively there are worse risks. So I'm going to adopt John Button's "tell it as it is" style, although this will inevitably be painful for some people.
I say this only because Australia will need a stronger Labor Government next time, to repair the damage that will be inflicted by Tony Abbott and to pursue the next generation of positive reforms for the nation.
You will be the first and last audience to have my version of events, and my perspective on what the Party can learn from our six years in Government. I have no intention of writing a book, or providing further commentary on these issues after tonight.
We don't want to airbrush our history, or we'll lose the good parts along with the bad. The good policies implemented by the Rudd and Gillard Governments should not be hidden, we should be proud of that legacy, even if we owe an explanation to Labor people about what went wrong.
The Party needs to own its proud history of compassion and nation building: whether it's the historical Snowy Mountains Scheme and Medicare, or the contemporary NBN and disability care.
Tonight I want to do something a little different than talk about Labor's policy purpose and direction. I want to provide some practical tips for the next Labor Government, and for Labor MPs, on how best to conduct themselves. And how to ensure that a fresh Labor purpose is constantly in focus, and ways that mission can be delivered. I hope it might be of use to Bill Shorten as the new leader, and to others, as they go about their work of regaining ground for Labor.
Superficially it may seem boring to talk about housekeeping and conduct, when a party of progressives wants to be about ideas and improving lives. But I use examples to highlight their necessity if we want to deliver fabulous policies effectively.
We can want power, but we have to want it for a purpose. So we have to know how to use that power well, and to full effect.
So, here are my 10 housekeeping tips for members of a future Labor Government (from someone who has recently swapped the cabinet table for the kitchen table - and thus now has the freedom to offer such opinions!).
1) Labor must always focus on the fact that good policy improves people's lives and that is why the party exists.
If this is always at the front of our minds and the top priority in decision-making, we will be less easily diverted by polls, personalities and punch-ups.
This must be a constant focus. In government, a Labor party needs to choose a few big areas and focus on them, taking people with them.
A government needs to take time to explain the problem, work on a range of solutions, build coalitions to campaign for them, understand the opposing arguments so as to improve its own and measure their validity. It must allow enough time and sufficiently foreshadow the change so local MPs, branch members and citizens can be part of the campaign for change. And take time to get all the technical detail right.
The best example of this done well was Disability Care. When Bill Shorten first started advocating for it, it was not government policy and money had not been allocated. Slowly and surely the reasons for acting became overwhelmingly clear - the productivity commission's work, the growing community campaigns, Jenny Macklin's endless detailed and careful work on design, structure and coverage. Julia Gillard's steady determination to find money to make it happen. There was rightly no room in this for personality or internal politics or leaking.
This vital social policy change was handled so well that the Liberals had no choice but to adopt it as their policy too. This was a sign of success, policy wise, but it was also obviously designed to neuter the political impact of such a substantial reform.
I think we erred by letting this claimed "bipartisanship" stop us campaigning on it during the election as a top class achievement, painting the perfect picture of Labor's purpose. I was surprised we seemed reticent to talk about it in the campaign - Jenny Macklin should've been allowed to travel and get on to the front page of every regional paper in the country.
Other good examples of strategic, consistent work was our approach to getting rid of WorkChoices and introducing the Better Schools investments, the apology to the Stolen Generation and our aged care reforms. Examples in my portfolio areas that I think worked best on this front were the regional cancer centres and plain packaging of cigarettes.
The mining tax was probably the worst example - not necessarily for its content - but for its lack of preparing the ground, understanding better the arguments against us and identifying how we would deliver. Not to mention announcing it in a confusing period where we crammed this new mining tax policy in with finishing up health reform and dropping the CPRS (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme).
So a related issue here is: don't do too many things at once.
The truth is a government can't cope with it and the public can't absorb it. At best, no one will know you've done it and you won't get any credit. At worst, people will be confused or stressed by too much movement and activity, and end up opposing something that with more time might have been palatable. And in a rush or confusion, the policy might not be the best one either.
2) Governments as a whole, and the prime minister in particular, need to keep their focus high level - spending time and energy on the things that really matter.
If you can't describe what you are doing in general terms, and its purpose, then either the policy isn't right, or you've descended into detail most people don't need and probably don't want to know.
The art as a minister should be to be across the detail and be sufficiently trusted by colleagues to manage and explain the policy detail when needed, but to allow the PM to focus only on the big picture. The Cabinet should be used to sign off only on purpose, direction and broad structure, but not excessive detail.
In our first term of Government we struggled with this. There were some contentious issues and policy problems that ran for months, in some cases years, without there seeming to be a way to bring contentious issues to a head. There was no avenue for ministers to bring genuinely difficult issues, where there were legitimately tricky calls to be made, to Cabinet for a real discussion. Health and climate change were the two longest running "non-discussions" for the first term of Government, with some other contentious policies getting only cursory cabinet approval at the last minute. There was a reticence by the Prime Minister for big strategic calls to be made by Cabinet, or sufficiently in advance to prepare properly.
In contrast, carbon pricing, disability care, immigration and aged care reforms all had detailed Cabinet coverage.
As PM Kevin Rudd simply refused to list contentious, and often strategic, items for Cabinet, and effectively stopped that conversation. In retrospect, many of us, me included, should have insisted on bringing on these discussions anyway, demanding strategic decisions be made by Cabinet early enough to be useful.
Kevin also had an overwhelming inclination to focus on minutiae, as a way of avoiding the big, harder decisions. This took up a lot of valuable prime ministerial headspace which is better spent on the big picture.
I'm sure the inevitable outcome from the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference could have been prepared for differently, and the Government might have responded differently, if Kevin had allowed Penny Wong to bring a proper discussion to the full Cabinet. And we know how much turned on this political issue and its handling.
In addition to the lack of Cabinet engagement on some big strategic calls, Cabinet was also misused by being asked to deal in enormous detail with material it could never hope to be fully across. This meant that many ministers managed to be both frustrated about lack of attention to some key issues, as well as being exhausted by huge amounts of energy required on less significant matters.
In John Button's era, the public knew of some of the big battles Cabinet was grappling with. They did not pretend issues were always easy, but thrashed them through and then - all importantly - respected the outcome and stuck to it. Only then did the PM announce Government policy.
This had the benefit of protecting the PM from having a public position too early. Which leads directly to my third tip.
3) Good leaders are good delegators.
If they don't delegate, they and their governments ultimately drown in less important matters.
Having seen it up close, I have a huge amount of sympathy for just how much work a PM has to do. The sheer weight of government and the crushing level of personal demands are far more intense and all encompassing than most people can imagine. Kevin and Julia fully devoted themselves day and night to this task. For all their issues, no one could fault either of them for heroic work ethics and sheer determination to do everything humanly possible in the job.
But the prime minister is still only one person.
We can't let the system slide, if it hasn't already, to expect this person to have superhuman powers. Our increasingly presidential-style campaigning doesn't help this. I hope any new Labor leader will not continue this pretence - it will ultimately be a great benefit to the Party and protection for them.
This desire to fix the world's problems became crushingly exhausting for Kevin and debilitating for the government. Julia also took on too much - as the new leader, the promised "fixes" were all attached to her, she wore every mistake and every set back.
My overriding point here is that future Labor Governments need to allow ministers to act, give them real responsibility with consequences if they fail to deliver.
Over six years some big political problems could've been stemmed earlier if this approach had been taken. This respects the role of ministers, but at the same time demands ministers step up to the real work, instead of spending time on other distractions.
This also frees up some precious prime ministerial time and it protects the PM too - the Government's most visible and senior spokesperson is shielded from some inevitable failures and mistakes.
4) Labor needs to welcome debate, not fear it.
A progressive party needs to be able to argue over issues and not see it through the prism of internal politics.
Both internally and externally Labor, in the time I've been involved, has become more afraid of real debate. For a progressive party that prides itself on constantly renewing its social purpose, this is not good news.
Of course, a shallow and manipulative media can make debate or dissent difficult, sometimes nigh on impossible, but we need to push past that and learn to welcome a contest of ideas.
For this to be truly possible we need to relearn that debate has to be about an idea or an issue, not about people and personalities. We have to learn that disagreeing on an issue doesn't mean you don't or won't support a leader or a group. The national leadership ballot has been good for us on this front, although I confess this pleasantly surprised me.
Because of our leadership tensions since 2010, and the relentless stalking of Julia by Kevin's supporters, every substantive policy issue or decision since has been viewed through this unhelpful personality/leadership prism, and it has massively stifled debate. On top of this, it gave leakers, and those prepared to play kamikaze politics, the chance to use issues day in day out to keep the leadership issue burning.
On a slight tangent, I also strongly believe the party needs to look at options (caucus rules or otherwise) to give local members more autonomy to raise and campaign on issues for their community, or I fear we are leaving this local identity and space open for independents and the minor parties.
We also need to encourage and embrace more debate in the party and the parliament - and find ways to better use the broader brainpower around on tough issues. Disappointingly, even senior and experienced MPs were shunning a chance to be in debates on complex issues - like the resistance and begrudging response I received when I commissioned the respected joint intelligence committee of the Parliament to assess a list of new powers and proposed changes to our intelligence laws that agencies like the federal police, ASIO and ASIS had requested. In my 15 years in parliament I've never seen such an unenthusiastic response from a committee being given a serious, real job to do - including, I am sad to say, senior Labor figures.
I have a similar hobbyhorse about ballots within the party, whether for pre-selections, ministerial positions or for leadership. I fear that we have become risk averse - trying to avoid having ballots to save embarrassment, rather than recognizing it is good to have a go: that you win some and you lose some.
Sometimes running in a ballot, even if you lose, can be best for the Party. It can be cathartic. A ballot also bestows credibility on the winner, something our newly minted federal leader will gain substantially from.
And what are we telling young people otherwise - that they should only try and do something if they are sure they will win first time up?
5) Be polite and be persuasive. Or I could call this "Keep yourself nice".
(I know I'll be accused of being "nanny Nicola" here, but it is an age-old rule that needs to be re-imposed.) If you don't do this, you lose ground for no political purpose. You waste time apologizing and you lose arguments for no good reason.
And this is not a tip just for the sake of nice manners. It fundamentally affects political outcomes too.
When Kevin was flashed across the TVs icily ignoring Kristina Keneally in health reform negotiations, it cost us an awful lot to recover from and actually gave NSW the upper hand for the first time. Disparagingly calling her "Bambi" behind closed doors was pretty silly when she was whip-smart and went on to run rings around us at the final COAG negotiating table. As a result, Kevin conceded more to NSW in hospital beds at the expense of money set aside for mental health. As was predictable, mental health became a thorn in our side later on, and in the 2010 campaign was the major health issue that weakened our otherwise great story.
The Garden Island announcement during the 2013 campaign underscored that this lesson had not been learned and we lost a day or two of the campaign needlessly.
It is hard to imagine the disability reforms ever getting through if Julia had taken this approach, rather than the patient consulting, discussing, and convincing that were hallmarks of her style - but for which she got little credit.
I must say that Kevin always treated me appropriately and respectfully. Although I was frustrated beyond belief by his disorganization and lack of strategy, I was never personally a victim of his vicious tongue or temper. I did, however, see how terribly he treated some brilliant staff and public servants. Good people were burnt through like wildfire. Loosing senior people like chiefs of staff and deputies or contemptuously ignoring their advice left the government weaker.
On the "keep yourself nice" front, some of the worst behavior was very overt - brazenly sending up your own materials on TV or ostentatiously packing up your office as cameras just "happen" to be in obscure halls of the parliament to capture the moment. If Labor MPs follow a few basic tips on decent behaviour, and pull others into line when they don't, then we need never see such shameful behavior again.
6) Always ask what you can do for the party (and the nation) not what it can do for you (with apologies to JFK).
If you don't ask this question first, you've lost your focus and purpose and the public will mark you down fast.
There were plenty examples of people putting their individual interests ahead of the team's, particularly in ministerial ballots and appointments. Reports of able MPs declining particular portfolios, perhaps because it didn't suit their long term personal plans, is a sign of this going off the rails. The only correct answer if a PM calls and offers you a particular ministry is surely "Yes, Prime Minister".
Of course it is natural to have ambitions, and to be disappointed if they are thwarted, but the focus must always be on the team.
Almost everyone in politics has some terrible setbacks and disappointments and they are all told time and again to "suck it up" (think of Bill Hayden, Simon Crean - just to name past leaders who went on to ministerial service with great dignity).
There are some disappointed people across the country this week who have missed out on a front bench position they desired. They, like others before them, will rightly be advised that they will be measured by how they cope and recover from defeat or a set back. To take stock, find other ways to add value and prove why the Party should promote them.
And this is good advice; it just needs to be applied consistently.
This was never demanded of Kevin after he lost the prime ministership and it should have been. He and his supporters did not adhere to the standards they had demanded of others.
I'll deal in more detail with the leadership change in 2010 (so hold judgment on that for a moment), but I cannot discuss the need to put collective interests first and fail to mention my opinion of Kevin's determined bad behavior after his humiliating removal. Even if you accept the method of his removal was unfair - nothing excuses persistently destabilising and leaking against your own team during an election, or as a senior minister or as a backbencher.
If you are part of a Labor team, and care about its mission, you put that before your own hurt or ambition.
No one can any longer be in any doubt how trenchantly and continuously this occurred at both Kevin's hand and his supporters - caucus knows it and the media knows it. Although his removal was dramatic and brutal, it was his refusal to recover with dignity, to rise above the treatment he was meted out (as has for eternity been required of others) and failure to claim his place as a constructive elder statesman that, in my view, showed his true nature.
You may think this demand is an unrealistic ask, but its not really. Just compare it to the exemplary behavior of John Brumby, who surely must've been as bitterly disappointed and humiliated as Kevin was when he was removed as leader on the eve of an election, after years of hard work in opposition.
7) Good governments run best with good diaries - so boring, but universally true.
This is not just about housekeeping, as it seems, but you actually can get better policy, get more done and protect against foreseeable problems if you plan a diary and run to plan. You can only get to an end game if you have planned where you want to go.
The machinery of Government is enormous. And it can be put to enormous good. But it is a slow moving beast - no matter how bold or impatient a government may be. If plans and projects are set, parameters identified and clear instructions given, with regular and consistent oversight, the work produced can be excellent. Thousands of people can work more effectively around you if direction is set early, timetables stuck to, and materials are read.
But if political direction chops and changes, if the questions being asked constantly move, if deadlines come and go without meaning, it is very inefficient, and ultimately dispiriting. It's politically confused too.
Kevin had a terrible habit of attending meetings not having read detailed papers that he had commissioned at the last meeting - often very complex ones, at very short notice. For example, I remember a meeting only days before Christmas 2009 when a total rewrite of a health policy was demanded. Despite many, many hours of work into the night, I do not believe that paper was ever - even to do this day - read by the prime minister, let alone read over a Christmas holiday he had already ruined for others.
Let me emphasize that, everyone, me included, loved having a prime minister so interested and passionate about their portfolio, so we were prepared to put up with a lot. Everyone certainly understood the level of demands on the PM's time, and would have willingly provided a brief overview to start the meetings where we left off, but this was never permitted.
Doctors and nurses also adored having the PM at their hospital and swelled with pride at the interest he showed. I suspect this is why none of them complained about late notice, constantly changing days to visit and being chronically late.
Once the hospital we were scheduled to visit the following day was changed en route in the PM's plane. We went instead to a city hundreds of kilometres away, and had to pay for over 20 hotel rooms near the original hospital as we cancelled too late for a refund.
Several times we were called to last minute meetings on Sundays at the Lodge - to work through a roadblock. Wayne Swan, Julia Gillard, senior staff and I would be told on Friday or Saturday to be at a meeting in Canberra the next day. On one occasion staff spent that whole day on the lawn playing handball, not allowed in, but not allowed to go home to rest, or be with partners and family. More than one relationship was destroyed by this relentless disorganisation.
The real tragedy, though, was that despite over 100 visits to hospitals and health services (with Kevin, me and three junior ministers), we had not been able to pin down Kevin to use this focus and phenomenal interest to move the debate, to test out our ideas, or even to resolve some key areas of contention (like the takeover of hospitals question, that Kevin favoured and I did not).
The visits over six months bought us time, and significant goodwill, but it wasn't time used to also prepare the ground for the final reforms to be put to the states or to capitalize on this amount of energy and enthusiasm. For example, the last minute addition of the GST component of the health deal was only revealed to premiers in curt phone calls on the morning of Kevin's press club speech - and we all know how that ended up.
In my personal view, this very mundane "household hint" is one key to why the community did not always understand or absorb how much the Rudd and Gillard Labor governments were actually able to achieve. A lot was being done, but it chopped and changed from health reform, the response to the GFC, carbon pricing, mining tax and more.
Although my examples are inevitably health ones, they mirrored what occurred on other fronts too.
Good housekeeping, planning and diary management is necessary to develop good policy, to shape Labor's purpose and to deliver to the community. Governments need to plan. Great progressive reforms simply can't be delivered on a whim.
8) Choose good people - as leaders, as MPs and as staff.
In every walk of life, successful organisations need a pool of talented people, and politics is no different.
This seems pretty basic. And on this front, I have to say I am very optimistic about our future. We get this right more often than we get it wrong. Having a strong choice of two capable politicians in the recent leadership ballot is just one measure of this. And I reckon Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek are as close to "the dream team" as you can get.
I'd like you to look also, though, at the incredibly capable and interesting new members coming into the Parliament, even at a tough election for us:
Tim Watts in Gellibrand - a tech-head business person with experience in communications and climate change, a Masters from London School of Economics and a community activist against racism;
Claire O'Neill in Hotham - a Fulbright Scholarship winner, Victoria's youngest ever woman mayor and a person who has spent a year living with the Indigenous community in Gove before her election;
Nova Peris - Labor's first aboriginal woman senator and Olympic gold medalist;
Jim Chalmers - a very senior staffer, political strategist and thinker.
We ought to notice those community leaders and local campaigners like school principal Joanne Ryan, or Newcastle hometown girl Sharon Claydon and bright spark Lisa Chesters in Bendigo, whose connections with their communities and good local campaigning should not be undervalued.
This time of rebuilding is a chance for others who have not been utilised enough to date to come to the fore. I see Catherine King (with regional and health policy background), Andrew Leigh (with economic brain power and relentless analytical skills) and Shayne Newman (a Queensland family lawyer with great commonsense that comes from real life experience) just to name a few who are stepping up at this time.
And for every good staffer you employ, you double the effective work you can do, so they are worth their weight in gold. They need to be chosen carefully and nurtured. Time needs to be taken to help staff develop and ensure your senior team is properly overseeing and nurturing the others. In busy political life, time must be taken to get the right people and a good mix in your office of those with technical skills, political skills and maturity.
9) Accept you are not always right, and cannot always fix everything. It's easier with this as your starting point.
If the public is promised a messiah, they're inevitably going to be disappointed.
Political messages do need to be clear. They don't have cut-through if they are not. In the beginning, Kevin was brilliant at this. It's why he was so successful at the 2007 election. He talked straight and people understood and liked him.
The curse, of course, is that the problems you are trying to solve and the policies needed to do so are often complex. So we came unstuck when the solutions were necessarily more subtle or convoluted than the cut-through message initially delivered.
"The buck stops with me", "the biggest moral challenge of our time" are examples that made sense and garnered interest and support, but they come with big risks, as the realities of government can make this cut-through language a dead weight or burden. It's always more convincing to say you'll "fix" something, when "improve" is a more accurate statement.
In 2007, Kevin was great at cut-through, then struggled at follow through.
In contrast, Julia was brilliantly thorough at delivering, but couldn't always deliver the message.
Kevin had a fatal attraction to everyone else's problems. He never saw a problem that he didn't believe he should try and fix.
I recall at least two shocking examples in my portfolio of the interfering and demanding approach taken to the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster (Kevin was Foreign Minister by then) and the Victorian bushfires. Neither of these were situations where the Commonwealth could have much of a direct role and these excessive meetings in the middle of crises took up the valuable time of front line officials who were really needed on the ground.
Fuel watch and grocery watch were perhaps two other examples of overreach.
10) And lastly, never forget polling is only a snapshot, not a predictor.
Otherwise we resign ourselves to a static life - and a progressive party will never win without new ideas, and new ideas take time to be absorbed.
Over-analysed, published opinion polls are having a corrosive effect on Australian politics. Their meaning and value have been given enormous weight, way, way above their real value. This is perhaps exacerbated by the advent of online media as these polls, paid for by old print media, are often among the few exclusives they have - so they are inflated by the same media who commission them.
But apart from that, we have allowed the polls, and the way journalists interpret them, to have too much influence. Polls can tell us what the current state of play is, but not what might happen.
What a poll can never tell us is what the results may be after a six month concerted effort to turn an argument around. They are unable to show what might change with persistence.
It's hard to imagine in the Button era that the Hawke Government would ever have introduced Capital Gains Tax or Fringe Benefits Tax if the polling was slavishly followed, yet they won the 1987 election.
I truly and strongly believe we've got to be more prepared to see things through, to sell them, to explain, to meet criticisms. Polls can't tell you that someone disagrees with you but begrudgingly admires your determination. So a static reading of the polls only tells you so much.
Some of the post election analysis has been similarly blunt, and dominated by the number of seats allegedly "saved" by Kevin at the election. It stems from the same type of thinking that allows fortnightly polls to dominate decision-making. I don't agree with the analysis that Kevin's poll popularity saved us more seats than Julia's more consistent and planned campaigning would have, but as there is never a control test I won't waste limited time arguing the toss tonight - my point is broader than that.
We know bums on seats in Parliament do matter - but they aren't all that matters. If the damage to our sense of purpose, to our reputation for delivering good policy and for caring for the community is severe, this reputational loss, and lack of purpose, can take longer to recover from than it takes to win back seats here and there.
And it is harder to win the seats back if your people don't think you stand for anything. The polls can't help you on this.
I believe we must also confront the bitter truth that as long as Kevin remains in Parliament, irrespective of how he behaves, pollsters will run comparisons with him and any other leader.
In my opinion, and it is only my opinion, for the good of the federal parliamentary Labor party and the movement as a whole, Kevin Rudd should leave the Parliament. Otherwise the action of any Labor leader will always be tested through the prism of popularity compared to him. As well as being constantly unsettling, we should've learned this is not a recipe for success either.
So, perhaps there is one remaining question you may have about my perspective on this time in government. And it is a biggie.
After all these tips for good and bad behavior for the future, do I believe we behaved properly in removing Kevin as PM in 2010?
While I think the Labor caucus made the right decision, we handled it very poorly.
I think we had all the right reasons to act, but I think we were clumsy and short sighted in the way we did it. We didn't explain the dysfunctional decision-making and lack of strategy I've focused on a lot tonight. We didn't talk about his rudeness, or contempt for staff and disrespect for public servants (a measure of this was public servants saving up briefs to send to the PM's office as soon as Kevin went overseas because they got quicker and more thoughtful responses from Julia as acting PM).
Removing Kevin was an act of political bastardry, for sure. But this act of political bastardy was made possible only because Kevin had been such a bastard himself to so many people.
Even though the reasons were there to justify our action, I don't think we handled it properly at the time, and Labor has paid a very high price for this mishandling ever since.
If Kevin had been an employee, he would have won his unfair dismissal case. Not because there wasn't cause to dismiss him, but because we didn't explain the reasons properly to him, let alone to the voting public.
As an industrial lawyer I used to see a lot of these cases - where there was good cause to dismiss someone but the employer hadn't given notice of the problem, or used a different excuse because it was too embarrassing to simply tell a colleague they weren't up to the job, or that everyone found them unbearable.
So after the most brutal and speedy sacking, we got overcome with politeness and thought it would save Kevin pain to say as little as possible and move on quickly. What the rest of the world calls a polite white lie, became political poison. It was something that Julia unfairly wore as a heavy chain around her neck for her entire prime ministership, although we all truly bore responsibility for it.
In the absence of a more accurate explanation, Julia was painted as a treacherous deputy, although it was spectacularly unfair and way off the mark. In fact, in the twelve months prior, I watched her work through each and every roadblock ministers brought to her. She took each minister's complex problem or frustration to Kevin and helped resolve pressing matters as a diligent and trusted deputy. I never saw any evidence to the contrary.
So although at the time it seemed unimaginable to contemplate being so publically rude to your own PM, with the benefit of hindsight, some of us should've spoken out - if not before, at least immediately after.
Instead, we made a brutal decision and then shied from the brutal explanation that was needed.
We left everyone looking for other answers and by doing this we did a great disservice to both Kevin and Julia. On its own it would've cast a long shadow over the next three years in government, and with active fanning by Kevin and his supporters, it proved impossible to recover from.
So I hope my take on events might be worth something to the next generation. I hope they will have learned from this period, and will not repeat its mistakes.
The new Labor team will need to lift itself above the personality politics, stop seeing things as "Kevin legacies" or "Julia legacies", and just see them proudly as "Labor legacies". This will better honour our forbears like John Button.
Surely he, like we, would be proud of how we've left the country a better place after our six years of government - with better resourced schools and more information on quality and development for parents, with extra funding to hospitals, thousands more doctors, new cancer centres, plain packaging of tobacco, a fairer industrial relations system and paid parental leave, a strong economy enabling disability care. This is not to mention the bravery and wisdom to put a price on carbon pollution, the vision and foresight to plan the National Broadband Network and the compassion to set up the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. All this, and so much more.
And now the invitation is to the next generation to think how they will refresh the Labor purpose - to pump some new blood into its beating heart. And to be ready to conduct themselves with dignity, so they get time to bed down the vital reforms of the next generation, reforms that we know only Labor will deliver.
We should never, ever as a Party be ashamed of our past.
We should celebrate it, learn from it, and use it to improve our nation's future.
Good luck - and thank you.
This is the full text of the John Button Memorial Lecture 2013, delivered by Nicola Roxon at The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne, Wednesday, October 16.
Nicola Roxon is the former attorney-general and federal health minister in the Rudd and Gillard Labor governments. View her full profile here.
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16 Oct 2013 7:37:39pm
Roxon finally says what needed to be said.
Kevin has to go.......
She glossed over a lot and there was much I disagreed with but this act of treachery from Rudd must be met with expulsion, there is nothing else that will do.
16 Oct 2013 8:55:39pm
Kevin doesn't have to do anything other than continue to contribute towards Labor's initiatives & represent his electorate.
He was democratically elected and won his seat (again), and he's the only democratically elected Labor leader of the nation since Keating. We all know how Gillard got to power, by stealing Kev's seat & then relying on deals with the independents (of which we know she also later reneged on).
He's been elected, he's in the party, and the people just keep voting him in!
Sorry 'custard' but the people have spoken!
16 Oct 2013 11:10:58pm
The people spoke by sacking Labor; and Labor was ruined by Kevin Rudd and his sociopathic tenancies. Julia Gillard did not steal Kevin's seat, she stepped up to do the job he couldn't do.
17 Oct 2013 8:44:20am
" She stepped up to do the job he couldn't do ", then we found that she couldn't do it either.
17 Oct 2013 9:14:19am
Who is "we" James?
Kevin cost the ALP a majority in the '10 election. If Julia had gained a majority in '10 then she would still be PM.
Julia never stood a chance against the sneaky Kevin, the rorting Tony and the biased MSM, she was attacked from all sides and it is a testament to her strength and grace that she lasted as long as she did.
It has only been just over a month and the new boy PM isn't looking too shiny.
17 Oct 2013 11:11:41am
JG never stood a chance as a successful PM because she was hopeless - her policies, communications, initiatives were all far too left wing ( read socialist ) for a population that did not want what she offered.
Stop the excuses - they replaced a hopeless PM with a worse one and went back to the hopeless one only to see him implode in his own hopelessness ( read his campaign efforts)
17 Oct 2013 1:05:44pm
I thought will I post a reply or just forget it Mag must be just another over the top Liberal.
Then I though how hard Julia Gillard worked with Rudd pullling one way and Abbott scare-mongering the other. Alan Jones, filthy cartoons, disgusting menus - what appalling displays from Australian males some of whom are in Government now.
She got through hundreds of pieces of legislation, carbon tax that other countries are now adopting, a reasonable economny in such troubled world (all over the world not just Australia).
NDIS one of the great achievements, her work with Education, Nicola Roxon's plain packaging, etc ,etc.
But she was just a woman and they didn't like it and sometimes she made mistakes something Abbott will never do!!!!!
Now we have Abbott's tea party along with the Brandis' library and weddings a-gogo with Joyce and others.
I feel sorry for MAGs and those like it. You do not see the human side of reasoning and only allow negativity. We need good opposition and government or we will end up like the USA.
17 Oct 2013 1:10:21pm
So a good education for all children..a NBN strategy that is set to improve lives for both industry and consumers no matter where you live....a disability issurance scheme helping disadvantaged people no matter their politics...
Is in your mind some kind of communist plot?? Really!
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 4:25:50pm
But Labor was going to deliver none of those things!
It's ideas were all socialist top-down arrangement of things that should have been left to the States.
The Labor solution of throwing money at things does not work if the money is not well directed.
Labor is the party of seeming, not doing.
17 Oct 2013 4:40:25pm
Labor did not deliver 'good education', the 'NBN' or the 'NDIS'.
In six years, they never completed a single thing.
17 Oct 2013 2:03:31pm
The population didn't want her policies, you mean the NDIS and Gonski? Both these policies were sabotaged and stonewalled for years by the coalition and their state govt lackeys until polls showed majority support .
Then, just in time for the election , they were stolen by the coalition and re-branded
And please do us all a favour and stop shouting...
17 Oct 2013 3:39:46pm
MAG, whoever is feeding you with talking points is mistaken or crazy. Please ask them what were the "socialist" policies you state Julia Gillard had.
17 Oct 2013 11:17:47am
Julia never " stood a chance " because she was an incompetent Prime Minister, even her own party thought so.
17 Oct 2013 12:50:58pm
Really Paul! So what policy changes would Julia have made if she had a majority? You have a very short memory, the Labor party are still grandstanding about their past policies so it must be said they were and are happy with them. These are the same policies that led to their massive defeat, the same policies that the vast majority of Australians threw out.
Now we have Labor led by the very man that orchestrated the rise of Kevin, the fall of Kevin, the rise of Julia, the fall of Julia, the rise of Kevin again and unfortunately for you, a big reality check at the last election. Labor tries to spin another story about it being reborn with a new direction and culture from within. What we actually got was an election that was decided before even one vote of either Caucus or the Rank and File had been cast. The policies remain and the culture remains.
All you Labor people out there that try hard to blame Kevin for all their woes are delusional. Kevin was and is a joke but Kevin is the spawn of a rotten political party.
17 Oct 2013 6:02:14pm
Pollicies? Labor were defeated due to leadership changes, media bias and general disorganisation. they kicked themselves out of govenment.
17 Oct 2013 1:27:10pm
Julia was heading for a landslide loss in the 13 election. Anybody who thinks that she would still be PM today is seriously delusional.
17 Oct 2013 9:59:16am
What she couldn't do was survive with all the leaking and political machinations of Kevin and his supporters. Nicola said it all - they should have honestly told Kevin and the public just why he was being removed but with the benefit of hindsight it is now easy to say that. I am just surprised Rudd had any supporters.
17 Oct 2013 1:55:56pm
Yes Gillard was in the same mold as Rudd and could not go on with the job.
Roxon only confirmed what we had been commenting about for some time - Rudd was a narcissist and still is.
Gillard was also full of herself but when push came to shove and it became too much she had to come out with an excuse called misogyny and in so doing committed political suicide.
We can only wait for the Tanner book and the Garrett book etc to see the depth of despair that rang through Labor.
It is nice to have a period of grace post labor where we don't have the angst, the bile, the acrimony and the incriminations of self indulgent populist pretend politicians.
17 Oct 2013 3:21:43pm
What I liked about Kevin Rudd, although we outsiders never saw it in public except in leaks that his so-called colleagues leaked, was that he could be a bastard.
I liked the idea of a leader who treated his ministers and staff real mean. They were running the country and it was the global financial crisis.
I do weep for poor Nicola, having her Christmas spoiled by hard work, but seriously, why does she hate Rudd more than she hates Abbott?
I especially liked it when he called the backsliding Chinese "rat-f**ckers" at Copenhagen. Now that's straight talk.
However, the real problem lies with the way Labor appoints its candidates. When candidates come through the faction system they regard themselves as entitled and important, not willing to submit to a demanding leader's perfectionist tendencies, not even for the party or the country.
Let's not forget as well that Roxon (and Gillard) wanted to impose data retention on all communications, because the Federal Police, ASIO and ASIS wanted it. To my mind, reluctance or unwillingness to go along with such an assault on personal basic rights is a precious characteristic in a politician and good on them, including John Faulkner, for resisting.
There were just too many selfish bastards in the Labor government. Kevin Rudd may have been a bastard but not, I think, a selfish one.
17 Oct 2013 7:12:42pm
"then we found that she couldn't do it either"
Considering she lead a minority government, with hostile press and Rudd's undermining, I think Julia did quite well.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 1:49:41pm
Too many incompetent commentators here writing incompetent comments to each other. Meanwhile I never saw a competent Abbott as an MP let alone as PM.
17 Oct 2013 3:29:17pm
Mr Rudd was dumped because the Mining Lobby Campaign caused Mr Rudd's popularity to drop although in the last poll which wasn't published before the sacking showed his popularity was bouncing back .
Mr Rudd was the one that got Labor back into government and no respect was shown towards him in the way he was sacked .
The main reason Mr Rudd was sacked was because of opinion polls and if they were not satisfied with his leadership they should have had the manners to speak up and tell it to his face instead of working behind the scenes to dismiss him .
Mr Rudd was used by the Labor party because he was popular as soon as the polish started to fade they very quickly to got rid of him and in the process , it hasn't worked because all the leadership turmoil has only damage the party and if the Labor party had handled the leadership issues better , the Labor party would still be in government .
17 Oct 2013 4:48:59pm
Frankie you must be unaware but the people didn't vote Kevin Rudd out of office. The people voted him in, and he has continuously been voted in his electorate time after time.
Its the caucus which threw Rudd out, then when Gillard and her team proved to be such huge failures, eventually Caucus voted Rudd back in to try and salvage as many seats as possible.
Fortunately for Labor Rudd salvaged some seats including his own & it didn't end up being a huge blowout loss which was inevitable under Gillard.
true blue ozzie:
16 Oct 2013 11:46:48pm
Rudd had every right to be pissed, who wouldnt be when the Clan of back stabbers hid in the nights darkness to kill there victim.
But Rudd proved his point well and truly in the election, and im sure many would have only voted labor to show Rudd they supported him and him alone!
17 Oct 2013 9:24:24am
AFter he got dumped, Rudd did everything in his power to undermine not just Gillard but the ALP. His leaks cost Gillard a majority in 2010. After Gillard got dumped, she didn't leak anything, didn't do a thing to damage the ALP. I don't much care for either of them, but she's got a helluva lot more class than he does.
17 Oct 2013 10:54:27am
frangipani: Don't forget she was happy for us to vote for her dysfunctional bastard and for this dysfunctional bastard to be PM..
Lucy original:
17 Oct 2013 2:18:11pm
Nicola Roxon dropped out after she had achieved her tobacco packaging reforms.
She was clearly not going to serve again under Rudd.
She thinks that Rudd was a bastard. She thinks that Abbott is much worse, as do the about 4 million voters who chose Rudd over Abbott.
17 Oct 2013 7:44:50pm
Please tell - when did 4 million voters chose Rudd over Abbott ??
17 Oct 2013 10:59:38am
"AFter he got dumped, Rudd did everything in his power to undermine not just Gillard but the ALP"...NO, that's a blatant lie! Rudd did obviously start a competitive interaction with Gillard, in the same way as Costello competed with Howard for years. But Rudd's objective was NOT that of undermining Labor. That was the objective of the Media that used the Rudd/Gillard tension to throw mud on Labor thus favouring the electoral chances of the incompetent Liberals. There was an agreement between Gillard and Rudd that the loser at the last ballot will just disappear from the scene, for the sake of the Labor chances at the election. That's exactly what happened. I only agree with your last statement, I also do prefer Gillard as a leader, however, the populist Rudd was needed to counteract the populist Abbott...
But finally, it's the combined Labor Legacy that I do prefer above all!
17 Oct 2013 1:18:13pm
Oh Alpo! Still supporting Rudd to the end!
Rudd undermined Gillard from the start, leaking to the media left, right and centre!
I don't disagree with Roxon's speech - she has outline 10 very good points that Labor should listen to and learn from.
Unfortunately, as you and the likes of Bowen are clearly demonstrating, Labor is incapable of doing so.
17 Oct 2013 1:30:08pm
So what do you plan to do for the next nine years? Where is a nice left leaning country for you? How about North Korea?
17 Oct 2013 2:12:49pm
wow - that's the first tie I heard that one - a 'popularist' Tony Abbott....
all you ever heard from every one was how 'unelectable' he was, and how ' misogynist ' he was, and how every one ( read leftie lovies) hated him......hehe - I think the all do still hate him but all of us clear minded folk think he is fantastic
true blue ozzie:
17 Oct 2013 2:13:57pm
You reep what you sow!
And Gillard reeped everything thing she'd sown!
She got exactly what she deserved.
Anon E Mouse:
17 Oct 2013 4:08:34pm
The leaks did not come from Rudd according to Rudd and the journalist who broke the news.
How is it that this myth keeps circulating. If you have proof - table it - if not, then it did not happen.
It is also worth noting that Rudd has not publicly vilified Gillard, and co.
Nicola Roxon should have a look and see if she can find where Rudd has publicly vilified her and her mates. I am sure if he had the media would have been all over it.
Roxon is just plain spiteful.
17 Oct 2013 8:20:18pm
I agree with you Anon E Mouse.
It's amazing how if something is said enough then it gets taken as the Truth. I also notice that Rudd has not said a word despite the, to me, horrendous attacks on him that began even before the count was finalised on election night. He is showing a formidable personal strength.
For me, and for so many people who welcomed Rudd back, I was proud of Rudd as PM. I admired his intelligence, hard work and particularly his keeping Australia out of the financial crisis, and for his humanitarian policy on asylum seekers when he first got in etc etc. If others found it difficult to work with him that was not visible to the electorate - and really those who found it difficult also had an obligation to work that out. And remember, he was toppled just as Gillard was - because the polls were down - not because of his alleged inability to communicate with his team.
Mind you I was also quite proud of Gillard.
It's time for unity.
17 Oct 2013 10:18:48am
I voted for the ALP to show that I support the Labor ideals, ignoring them making a bad choice is the selection of Rudd as a leader.
I wasn't about to throw all my moral values out of the window and vote for the libs, just because I disagreed with the parties choice to yield the the pressure of the press and attempt to round up the straying sheep and bring them back to the flock.
Swinging voters are fickle, you can never please them, but as Tony has shown, one thing the libs know about the sheep is that they are easily fooled.
17 Oct 2013 12:21:09pm
"but as Tony has shown, one thing the libs know about the sheep is that they are easily fooled"... Thankfully, there are still people in this country who can speak words of wisdom. Good on you Blzbob.
17 Oct 2013 4:27:45pm
Alpo: So who ever does not prescribe to your twisted view of the world is a sheep. Well you had better get used to it Alpo the flocks increasing by the minute.
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 4:36:14pm
Are you people serious??
Anyone with any intellectual capability whatsoever is right wing. The sheep are you people on the left who suffer from seemingitis to such a stunning degree.
If there was one syllogism which to me sums up the ALPis: "We must do something! This is something. Let's do this"
The ALP is the party of gestures and intellectual sloth.
That is why more Australians are rusted on Liberal/Nationals than rusted on Labor.
But when the swinging voters come back to Labor, which they will in years to come, then I bet Alpo and Bizbob will tell us sensible the non-rusted voters are.
17 Oct 2013 5:59:47pm
Pardon? Surely people of intellectual capacity exist across the entire political spectrum. And if you truly believe what you say, then I suggest your intellectual capacity could be extended and exercised to look more objectively at issues.
17 Oct 2013 5:11:28pm
You mean the 'ideals' espoused and demonstrated by former federal ALP President Michael Williamson who has pleaded guilty to ripping of union members to the tune of millions?
Yeah,don't want to see them assigned to the dustbin do we?
16 Oct 2013 11:54:39pm
I don't care about 'democracy'. I'm from the left.
Kevin has to go...because he's a very, very bad man, who's hurt lots of peoples' feelings :(
17 Oct 2013 11:52:30am
Kevin wasn't the messiah, he was just a very, very naughty boy.
17 Oct 2013 4:51:48pm
When Kevin Rudd blew the chance of a double dissolution, thereby completely wrecking the Greens, he lost a lot of support.
He could have easily had a majority in both Houses.
The polls had him with a 54% preference.
He completely blew it by being incapable of action. He looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.
Labor should have spotted that and acted straightaway.
17 Oct 2013 1:32:17pm
Not to mention drowning of refugees and death of pink batt installers. These must be laid squarely at his front door.
17 Oct 2013 12:22:16am
Off topic w.r.t Roxon - but on topic w.r.t. the fetishism about the unfairness to poor whingy Rudd.
What is the big deal about getting rid of a sitting PM. Keating did it to Hawke; Major did it to Thatcher; Brown did it to Blair. We do NOT have a Presidential system! The parliament chooses the leader.
And now we have all this nonsense about democratisation of Labour which will could make the party further to the Left than the population and make them unelectable. Thank goodness that caucus voted so overwhelmingly for the electable Shorten as opposed to the party favourite unelectable Albanese.
17 Oct 2013 9:24:17am
Can you name one PM who removed their leader of the party whilst they where in government?
Each time it has happened, it has only lasted one term. Its a revolving door of desperate fixes that do not work.
The problem is you either need to admit that your party made many mistakes and these are the same people still in power or you need to fail to give a reason. Both ways, it is not good.
Adelaide Rose:
17 Oct 2013 10:09:11am
Paul Keating.
17 Oct 2013 11:08:59am
He was only voted in once as PM. He failed on the second attempt. Julia Gillard would have been the same if she challenged Tony Abbott in the 2013 election.
17 Oct 2013 10:25:36am
The mistake is to allow the press to manipulate public opinion, and then try to follow that public opinion and appease the sheep.
Kevin was a bad choice back in 07, the drovers dog could have won an election against howards workchoices, I would have still voted for the party if it had chosen the drovers dog to represent it, as it was the party opposing a bad industrial relations policy.
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 4:40:01pm
As a rusted on Liberal, I agree with you Bizbob.
The ALP sowed its own destruction by making Rudd leader in 2006. It was clear from the start that he wasn't a Labor man really. It was also clear that he was going to be a terrible PM.
17 Oct 2013 5:07:29pm
I guess a drover's dog could have sorted out the possum problem at The Lodge fairly cheaply anyway. Wouldn't take long to dress. Could be taught to shake hands with foreign dignitaries. Might be a bit more entertaining in Question Time, if the Speaker brought a stick. Don't know what we'd do if he bit the Leader of the Opposition though. It would be a shame to have to put him down (the leader of the opposition). But there's enough in it that I think the proposition should be further considered.
Maddy Jones:
17 Oct 2013 10:58:25am
The post above names not just one, but 4 examples.
Can you not read or do you not know enough history to recognise what you read?
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 12:27:09pm
"PM who removed their leader of the party whilst in government"
A Prime Minister _is_ the leader of the party in government.
"name one"
P.M. John Gorton was dumped (for Billy McMahon).
17 Oct 2013 7:46:49pm
John Gorton voted himself out. The vote was tied and his casting vote against himself decided the outcome.
17 Oct 2013 1:06:57pm
Don't you remember Gorton being rolled in a Party Room ballot?
17 Oct 2013 12:35:18am
Oh what complete and utter crap.
Julia did not steal Kevin's seat, she was elected leader of her party by her party which when they are in government makes her prime minister, plain and simple. In precisely the same way Keating first came to power.
This is not the presidency of the United States, no leader is democratically elected, they are elected to a seat in parliament and then their party chooses a leader, just as the Labor party has just done. A government can have a new leader every week if they like, everyone can have a turn.
The deal Julia Gillard did was to command a majority on the floor of the House of Representatives which is what is required to form government. There have been many examples of minority state governments doing exactly the same thing.
The people who keep voting Kevin in are only the people of his electorate of Griffith and in this you are right, he has a perfect right to represent them in Parliament until he is no longer the local member. However he has shown a disdain for the Labor Party and a penchant for destabilising the leader to regain the leadership himself and on that count I think the Labor Party should expel him for gross disloyalty, then we will see if he stays his term and really wants to be the local member for Griffith as an independent.
Could we please stop this she stole his seat twaddle, its just showing your ignorance of your own parliamentary procedures.
17 Oct 2013 8:17:29am
Rudds vote was decimated in Griffith,only winning because of preferences.But that's like most Labor MPs in the last election.
17 Oct 2013 10:15:27am
My opinion of him was that he is a driven individual and has some causes he likes to pursue with a passion, unlike Nicola Roxon and others who do not wish to work (Christmas is a time of joy) too hard and have a tendency to clear the air publicly by again using personal (character) attacks, wow a new method of getting your point across.
How this sit does with her tips (rules 5, 6, 9), oh and 10, I thought Kevin was removed because he was a Bastard and the party were polling poorly unlike the current poll. Comments by Roxon and Burke will no doubt impact on this. I believe its maybe rules and regulation for some.
17 Oct 2013 5:29:07pm
I agree PJ. We're so caught up with the idea that the PM rules the country. It is ignorance to see Julia Gillard as the author of Kevin Rudd's explusion - if a majority of caucus did not want it, it would never have happened. The worst outcome of the sacking was that it split up the remarkably strong front bench - each person so suited to her/his portfolio. They were the leaders of the country. It had been a long time since such an array of talent had the responsibility for leading the nation Now a lot of them are lost to government. We have all been the loser.
I don't think NR said anything particularly profound, or even provided a new slant on the situation. Any thinking person could say the same.
Anon E Mouse:
17 Oct 2013 1:08:58am
I agree stranger.
Roxon wasn't prepared to work to help her supposedly beloved Labor Party. As soon as things didn't go her way, she took her bat and ball and went home.
Commentary from the sidelines is irrelevant.
I thought Roxon was smarter than this. It just shows her as a sulky spiteful brat that wasn't game to put in the hard yards.
Have Roxon and her ilk not realised that for all the spite and venom they have directed at Rudd he has not responded in kind.
Nicola Roxon, and her ilk, are why the Labor party is in so much strife.
Rudd was elected by the people of Griffith and he should stay. Roxon wasn't elected because she wasn't game to stand up for the Labor party. Like Latham, why bother even printing this rant.
17 Oct 2013 9:25:50am
Because many ALP politicians would be thinking this behind closed doors and most likely even making emotional actions based on it.
17 Oct 2013 5:23:21pm
There is something in that point of view Anon. Then again Roxon had been invited to make the John Button memorial address, an honour, and she had to say something. Listing her achievements may not have filled the available space.
If I were looking to justify the editor's choice in running this I would point out the strong support for Rudd shown by many on these pages and the stark contrast with the views of many much closer to the action. There have been suggestions from some close to him that down the track Rudd would like another go and the top job. Roxon might see it has her duty to enlighten the Cult of Kevin as to his failings so as to shortcircuit his ambitions. Perhaps she saw things go so badly wrong during Labor's six years that she thought she had to stand at the crossroads and wave oncoming traffic off onto a sideroad, detouring around the danger to traffic.
From my side of politics I think the parliament would be better off without Rudd. But it makes sense for Labor to try to keep a strong LNP candidate out in the hope of a change in Labor fortunes. Incumbency would make a win even more difficult.
Act Rationally:
17 Oct 2013 1:46:49am
I look forward to him hanging around! After all, the election night concession speech shows he's lost none of his ego and can only continue to destabalise Labor.
Hang around Kev - keep the circus going!
Where's Tony:
17 Oct 2013 8:36:32am
Yes indeed, anyone coming in late on election night would have thought that the ALP had won in a landslide. 40 mins of drivel and smiles was sickening.
17 Oct 2013 9:02:25am
The irony of Roxon dumping on Rudd using the John Button lecture as the vehicle.Rudd couldn't even bother to attend Buttons funeral choosing instead to visit Cate Blanchett in hospital.
17 Oct 2013 9:04:35am
@Stranger. I don't think Custard means expulsion from Parliament where, as you point out, he was elected to represent the people of Griffith. Custard means expulsion from the Labor party where Kevin's membership is not for the people to decide. That decision belongs solely to the party.
17 Oct 2013 5:08:49pm
Yes and the fact that the people continuously keep voting him in, and the fact that he was the preferred leader of the party amongst all party members, also means that yours, Roxon's and Custard's say means nothing really.
Its fine to have your opinion but at the end of the day its just an opinion. I also think that Tony Abbott is a terrible choice for PM, but that is my honest opinion and the people have spoken, I accept the outcome and I don't sit there slandering stating he should step down.
You need to move on and accept that Rudd is in the party. Its his choice to step down, or the leader of his party to sack him, if they feel its the best course of action.
In saying that, as the party member votes indicated and as all polls also indicated, Gillard and Swan were complete failures and had to go if the party was to avoid a complete Wipeout at the ballot.
Fortunately (for Labor advocates) Rudd came back and restored some of the damage done by Gillard. Would have been a huge mess for Labor if that didn't happen.
17 Oct 2013 10:09:07am
It should never be about individuals, as one man alone will achieve nothing.
If he doesn't fit in with the rest of the party, then perhaps it is time to leave, or time to be dis-endorsed as a representative of the party before the next election.
Let him serve his electorate as an independent if he can still get the votes when put up against a Labor endorsed candidate.
The trouble with Kevin in my opinion is that he was like a cappuccino, too much froth and bubbles, and not enough coffee.
He was liked by the sheep, but you can't rely on the sheep to be there when they are needed, they are to easily spooked and too easily coaxed to the illusion of greener grass on the other side of the fence.
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 4:43:48pm
That is a very good summary.
It seems that you feel about Rudd the same way I felt about Malcolm Turnbull when he was opposition leader.
17 Oct 2013 11:25:28am
Others did the right thing and left politics when they thought their presence would be decisive Kevin's ego is so big he can never see that he might have some responsibility and he just keeps hangin around.
17 Oct 2013 11:55:41am
Stranger, what are you talking about? Julia Gillard was democratically elected to her electorate. She won the 2010 election
17 Oct 2013 5:11:07pm
Montalban, not sure if you recall but whilst she won the election, she didn't win it purely on the vote of the people.
There was a hung parliament due to the votes being so close, and only after she made deals with the independents to secure her vote did she win the election.
I remind you also that she later also renegged on the deal made with Andrew Wilkie, assuring him she will take certain Pokie reform action if he gives her his vote, only to later advise she won't be taking the action and that there's nothing he can do about it.
Just disgraceful im sure you agree.
17 Oct 2013 1:28:32pm
Actually, stranger, the people spoke, and preferred Bill Glasson.
Rudd kept his seat with preferences getting him over the line: his primary vote was lower than Glasson's.
I'm not suggesting that it isn't fair, but it is clear that Rudd does not have the level of support in his electorate that you imply.
17 Oct 2013 5:13:42pm
Dugong, I accept your rationale, I still think Rudd's done an excellent job in retaining his seat after 15 or so years, but cannot deny that he was fortunate in the 2013 election that preferences got him over the line.
In saying that, many voters acknowledge that the reason they make a certain vote is because if their selected option does not win, they will know that Rudd will take their vote.
So whilst you are totally correct, many people also would have voted that way to ensure as a secondary (or third, or fourth etc) option is taken by Rudd. Of course many people would not have voted based on this fact, too.
Give us a break:
16 Oct 2013 9:10:18pm
Why are you, as a welded on Liberal, so concerned with what the Labor party should or should not do?
Perhaps you should be worried about the future of your dear leader and his ever growing band of greedy, rorting Liberal MPs.
Rudd may be a bastard in the eyes of some in the Labor party.
The vast majority of taxpayers would see Abbott and his fellow rorters in the same vein.
17 Oct 2013 6:52:26am
The Tories are always more interested in Labor than their own party be cause it is so much more interesting. In fact they are obsessed with the ALP, because despite all its faults, it is actually interested in standing for something, whereas the Liberal Party is owning interested in power, and when it get it, it doesn't quite know what to do with it.
17 Oct 2013 7:36:17am
Absolutely, they are not much more than administrators. No real ideas ever come out of their heads. Even Howard's GST was nothing more than a rehashing of Paul Keating's proposal in the 1980s. They are a reactionary party with little in the way of future thought.
17 Oct 2013 8:22:55am
So what happened to Keatings GST?He got rolled by the union movement and didn't have the guts to continue with it.
17 Oct 2013 10:39:39am
Just as well Keating didn't continue with it!
He could see that the stupid GST wasn't in the public interest and at least he listened. Hewson's attempt in 1993 (at least he seeked a mandate) showed this big time and , as for arrogant Howard, well he didn't listen to anyone! He almost got rolled over his GST in 1998 and then adopted the Democrat's GST version for them to abstain. Then went on a $50 million+ advertising blitz?
17 Oct 2013 1:49:41pm
I used to work for a very wily person who said once, when I was railing that we'd lost some decision - "No, we just haven't won yet".
Backing off and waiting for a better opportunity is not cowardly or stupid - it's strategic.
17 Oct 2013 3:57:51pm
Only the wealthy think that the GST is good. just as only the wealthy would think Tony's proposed and soon to be discarded maternity leave scheme would be good.
17 Oct 2013 2:36:50pm
Haha. Nice one. Was it not the previous government that could not speak a sentence without going on about Abbott this, Abbott that? I don't think I've heard the current government talk once about Labor, apart from Labor's threat to side with their partners (the Greens) to block legislation to repeal the Carbon Tax - a policy the Liberals and Nationals unambigously took to the election.
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 4:58:17pm
But the ALP are not only roters, but fraudsters too.
Rorting maybe morally suspect, but fraud is criminal.
But fraud and lies are the Labor way.
The Liberal Party has a definite philosophy: help Australians make themselves happy and prosperous. It is what I call give the mnan a fishing rod and not a fish principle. A hand up not a hand out. The ALP believes in hand outs, because it sees life as a zero sum game. It wants the disadvantaged to remain identifying as disadvantaged so as to have clinentelia that constantly get more largesse. Thus the ALP favours indigenous people being indigenous rtahe than blending in with the rest of us. In that way the indigenous people will always be likel to vote for the ALP who pays them sit-down money.
The Liberal Party philosophy is based upon the fact that real co-operation and compassion comes from society and its people and not from government. A group of private individuals who come together and form a company to build something are far more laudable than a bunch of bureaucrats enforcing their will upon through coercive taxation.
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:11:39pm
Wow, I agree with Custard.
He has to go.
17 Oct 2013 7:27:51am
Yes, Wining Pom, I am astounded that I too agree with Custard. Amazing!
17 Oct 2013 8:19:08am
You'll be saying the same about Shorten within 12 months.
17 Oct 2013 8:48:34am
Yes, Shorten doesn't have the ability to lead a political party in my view.
Wining Pom:
17 Oct 2013 9:36:47am
I'm saying it about Abbott now.
17 Oct 2013 10:23:31am
You don't have a say in the LNP.
You blew your chances in September by backing Kevin O'lemon.
17 Oct 2013 10:20:40am
He's the PM in waiting Alfie, as I understand it that gives you the right to rort half a million dollars from the public purse.
That's how it works isn't it?
16 Oct 2013 10:52:08pm
> Kevin has to go.......
Possibly, but the problem is that Labor returned to Kevin prior to the election. This leads us with a couple of view points:
1. Kevin isn't as bad as the Gillard supporters allege
2. Labor are willing to do anything to maintain power
Numerous examples, such as deals with the Greens and Independents, support for Craig Thomson, abandonment of Andrew Wilke when Peter Slipper was elected as speaker suggest that the second option is plausible.
17 Oct 2013 7:15:56am
all governments with small majorities - and more so a minority government - will always choose to do good things even if they have to hold their nose to do so. We live in a pretty ugly world - tax-dodging big business, cruel political games and countless acts of deliberate indifference to the suffering of others. Yet parties are meant to not be able to be in a room with low level creeps.
It is better to work with bad people to do good things rather than saying to the electorate "well, our delicate morality is offended to have to accept the vote of someone who is alleged to have done something wrong so you all have to go to an election". And they would probably lose power.
Remember, as Whitlam observed: only the impotent are pure.
Ottwa Mantra:
16 Oct 2013 11:03:27pm
Good policy improves peoples lives.
True, like renewable energy targets and REC's improving the lives of carpetbagging wind developers.
And whilst the neighbours suffering adverse health impacts or driven from their homes are ignored.
The truth is that corporate wind interests dictate terms, whatever government is installed. They coerce the policy and fund the parties that support them, whilst Ministers like Roxon turned a blind eye to the health and community impacts, and recommendation of bipartisan senate committees to urgent research into the issue of wind turbines too close to homes.
I hope she is content at her new table, unlike many rural folk living next to non compliant wind farms illegally claiming REC's. As a lawyer she should know that is a criminal offence.
17 Oct 2013 9:28:12am
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. With inept management, I would prefer no policies at all.
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 12:51:05pm
"turbines too close to homes"
Do you include car engines, air-conditioners, wind-mill pumps, ceiling fans, generators and motors of most sorts?
Or do revolving blades magically only effect persons who are jealous of payments from renewable electricity generation or who prefer energy generated from coal?
16 Oct 2013 11:24:45pm
You`ll be saying that about Tony come July 2014.
17 Oct 2013 11:01:42am
I don't know about that because custard can't see through Abbott now?
Blind devotion in the Liberal Party cult will always have its band of starry-eyed devotees!!
17 Oct 2013 3:54:34pm
The Liberal party is a cult?
I think you have them confused with the ALP and it's 'true believers' blathering on about lights on hills.
17 Oct 2013 7:28:58am
Clearly Rudd was the victim of treachery; hardly 'treacherous' to recover his position.
Of course this is not how the self imaged victims on Emily's List see it.
Roxon was a failure who, like other Labor failures, relied on her gender and gender faction to propel her to lofty office.
She, like others, failed and collectively these failures dragged down the Labor government.
Only when the ALP has a leadership based solely on merit will it have a chance of attaining and surviving in government.
No sign of this at the moment with the sole merit of the shadow cabinet espoused as it having more women than the Government.
Adelaide Rose:
17 Oct 2013 10:14:46am
Interestingly it wasn't Gillard who 'played the gender card' it was Roxon and her ilk. Gillard didn't really mention it until the misogyny speech. Roxon de-edified Gillard by adding her two cents worth regularly, unnecessarily and with bitterness. Gillard was perfectly capable of defending herself and handling Abbott, Roxon's 'assistance' actually undermined her.
17 Oct 2013 4:19:51pm
Gillard's media team devised a media strategy around sexism and misogyny which Gillard signed off on.
Copies of the document were published recently.
Gillard embarked on a deliberate media strategy to play the sexism/misogyny card.
17 Oct 2013 1:52:59pm
Nicola Roxon was not a failure but I support ennumerating her successes would not help your mindset.
Where's Tony:
17 Oct 2013 8:34:05am
I agree. I think Kevin, like most egocentrics, believed that his popularity in the polls gave him carte blanche to ride roughshod over his caucus. My only regret is that someone didn't explain all of his tantrums, which in large part, caused the party to dump him as PM. Had they done so, then Ms Gillard may have been given a bit more authenticity after her promotion to PM.
I really wish that Kevin would just retire with whatever grace he has left, not to do so will always be seen as a threat to the sought after stability of the ALP.
17 Oct 2013 6:18:25pm
Yes Roxon says as much in her finale:
"While I think the Labor caucus made the right decision, we handled it very poorly......... We didn?t explain the dysfunctional decision-making and lack of strategy I?ve focused on a lot tonight. We didn?t talk about his rudeness, or contempt for staff and disrespect for public servants."
Ray Manta:
17 Oct 2013 9:06:20am
"Roxon finally says what needed to be said."
But why did she wait till she was at the "kitchen sink" to say it?
Surely we would have a more robust parliament if cabinet members were not sworn to long-suffering silence and backbenchers were not obliged to forever nod their agreement to the party line.
We need forthright public thinkers with independent, critical minds in parliament, not cagey number counters who always put their party career first.
17 Oct 2013 1:42:27pm
She didn't wait. She said most of this the first time that Rudd challenged Gillard to get the leadership back. She was the highest profile minister in saying that she would not be a minister in a Rudd government again.
17 Oct 2013 4:56:01pm
That's because she was pretty sure there would never again be such an abomination as a Rudd government. ;-)
17 Oct 2013 2:05:46pm
She had to wait cos Kevin was wery, wery mean to her.
Kevin 'the grinch' stole Christmas from poor Nicola. How can someone be so heartless?
17 Oct 2013 9:58:48am
So its all gone to custard.
We forgot, and still forget about the real needs of the poorest of the poor.
In a word we became elists.
In Roxon's reported speech (dated 16/10/13) there is not one mention of the fundamental force for change and the backbone of the Labor Party and of our Society - the Working Class.
Why? Because we see ourselves as Plebians - the Middle Class.
In fact, as bourgeois as any Oligarchic Capitalist.
We see ourselves as academics, the servants of all Capitalists.
As shown by Roxon the Working Class are always the furthest from our thoughts.
Lest We Forget - next time - that is, starting NOW - Remember our roots and who we MUST fight for - the poorest of the poor,
For sure, a Working Class Solo Mum will know more about the real Economy of our Nation than someone from a bourgeois family trained in Capitalist economics in a bourgeois University.
17 Oct 2013 6:13:40pm
Aren't plebians working class or the common people??
Claudius Pseudonymus:
17 Oct 2013 10:02:10am
A good housekeeper would
1) Not overspend the household budget
2) Attend to keeping the house rather than to constnatly attending to herself instead
3) Not cry tears and cry misogynist when exposed as a bad housekeeper
4) Not indulge in constant bickering at the cost of the household's well being
5) Not hang out the dirty laundry in public to the ridicule of the neighbourhood
6) Not LIE to her family
7) Not open the doors to unwelcomed guests who are forcing their way in
8) Not commit the household to overexpensive broadband deals without comparing other cheaper deals
9) Cook healthy affordable meals instead if just cooking the books
10) Feed the family first instead of feeding herself and her friends at the expense of the household
The voters have sacked the bad housekeeper and brought in a new broom. This new housekeeper has swept out the filth and mess, swept away flim flam flannery, stopped the flow of unwelcomed guests, brought spending under control and is going to blow away the awful stench of a Carbon Tax that lingers in the house.
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 12:58:20pm
The new housekeeper had his hands in the till whilst mesmerizing you with catch-phrases like "stopping the boats" and "toxic tax".
Boats have not stopped.
The carbon 'tax' has not poisoned anyone or anything. To paint it as 'toxic' is a lie. Indeed it's still purring along at this very minute.
17 Oct 2013 4:57:55pm
You put up with bumbling, incompetent, divisive Labor for six years and expect a Coalition government to fix things in a month?
How typically labor. No, that's not a compliment. *sigh*
17 Oct 2013 2:51:33pm
Your 10 points are good.
The concept of a new broom sweeping clean is decisive.
However the new holder of the broom will take us further back than any before him, even before Rudd.
Bourgeois ideas will never serve a Working Class Society.
NB.: 75% plus of "us" are all red blooded Workers.
Good housekeeping and home economics need to be our guide, not paranoia of hordes coming from the north.
That sounds like the fickle "domino theory" of the 1960's + '70's pragmatically repeated all over again.
As before it will serve no good purpose.
Housekeeping means looking after those who desire to live and work, not bludge in an Ivory Tower somewhere in the ACT.
17 Oct 2013 1:08:23pm
While I'm no Rudd sycophant (for all the usual reasons), seems to me Labor should quit denigrating him.
In fact party members should show a little gratitude.
It was Rudd who defeated the long serving Howard back in 07 and it was him who saved the furniture in Sept (just ask any Labor MP agnostic to the Rudd/Gillard rift).
The man's relinquished the leadership and is apparently happy to serve out his time on the shadow backbench.
It's also depressing to hear the same old gripes against Rudd (e.g. he was a destabilising force).
The truth remains, Rudd could only destabilise because team Gillard were so utterly fragile.
Regardless, the debate's moved on.
Labor's challenge now is to open itself up to meaningful democratic reform (again, something Rudd helped initiate).
17 Oct 2013 1:38:20pm
I note that you, like the media, focus on her comments about Rudd, when this is only a small part of her total talk, which is, in the main, positive.
This is a good start to discussion for the Labor opposition, and unlike most of the advice given to the party so far, it comes from an insider.
I hope Nicola finds her future life satisfying and that she realises that many of us appreciate what she did for Australia, while in parliament.
17 Oct 2013 5:07:00pm
Sorry, any former MP who publicly and often, refers to her previous PM as a bastard will always get the attention - and Roxon knew it full well.
Imagine if Rudd had come out and says Gillard was a useless bitch - which is comparable to being called a bastard?
The misogyny screechers (Roxon included) would be out in full force. Poor Julia, they'd say... *sigh*
Seriously, the best comedy writers couldn't have scripted a funnier post-election fall-out.
Labor - eating their own for over a century.
Loving it! ;-)
17 Oct 2013 1:40:28pm
Why does Kevin have to go? He has been democratically elected by the people of Griffith to serve another term. He is entitled to do just that. He should not have to go simply because it is inconvenient for the party. If they didn't want him there they shouldn't have preselected him for the seat.
17 Oct 2013 2:27:28pm
No not quite yet Custard, Rudd has yet to serve his full penance for the damage he caused Labor....
Three more years in the obscurity of the opposition back bench should work a treat, and all "selfies" privileges revoked ..
17 Oct 2013 2:29:38pm
custard, why do have such a vendetta against Kevin Rudd?
Is it a personal thing?
Today you want his expulsion. Tomorrow you will be calling for his extermination. Try to control your hatred. It can't be doing you any good.
Now, what about that WA Liberal rorter, Don Randall, and his taxpayer funded trip from Perth to Cairns with his wife to buy an investment property? Do you that is OK?
16 Oct 2013 7:50:08pm
A very nasty misuse of John Button lecture. Shameful really, but typical of Gillard clique who seem to exempt themselves from every rule of behaviour they lay on others. Thank god Roxon has said she will never comment again...because this diatribe only makes sense as revenge however it is dressed up as advice to Labor as it goes forward.
16 Oct 2013 9:22:54pm
If this is the advice Labor needs then it demonstrates they were absolutely as incompetent as was suggested. This is Management 101 stuff.
You would hope that our 'leaders' had learned this stuff well before being elected but it is now evident that for Labor that is not the case.
Amateur hour on steroids!
16 Oct 2013 10:26:34pm
Disagree - It was a courageous speech, truthful - in contrast to what Labour might have said and done better - and balanced.
There was, as she said, bastardry all around, yet in the middle of the power struggles there were good people with their energies set on doing good things for the Australian people. History will remember these things well.
Come back in three years time, and be prepared for a tragedy entitled 'what Australia might have been'.
17 Oct 2013 8:25:39am
" It was a courageous speech,"
What was courageous about it? It would have been courageous if Roxon told us when she was still a serving MP, you know when she had something to lose. It seems you don't know what 'courageous' actually means.
17 Oct 2013 8:46:08am
"It was a courageous speech, truthful"
It would have been "courageous" and "truthful" if she had the guts to say it when Rudd was leading Labor instead of now, when she clearly has nothing to lose. I call that spineless.
17 Oct 2013 10:16:41am
Roxon can afford to to make "courageous" speeches. She now receives $140,000 a year for life from the taxpayer.
Pity about all those single mums with 8y/o daughters like Roxon who Roxon voted to reduce to even worse poverty.
17 Oct 2013 4:28:43pm
Well Andie that single mum could go out and get involved and become an MP.
Roxon's grandparents were Polish Jews and her father died when she was 10 and look at what Nicola achieved.
All politicians get the same perks when they retire, unlike Tony who gets his perks and rorts now and then when he retires.
17 Oct 2013 6:52:42pm
Yep it's incredable what few favours to right people can achieve. Being the right place when the AWU files came from S & G sure helped her out.
Chris L:
17 Oct 2013 5:24:38pm
Indeed Andie, if we must have political pensions we should make them the same as aged pensions. That goes for everyone, including the most expensive ex-PM ever (Mr Howard).
Adelaide Rose:
17 Oct 2013 10:24:42am
Nothing 'courageous' about it at all. It was petty point scoring after the final siren. While the ALP is trying to heal, she unnecessarily opens old wounds. We all knew Rudd was a bastard, we also knew that the ALP sacking him was a disgrace, poorly handled and poorly explained. Why didn't Gillard and co, instead of overthrowing him, walk into his office and say, we have these challenges, we have the numbers for change of leader but we are prepared to hold off and give you a chance to address the situation before we challenge for Leader and then give him time and space to fix the problems? They could have attempted to repair the problem maturely and respectfully but chose instead to plot and scheme and ambush him.
I have always felt the Roxon was a bitter, nasty woman, not too dissimilar to Mirabella really, and this speech just proves it. She should stop now and give the ALP the time and space to heal and to get on with the job they are elected to do.
17 Oct 2013 2:21:42pm
Elected to do ?
Mr Abbott and the Coalition are getting on with the job they are elected to do.
Please remember the ALP were not elected to get on with the job. (Or at least try).
Adelaide Rose:
17 Oct 2013 5:08:06pm
Yes, elected to do! every member of Parliament was elected and therefore has job to do, Lib, Labor & others!!
17 Oct 2013 3:30:56pm
I think Plibersek also falls into that group. I like Wong and Bishop though
Anne T:
16 Oct 2013 11:00:12pm
rupasarga, I completely agree with your comments. It is staggering that Roxon would use such a forum for such vindictive pettiness.
In speaking of others, you often say more about yourself and I think that this is particularly true in this case. Roxon has damaged her own reputation without necessarily damaging Rudd's.
17 Oct 2013 7:34:11am
Anne T, it is totally the right forum in which to express such ideas. John Button, remember he was a progressive and reforming ALP Senator and I imagine he would welcome such refreshing honesty.
You see Anne T unlike the Conservatives the ALP is about being open and honest, exchanging fresh and new ideas - sometimes we can go a little overboard but you are rarely guessing what people think.
Hung One On:
17 Oct 2013 9:09:33am
Anne T is right Pat. Roxon should just shut up and go away. Lets face it she knifed him. Some the other stuff I've heard is she blames him for ruining Christmas in 2009. Gee whiz, try being a nurse and having 8 out of every ten Christmas's ruined. Any way she just should have told Kev to stick it in 2009 and put her family first instead of herself.
17 Oct 2013 11:10:01am
Agree HOO.
Roxon sound's like she's about to chuck in the towel because she's literally signed her own "death warrant"?
At least Rudd's not making any comment about this and making it a tit-for-tat argument.
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 1:01:20pm
"should just shut up and go away"
Mr Abbot said something similar about Mr Rudd.
Anne T:
17 Oct 2013 5:24:10pm
So that's all right then?
17 Oct 2013 11:26:14am
We've just seen an example of the ALP being " open and honest " with their former president Michael Willamson pleading guilty to fraud.
Hung One On:
17 Oct 2013 12:37:41pm
And all those Libs paying back expenses they were never entitled to. Hypocrite.
17 Oct 2013 5:26:58pm
If you think that politicians, including Labor politicians wrongfully claiming expenses, is on the same scale as Williamson's criminal charges then you are delusional.
Anne T:
17 Oct 2013 5:30:49pm
Patricia, it may be true that John Button would welcome refreshing honesty but I think that he would be more likely to have been interested in a frank discussion of policy directions rather than an extended character assasination.
How Ms Roxon could be so disrespectful of the memory of John Button illustrates how her vindictive bile has clouded her ethical judgment.
Sure, the ALP needs to engage in an open and honest exchange of fresh and new ideas but tell me where this was evident in Roxon's speech?
Labor supporters are not a unified group, so while you may enjoy a former high level Labor Party member referring to her previous leader as 'a bastard' during a public speech, I think her so-called speech was more appropriate in a pub with friends who are willing to let her vent.
16 Oct 2013 11:01:15pm
I found it refreshing, honest, and compelling. Each to their own I guess.
I look forward to reading Abbott's book 'battlelines'. It must be full of interesting and geniune insight, I'm sure. If only I could be bothered.
17 Oct 2013 2:45:08pm
And the $9.000 he claimed from the tax payer to promote the book. Strange how this has dropped off the radar!
Roxon ROX:
17 Oct 2013 12:14:55am
What? Would you rather just have some platitudes instead?
Good on Nicola Roxon for saying important things about an important subject.
And she didn't even mention her legacy tobacco legislation.
Hopefully she can find a way back to politics. Sophie Mirabella is surely sitting as advisor for some Minister, about to come back at the next election.
Why can't good people like Roxon get the same opportunity?
17 Oct 2013 1:02:51am
Roxon tried to change legislation to the discrimination act that would have made this contemptible piece of garbage unlawful to express because it hurt someones feelings.
She was incompetent and shown herself to be a coward.
17 Oct 2013 1:17:40am
Roxon seems to think there is "The new Labor team ".
Haven't seen a lot new about the Labor team. In fact many of those responsible for what Roxon talks about have been rewarded in "The new Labor team ".
Why are factional bosses like Conroy and Farrell and Shorten himself elevated in "The new Labor team " ??
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 1:38:32pm
Bit like the new Liberal team eh Andie ? The new faces beaming out, like Brandis,Hockey and Bishop. Yep lots of new faces there.
17 Oct 2013 7:53:09pm
We expected those faces to be there in the Liberal team. There is no claim that it is a "new" Libveral team.
What I was pointing out is that there is nothing new about Roxon's so called "new Labor team" only reward for the factional powers brokers of the coups.
Closet Romantic:
17 Oct 2013 8:15:47pm
We were actually pretty much promised that the cabinet would be a,most identical to the shadow cabinet.
The Labor party is the one talking about a fresh start and a democratic process that is more representitive and once again we got spin. The focus on Rudd rather than policies that idealistically sound good but have little substance, and politics that often used semantics to cover up broken promises these are the reason that Labor lost not Rudd or Gillard.
The most obvious example is the asylum seeker debate trying to appease those with a conscience and those who wanted a harder line is impossible, you have to stick to one side of the argument and it seems more Australians want tighter restrictions.
I get the point you are trying to make the cabinet and shadow cabinet are always picked from the same high profile candidates, a limited pool that gives us all a horrid sense of Deja Vu.
17 Oct 2013 1:51:51am
Agreed. Highly unprofessional to do this outside of closed doors (yet again).
17 Oct 2013 4:20:44am
I agree rupasarga. We've heard it all before and this can do nothing but detract from an excellent ballot to elect the new leader.
It's a bit pathetic really.
Bean Counter:
17 Oct 2013 10:02:27am
Barnesy (4.20am) Are you delusional?
We now know FOR CERTAIN that Albo has the backing of 60% of the membership of the ALP. Yet he is not the leader.
It was the same deal with Rudd (the "ordinary" person preferred HIM), except that with Shorten vs Albo there is NO DOUBT about by how much. Albo will be awaiting his chance, and 60% of the ALP will be cheering him on when he moves.
Some "excellent ballot to elect the new leader" indeed!
17 Oct 2013 2:13:53pm
"It was the same deal with Rudd (the "ordinary" person preferred HIM)"
Bean I think that proves categorically that the "ordinary" person doesn't actually know what's good for them, and that is why Tony Abbott is now residing in the lodge
17 Oct 2013 3:34:06pm
I think this was a good outcome for Albo. Once Shorten fails after the next election the ALP will get rid of him and Albo will have a real shot. There is no chance while Shorten stays.
17 Oct 2013 2:02:25pm
BC, Albo will be witing in line as Rudd has already indicated he want to be PM three times. He just has to set the scene again.
17 Oct 2013 9:29:00am
Dont worry, it will be like Kevin Rudd promising never to run for PM again.
Chess Cardigan:
17 Oct 2013 11:49:14am
Be polite and be persuasive. Or I could call this "Keep yourself nice".
This is a piece of advice Roxon could have followed herself - both when she was Health Minister and Attorney-General - and now when she was giving this speech.
16 Oct 2013 7:51:08pm
Nicola, whatever a Party in government does, if the MEDIA are all firmly and relentlessly against it:
a) Achievements will be ignored or minimised.
b) Mistakes will be grossly exaggerated.
c) Differences of opinion will be publicised as: internal chaos; whereas for the favoured opposition they will be described as: internal democracy.
d) The voice of the Government will be silenced, and if they bypass the MSM by financing public campaigns they will be accused of taxpayer-funded propaganda and waste.
The history of the past Labor Government will become a textbook case of this. No matter how much introspection, thinking, analysis and assessment a Party does, if you are isolated from communicating with the People and the only narrative available is that of your political opponents, you will be always doomed.
Therefore, the great lesson of the past 6 years is that Labor must invent a direct communication channel with the People, beyond the normal channels of the Media. The Media must be bypassed efficiently. By doing so, if the media are fair, the better, but if they are not then their power could be counteracted.
Having said all that, there is obviously also space for an analysis of mistakes at other levels. I am sure that the new team will do so, but once the communication channel with the People has been recovered, everything else follows much more easily.
The Blue Smurf:
16 Oct 2013 8:56:26pm
Then lead the charge Alpo. Alternatively get all your friend to buy up shares in a media organisation and then gain block voting rights and board positions. That way you can get YOUR message through. Don't forget how much Rudd had saturated social media.
16 Oct 2013 10:00:24pm
One individual saturating the social media is not what I have in mind. The internet is useful for as long as it is a quick and wide-ranging channel of communication between as many people as possible. I don't pretend to lead any charge, but I am doing my nanobit by spending some of my time here....
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:22:33am
No no, it's not the Labor way to do anything to fix a problem, it's the Labor way to complain a lot, and blame everyone else!
Bean Counter:
17 Oct 2013 10:12:37am
Yeap. The press is almost 100% anti-ALP says Alpo.
There was Kevvy at Scores with Rupert's #1 side-kick Col Allen. There was Communications Minister Conroy whooping it up at Kerry Stokes' Aspen Chalet (he owns Channel 7).
There is The Oz's chief Political Correspondent Paul Kelly, formerly married to an ALP Federal Minister. There's Bob Carr telling us that the "Leftist/Fairfax/AbC" gang are running the ALP's agenda.
And there is Alpo telling us that Rupert...the TV Channels...The Oz....the Leftist/Fairfax/ABC, are all anti-ALP IN GENERAL.
No Alpo. There comes a time when even the sleepiest have had enough of dreaming. Why don't YOU wake up and face the reality that the ALP stinks?
17 Oct 2013 1:08:12pm
Bean Counter, your analysis of the role of the Media during the past 6 years is, how should I put it politely.... rather deficient. Keep on sleeping mate, just hope no to be woken up too abruptly.... As for the stink, anything coming from the purse of those Liberal frontbenchers? They have just sprout and are already rotting away... Amazing!
17 Oct 2013 11:17:23am
That's funny Jimmy?
John W. Howard complained a lot before the 2007 election and then blamed everyone else over rising interest rates!
He wasn't a member of the Labor Party, or was he?
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:03:52pm
I never said anything about the Liberals and their numerous deficiencies and problems. I was talking about Labor in this case.
I don't much time for anyone who blames other people or organisations for their own mistakes, regardless of their political persuasion.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:14:53pm
Your savior Tony, (being incapacitated as he is and in hiding) has not started to blame Labor (YET). Tony is busy at work trying to blame Labor but has one small problem, he can't string more than 3 words together. Just as his loyal hacks can't. Try again James, a puny argument.
A happy little debunker:
16 Oct 2013 9:09:18pm
Of course, relentlessly feeding the sharks, doesn't help establish the 'narrative'.
But then what is it with Labor and telling stories (i.e. narratives) ?
Shouldn't observed actions, speak louder than words?
17 Oct 2013 7:28:35am
"Shouldn't observed actions, speak louder than words?" Absolutely correct, and yet thanks to the pro-Liberal Media the countless good actions of the previous Labor Government were transformed into total disasters by means of a careful narrative. And it did work!.... Hence an appropriate narrative remains necessary in politics to reinforce the reality of facts.... Fascinating stuff, isn't it?
17 Oct 2013 9:38:31am
What stories where translated to disasters? The record number of boat arrivals, NBN without a business plan or analysis or other options, BER overspending in public schools, ruining relations with Indonesia due to a media pushed cattle ban, largest european recession bail out which was largely wasted, increase in senior public servant staff that where not listened to thus making their roles pointless, etc etc
The few things that the ALP did right where
a) Consistent home loan formats to potential buyers
b) Carbon tax (despite promise not to do it)
c) Inherited and continued implementation of the national curriculum
d) Inherited and continued implementation of the Murray buy backs process
The first is quick to pass as legislation. The second is bold but politically foolish. The third and fourth where continued pieces of work.
17 Oct 2013 10:55:47am
Still some homework to do on some of these criticisms of Labor's achievements. The BER, for example, had a small overrun of costs by Grand Design standards. There was a hysterical headline in one newspaper about the costs blowing out by $1.1bn - which is less than 10 percent of the budget. There were other comments which ignore the fact that smaller halls cost more per square metre than larger halls. Then there were costs involved in special situations and in the use of large companies operating over long distances. There are many negative myths about Labor's achievements still circulating because the truth is not told.
17 Oct 2013 3:30:10pm
?The BER, for example, had a small overrun of costs by Grand Design standards"
I saw firsthand how companies would submit a ridiculous price on a tender because they already had work and then fall over themselves when they won the bid because other companies were in the same boat. Why did this continue when departments across the country were struggling to spend the money? These projects could have been drawn out over a longer period to facilitate a reasonable competitive environment; the urgency was political not practical. But, this is why Labor are theoretical geniuses and practical delinquents.
Dr Dig:
16 Oct 2013 9:23:07pm
Can Labor supporters really be so naive or delusional? I can't decide which fits your comment best, Alpo.
The media are not to blame for the shemozzle that was Labor in recent years. Surely any sane, logical person that considered the facts could come to no other collusion.
17 Oct 2013 7:22:14am
tell that to the Australian which can't seem to stop its daily front page rant against Labor - every, single, day.
Meanwhile, TA and team are making some early fumbles (perhaps expected in the early days) but the MSM are giving him such a gentle touch.
The effect of biased partisan reporting has a huge effect: all those billions spent on advertising shows that dodgy messages repeated are powerful influencers.
17 Oct 2013 9:40:16am
The Australian has never printed good news about any government.
No news is good news. The difference is Abbott was forced to release far more detail than Kevin Rudd did when he won the election. Kevin Rudd didnt even have his alternative to work choices spelt out.
17 Oct 2013 11:05:04am
Abbott still has not yet released any details about anything. His 'success' in Indonesia has not been explained in detail. So far the only person claiming success is Abbott himself. Even Juie Bishop is silent. As for other LNP policy details, do we have details about how Hunt will implement his Direct Action plan to reduce carbon emissions? Or how Turnbull's NBN will be developed over time and at what cost? Or Pyne's plans for education without funding? And there is no point in asking Abbott because he cannot explain anything in more than three words.
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 1:10:08pm
"has not yet released details about anything"
To be fair, he's released some details about his rorts.
17 Oct 2013 11:21:52am
Yes he did!
He stated that, if elected, he would abolish WorkChoices in favour of a much more fairer legislation.
I mean, anything fairer than WorkChoices was better than WorkChoices!!
17 Oct 2013 7:35:43am
"considered the facts"... Which facts?... and above all, which interpretation of facts?... Where did you get the information about the "facts", if I may ask? Did you ever stop thinking that in spite of the leadership changes in the ALP government the country was running very well under some pretty serious international economic conditions? Did you ever stop thinking that in our system the leader of a political Party is chosen by caucus and not voted in by the people? Did you ever stop thinking why there was so much spin around the changes at the helm in the ALP but the changes in the leadership of the right-wing Victorian and NT governments were hardly mentioned in the media?... But perhaps those are not "facts" in your opinion.....
17 Oct 2013 2:28:05pm
Unemployment was rising; debt was rising; could not balance a budget to save their lives: the boats were still coming. How would you score that out of ten? I would give them a one.
17 Oct 2013 5:55:04pm
Unemployment was well within acceptable limits, now keep track of it in the next few months. Debt as percentage of GDP was nothing to worry about (ever heard of 3 AAA?). Now keep watching that debt closely. The boats are still coming. Abbott promised to stop the boats. This means zero boats. The former ALP Government deserves 8 out of ten, they lose two points from me because they didn't quite get the power of the right-wing Media propaganda, never managed to find a strategy to counteract it and that led to losing a degree of self-control that was quickly exploited by such Media. This is a big lesson to be learnt by the next Labor government.
17 Oct 2013 6:43:29pm
burke, if the unemployment rate and budget status were what dictates whether an MP should step down, parliament would be a ghost town.
17 Oct 2013 12:06:15pm
Dr Dig you are the "suppository" of wisdom with your truly Freudian slip! Or maybe you meant to type "confusion".
17 Oct 2013 3:33:04pm
Dr Dig I'm with you..cant understand labour voters at all if I ran my household budget the way Labour ran the countries budget I would be out on the street by now. Dont you Labour voters have any sort of sense or cant you do your sums look how much money Labour have wasted it makes me want to weep.
17 Oct 2013 6:22:31pm
Has anyone ever explained to you that running a country is not like a household? That it's more like a big company, where they often borrow to expand, deliver, change etc.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:19:11pm
Dear Dr. Diggy, I would shush up if I were you. You're digging a rather deep hole for yourself. Tony has yet to perform and believe me, there will be no encore. 3 year Tones is the song they are singing.
16 Oct 2013 9:26:49pm
What Roxon spells out is the painfully basic immaturity of the Labor leadership team. The government was obviously a shambles according to her and she was there. You were just on the sidelines peering through your one squinted eye.
Why the hell should any media excuse such endemic incompetence?
Stop making excuses. Your continuing claiming of victim status for those who were supposed to be governing the country is quite pathetic.
17 Oct 2013 7:42:02am
Roxon is describing issues of people management that I (from the sideline, of course) also recognised when I supported the change from Rudd I to Gillard. The return of Rudd (Rudd II) was needed in response to the Media campaign against Gillard. It must have been an extremely hard decision, that's for sure. But in politics (as in other aspects of life) you just can't accept defeat without a fight. Rudd provided that... and the Coalition don't control the Senate by a considerable margin!
Merlin 23:
17 Oct 2013 11:44:49am
And Labor is STILL ripping itself apart . . . .
They are a lost cause Alpo.
17 Oct 2013 1:15:08pm
"And Labor is STILL ripping itself apart . . . ."... How? Is Roxon back into the shadow ministry?.... Nah, I don't think so. She is exerting her right to give advice according to her views. That's her prerogative in a democratic society and in a democratic Labor Party. The ripping apart will happen inside the Coalition as soon as our economy is going to start its turn South....
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 1:47:44pm
Hey Merl, I have noticed a few wheels falling off the Liberal bandwagon, we will not have long to wait before it all crashes. But you knew that already.
16 Oct 2013 9:34:32pm
Alpo: When Rudd was reinstalled you attacked me and anyone who posted the truth about Kevin and now Roxon has dumped on him you blame Murdoch.
Absolutely no credibility at all Alpo none at all just huff and puff.
17 Oct 2013 7:51:36am
mortan, if you check all those posts again, you will find that I wrote again and again that Rudd was a good Labor man, and also a very intelligent person, but that in his first term he had a problem of political immaturity. I supported the change to Gillard and the Gillard government was a very good one by any international standards. The "Bad Gillard Government" can be only found in the Murdoch press. The return of Rudd was needed because the anti-Labor propaganda (led by Murdoch and his gang) had Gillard totally cornered. Among other things, the "Liar" propaganda was finally mortal. I expressed the view that to counteract Abbott's populism it was unfortunately necessary to call back Rudd's populism into active service (yes at the time I described Rudd as a Labor populist).
17 Oct 2013 9:44:47am
Good Labor man for dividing the party?
I acknowledge that details of ALP failure cant be found on the ABC, but that raises the question of why? The ABC is willing to extend facts to attack Abbott.
The lie story was based on a recorded promise, not propaganda. There is a difference. You may have used ABC fact-checker to try and tell. It will mislead you.
Abbott was never popular. He was just not the ALP. After so many errors being "not ALP" was good enough for many people.
You have been caught out changing your tune to support the ALP. Its very in character with the elected representatives of all sides. Unfortunately you fail to see it.
17 Oct 2013 11:22:52am
The Labor Party is as divided as any other Party. Wait for the the economy to go down the drain and you will see how divided the Liberal Party really is. You also fail to notice that what you find in the Murdoch press is mere manipulation and propaganda. But of course, being propaganda that you like you don't notice the falsehood. I wrote that Abbott is a "populist", not "popular", I agree that the Coalition did receive votes for not being the ALP, but that worked only after the Media did the pounding trying to demolish any single thing that the ALP did and blaming government policies for every single little pain any person may have been experiencing.... Unfortunately the media were mortally effective. But now their task is becoming harder, they have to transform an incompetent Government into a success story no matter how unhappy the people will be... Good luck with that!
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 1:53:20pm
"You may have used ABC fact-checker to try and tell. It will mislead you". Gotta love you Liberal hacks, if the facts don't fit your story, Simple Change them to suit.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:28:47pm
[On the Run] On the run, from What, Your little fibs and outright lies ? Take off your blue glasses and look around you, your beloved boss each day is sinking in the mire he created. One week Tony is great, but I will have to wait until his own party turfs him out. Coming soon to a screen near you.
16 Oct 2013 9:38:49pm
Very fanciful and not likely to work. no what is needed is a well thought out wide ranging plan when next in government to marginalize Murdock. By all means change the media ownership laws to reduce his power but he needs to me marginalized somehow.
17 Oct 2013 7:55:48am
FRD, it's not easy to marginalise a media mogul through laws without damaging Democracy. But it's possible via anti-monopoly laws, for instance. The Libs know that perfectly well and will always exploit that for a scare campaign, as they did in the recent past. But these days a media mogul can be by-passed....
Bean Counter:
17 Oct 2013 11:23:57am
FRD (9.38am) Marginalize Murdoch?
Recall that he and Rudd used to be thick as thieves. Recall that Rudd used to go to strip clubs with Murdoch's US Editor.
Murdoch OWNS the ALP, and always has. Even Julia's ex spin-master McTernan is a Murdoch Man these days. Richo's a Murdoch Man.
Facts are that the ALP, so soon as it stopped representing the workers and became "The Dregs of The Middle Class" (K. Beazley Snr's description; 40 years ago) that Murdoch became their boss. Why would the ALP marginalize it's BOSS?
17 Oct 2013 1:20:22pm
BC, Murdoch did broadly like the economic reforms of the Hawke/Keating era, but he liked Howard much, much more. He totally hated Rudd and Gillard.... Please fantasise no more.
17 Oct 2013 2:18:53pm
Wow so has-been Richo and serial idiot McTernan are "Murdoch Men" these days?
Who knows perhaps they always were, it sure would explain a lot
17 Oct 2013 2:30:24pm
Therefore a campaign by Murdoch to elect Abbott, would not matter - you say.
16 Oct 2013 9:44:13pm
No mate, the great lesson of the past 6 years is: don't knock your leader off because he pee'd off a few union hacks. Roxon, who dropped gently into a safe seat, amongst said union hacks.
16 Oct 2013 9:45:44pm
but..but Alpo there was the ABC or LBC (L for Labor) with a billion dollar budget (money more than any other media) tried to spin it many ways for Labor. Ultimately it was disaster readers and listeners saw the through it.
Let us know when you come up with a direct communication method. It better not be tax payer funded with most of the tax coming from people who are towards the right side of Politics. The left and socialist hardly have any funds to do anything.
17 Oct 2013 12:38:38pm
"with most of the tax coming from people who are towards the right side of Politics"
@John ... If so, it is only because a lot of public wealth has been siphoned off into private pockets. A lot of private wealth has been generated by exploitation of public resources (oil, gas, minerals, water, land, forestry, fishing, radio frequency spectrum etc); government created monopolies, restricted licences, barriers to entry etc; use of regulatory provisions to restrict wages and conditions; outright subsidies to farmers and business; provision of a whole raft of benefits and services to farmers and business for free or less than real cost; not to mention a whole raft of tax rorts and perks and protection of private assets to those taking advantage of company structures.
16 Oct 2013 10:22:26pm
They already have a fully functional media arm, its called the ABC. Fortunately, despite their best efforts including the help of Fauxfacts and the commercial channels, particularly channel 7, most people ignore the Labor bias that is pumped out. That's why Labor lost the election, apart from being the worst government ever of course.
16 Oct 2013 10:47:47pm
I'm not convinced that history will look back favourably on Labor's six years in power. Roxon highlighted two policies: NBN and Disability Care.
Disabilty care while a great idea is largely unfunded in an era of tightening budgets.
The NBN was a great opportunity that has been missed and demonstrates Labor's lack of understanding. NBNCo reported in the NBNCo Corporate Plan (2013 draft) that in April 2013 47% of fibre connections were 12Mbps. On a network widely sold as capable of 1Gbps this is contemptible. The traditional Labor voters will be stuck on 12Mbps due to cost, while less than 5% in 2028 have 1Gbps connections.
Only a truly incompetent government could succeed in building a FTTP network where 50% of connections are slower than HFC, FTTN, 4G and approaching half of ADSL2+ connections. Labor were wanting us to pay for a network that was going to be under utilised. Proper decision making by Conroy & Wong could have delivered a world leading network instead of a failure.
Peter Abbott:
16 Oct 2013 11:00:13pm
Mate mate mate, the dog ate my homework.
They were incompetent liars who tried to cover their ineptitude with spin.
Peter the Lawyer:
16 Oct 2013 11:10:53pm
Alpo, you're a legend! Baghdad Bob has nothing on you!
Can you give the old it-was-the-MSM-wot-did-it line a rest for just a day or two.
The facts are clear: journalists have been surveyed many times and as a crew they are to the left of the average Australian. The MSM veers to the left. Channels 9 and 7 probably have the most influence over the average voter and they were not articulalrly favourable to the Coalition during the campaign. In fact they did all they could to try and tell us it was a close race, when anyone could see that Rudd was raving bonkers.
In any case, it could just be that the News Ltd papers were reporting what they knew the people wanted to hear. If they called it wrong theirsales and advertising revenue would have plumetted. So maybe the people had made up their minds about the horrible ALP government that stuffed up evrything it touched.
17 Oct 2013 11:48:28am
Peter, you say that "journalists have been surveyed many times and as a crew they are to the left of the average Australian." Can you provide links to those surveys please?
17 Oct 2013 4:32:23pm
Don't be lazy do a google search ABC journalists left of centre the figure is 85%.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:34:31pm
Peter, how is the law debates going for you in Grade 4 political discussions ? Yeah never mind there is always next year to pass. Stop attacking Alpo and add to the discussion, try as you may Alpo has your small measure.
16 Oct 2013 11:16:43pm
This has been a necessity for my entire life and I'm "pre war".
With all the new options for disseminating material it is utterly ridiculous that the best we have at the moment is a cowed and iffy ABC and newspapers which have to be read with brain fully functional trying to guess at the truth between the bias and lies
17 Oct 2013 12:02:40am
Alpo, so you must have caught Barrie Cassidy's disgraceful love in with Peter Slipper on Insiders, if that is what the ABC call journalism they need to seriously have a look a his position.
17 Oct 2013 2:32:25pm
Agreed - it was nauseating!
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:38:06pm
Pop, are you a soft drink or an invalid pensioner ? If you are the latter, you will soon find hard times under your beloved Abbott.
17 Oct 2013 12:05:55am
You are right Alpo. 100%. And sorry Smurf, but Rudd's social media campaign was a slingshot in comparison to Murdoch's comprehensive, all-media armoury.
17 Oct 2013 12:16:55am
Oh boo hoo, Alpo. Go cry in your beer.
You were trying to BS us that it was all a lie, and that Labor would romp it in.
Instead, they've been deservedly served a pasting, receiving a record low primary vote.
And do you learn? No, it's just "*sniff* Murdoch hates me."
17 Oct 2013 8:04:40am
"and that Labor would romp it in"... No, I wrote that I was expecting a hung Parliament. I was obviously wrong. As for primary vote did you check the Coalition increase in primary vote? Not much wasn't it? Most changes in primary votes benefitted Independents and Minor Parties (except the Greens), a clear sign of general dissatisfaction.... BTW, are you suggesting that the Media (led by Murdoch) are irrelevant in shaping public opinion and therefore swinging voting intentions?.... Really?
Peter the Lawyer:
17 Oct 2013 9:27:26am
The Coalition's primary vote leifted spectaculalrly in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
45.5% is a very respectable number, which the ALP hasn't achieved since 1987.
17 Oct 2013 11:25:23am
Peter, check the national primary vote, mate. That's what I am referring to.
17 Oct 2013 12:10:42pm
Only if you include minor parties in that.
The liberal vote of course was 32%. Well below that of labor. But you knew that!
17 Oct 2013 9:49:29am
Less relevant than the ABC, Seven and Fairfax combined.
17 Oct 2013 11:33:55am
Am I claiming Murdoch (and by extension press media) is irrelevant?
I am stating that the level of influence they have has diminished in proportion to their newspaper circulation levels. Personally, the only paper I read regularly is the Fin, a Fairfax rag.
I find it risible that you blame a sunset industry for your preferred parties obvious failings. Failings that the ex-Attorney General finally admits to, yet you appear to still deny.
Rudd is a megalomaniac, who ran a chaotic government. Roxon said so, Gillard has all but said so, half of the then-Labor Cabinet said so (with their feet, after his reappointment), and most of the media said so, but Alpo blames Murdoch.
"Everyone's out of step, but my Johnny".
17 Oct 2013 1:33:47pm
"I find it risible that you blame a sunset industry for your preferred parties obvious failings."... You just don't understand Dugong. First and above all many of us here refer to the Mainstream Media, which includes newspapers, radio, TV. Murdoch is obviously an icon of the Media industry and his power and control over a big chunk of it in Australia is undeniable. His influence is undeniable overall, but above all what should worry everybody is his influence on a sufficient percentage of the electorate to swing the fate of an election. This is greatly helped by our electoral system especially in the Lower House. It would be great if you lift a bit the level of analysis, this is a truly serious issue for our Democracy.
Finally, nobody has ever argued that the former Labor Government was perfect and made in heaven. Going from there to the myth that it was the worst possible thing that ever happened to Australia, is pure and simple manipulative delusion and blatant propaganda. I am looking forward for you to apply the same scrutiny you applied to the Labor Government now to the Abbott Government.... Should I hold any hope?
17 Oct 2013 4:25:53pm
Alpo some simple numbers for you .
The ALP won 7 of 55 seats as a first preference of the voters.
The LNP won 46 of 90 seats as a first preference of the voters.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:42:18pm
You, dear Dugong have not realised what this Govt. under Abbott can do. You ain't seen nothing yet . When it hits you and your tawdry ilk, do not complain to us.We will be like Abbott, see nothing, say nothing and do nothing.
Act Rationally:
17 Oct 2013 1:48:59am
Even when presented with the truth (brutal, honest truth from a real insider), Alpo blames others.
Oh well, learn nothing then.
I can google the Labor website anytime I want - what other media channel are you talking about? Labor became the spectacle - and this was reported on.
17 Oct 2013 2:14:36am
Venezuela actually has something very similar.
Venezuelan media is outrageously far-right wing, to the point that they actually had a direct hand in the coup against Chavez and anyone who follows Venezuelan news today, know that they blatantly misrepresent everything. One great one recently was the fire bombing of clinics for the poor by opposition supporters, but then the media claimed "It never happened" but then talked to people who were holding a funeral for someone killed in the fire bombings.
The Venezuelan Government then on the state run channel, made a show, hosted by Chavez, where every day ordinary people could come in and ask questions to him, similar to QandA but it was Chavez alone.
That is really what we need I think, a show, where every day members of the public, can actually talk and question, our members of Government.
And no, QandA is not this, QandA is terrible in every regard.
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:21:29am
Alpo, give it a rest, and find another broken record to play. No matter how many times you blame anyone and everyone else for the failings of an inept and dysfunctional party and government, it won't make it true.
You should google "taking responsibility for ones own deeds" Alpo, you might be surprised that a lot of people actually admit when they are wrong, and admit to being responsible for their own mistakes.
Perhaps you should introduce the concept at your next Labor Party branch meeting - or do you think you'll be stoned to death for such heresy?
17 Oct 2013 9:32:20am
James, I will stop when you open your eyes, think.... and understand. Until then: Happy blogging!
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:19:51pm
I do think Alpo.
That's why I can see that blind devotion to any political party is a problem for the individual, and for the future of political discourse in this country.
It's even more scary when it's obvious that some people with such religious fervour are not stupid, or lacking in intelligence, just unable to think in an objective way when it comes to politics.
Paul Taylor:
17 Oct 2013 8:35:31am
You make some very good points. I would suggest that the best communication channel with the people, for all political parties, should be through televised parliamentary debate not just the farce of Question Time where as former PM Bob Hawke is suggesting the major parties have genuine debates & not charades ( like interminable points of order or simply saying NO as in the last federal parliament). In the words of Bob Hawke: where whoever is in government will go with a clear legislative program...but there are some issues on which we can see there are genuine arguments both ways. In this context much of what Nicola Roxon says makes a lot of sense....the better prepared on policy & those capable of delivering it the greater the advantage in communicating with the people & that is how it should be.
In my opinion all political advertising from the rich & powerful lobby groups & individuals in the private sector should be made non- tax deductible if you are going to criticize government in promoting their policy structural reforms....costing the taxpayer through spending works both ways.
It would appear for the time being that the Coalition have averted a true test of their economic management competence during a GFC equivalent: a US debt default....a REAL debt & deficit emergency!
17 Oct 2013 9:42:19am
Hi Paul, I am truly worried that the Coalition may be really put under a GFC-sized test. If they find themselves in that situation they will be confronted with the dilemma of choosing between a speedy cash input into the economy (something that they have been screaming hysterically it was at the core of Labor's "mismanagement") or drop the level of taxation and introduce new workplace legislation to ease the burden on business.... In any of those cases may their god save the Liberals....
17 Oct 2013 2:36:23pm
The Howard government went through an Asian Financial Crisis with hardly a missed step. You probably never even noticed it. Abbott was in that government.
17 Oct 2013 6:02:23pm
Would you mind stopping that nonsense of the Asian Financial Crisis and follow the advice I give to all the clueless bloggers that mention it: Get a graph of the All Ordinaries, look at the period of the AFC and then look at the period of the GFC. Compare!.... and do it, so you stop repeating this total rubbish! The AFC was nothing in comparison to the GFC, nothing!
17 Oct 2013 7:57:17pm
Alpo, The AFC harmed our trading partners in a way the GFC did not.
If China had not prospered through the GFC Australia would have been in dire straights.
In fact Australia lent money to our neighbours like Indonesia to help them out in the AFC.
17 Oct 2013 2:10:09pm
To a degree I agree with you, but parliamentary debate is like the tip of the iceberg, and question time is confected rubbish - based on the fact that conflict and outrageous statements make great TV (like fires and truck crashes). But having spent decades reading hansard each day, I can well attest there's a lot more to parliament than makes the media who tend to want simplistic black/white, shock/horror stories, and particularly those based on personal conflict, not the detail or explanation of policy.
17 Oct 2013 9:33:15am
The biggest mistake was playing to the media. A new topic was needed every week. It made the party appear dysfunctional due to thought bubbles.
a) Of course, that is what all media outlets do. No news is good news
b) See above
c) See above
d) See above
Tony Abbott is smart enough to realize that the media is not their to help. He is deliberately keeping the media at a distance and as a result has forfeited his honey moon period. It may work in the long run as stories get old unless it is a story of implementation.
The ALP only did stories of announcement which was always open to criticism.
Adelaide Rose:
17 Oct 2013 10:32:35am
Tony Abbott wasn't smart enough to realize that if you don't feed the media they go hunting,. Voila, expenses scandal.
17 Oct 2013 2:20:39pm
The media will keep prizing thing open as you said to make a story. The question is will it get to the plague proportions of corruption that was very apparent in the ALP, ranging from expences scandals to protection rackets to prevent justice to ICAC.
17 Oct 2013 3:35:45pm
The direct communication channel that you are talking about is called the ABC.
16 Oct 2013 7:53:10pm
Well done, Nicola, a great speech, let's hope Kevin listens and does the right thing. It is a great pity much of this retrospective on Kevin wasn't aired in this detail earlier. But... better late then never. The ten points are spot on.
16 Oct 2013 9:27:57pm
"The ten points are spot on."
Tragically YES! They were school kids trying to play grown ups and they failed miserably.
17 Oct 2013 7:41:53am
The grown-ups are in power now so the children in their team (all except Abbott) have been told to shut up and get everything cleared by the adult Abbott and his nanny Peta before opening their mouth. Quite expected, of course, because the children don't know what the policies are. I doubt whether the grown-up knows it either as has been demonstrated with the asylum seeker issue.
Also, the children are having problems knowing how to spend people's money, and the grown up is no different.
The circus has started and people will have to endure it for another two and half years.
peppy buzzword:
17 Oct 2013 9:03:56am
So now it all comes down to a Monk and a Drunk. The rest (even Whiney Pyney) have been told to clam it.
17 Oct 2013 9:50:55am
Why release thoughts to the media? To full a negative campaign on the ABC against the Liberal party?
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:23:34am
a speech that, by all accounts should have been made early in 2008...
17 Oct 2013 8:01:16am
Yep well done now the papers instead of discussing Abbott plan to sell off HECS debt are now discussing internal Labor politics again. In an attempt to re-write history to make Gillard the greatest Prime minister ever. She wasn't and last election when it looked liked there was going to be a election wipe out. Gillard rolled up the flags and gave up. Rudd had to be called in the save the furniture, figuratively, for Labor.
17 Oct 2013 2:22:09pm
It is about time people were forced to pay back their HECS debt!!!
17 Oct 2013 11:57:48am
You are surely not implying that there was any conspiracy that Roxon was party to, to replace Rudd with Gillard in 2008?
Choose your steps carefully lest you trip on the truth.
17 Oct 2013 1:56:15pm
It would never occur to Roxon that Rudd was bought back to fix what her and the 'Girls Brigade' stuffed.
She was part of the problem.
Mike 1:
17 Oct 2013 5:54:12pm
Any cheap shot is a good shot Alf ? You do it so nicely. By the by, did anyone tell you they closed Liberal HQ today ? All the Staff are figuring out a way to hide Tony in a laundry basket along with his smelly lycras and policies (Forgive the pun). After 240 washing cycles, out will pop the (near) new Tony. Have faith Alfie, I don't.
16 Oct 2013 7:55:39pm
As a somewhat loud and pugnacious member of "the Left" let me lead the charge and just say I'm somewhat disappointed this stuff has found its way onto "The Drum". Big mistake in my view, as I now believe a precedent has been set for these pages to be filled up with transcripts of political (and yes, I do appreciate she's left parliament) and quasi-political speeches quoted verbatim.
And if the ABC is so keen on word limits, I'm sure they could have asked Ms Roxon to pull together something original, more concise, and a bit snappier than the 6100+ words supplied here. Normally I have no time for right-wingers spilling their guts about ABC standards - I'm afraid to say I'll be standing with them on this one when they start to whine. A very poor show all round.
16 Oct 2013 9:07:13pm
As a proud right-winger all I can say is who cares about Nicola Roxon. She was a failure when in government and now has the temerity to tell the ALP what they need to do to regain power - AFTER she jumped ship. Too bad she didn't do something to make the rabble known as the Rudd/Gillard nightmare electable while she was still a member. Whatever, labor will be out of power for a decade - maybe longer, if they don't move away from the far left.
We the public have LONG memories.
16 Oct 2013 9:43:26pm
Simon, hopefully 2 decades .... God willing.
The Inspector:
16 Oct 2013 9:46:58pm
Simon, you must be extreme right wing. Labour is so close to the centre these days, that they too are becoming right wing. I do not consider Nicola Roxon to have been a failure.
Policy Defunct:
16 Oct 2013 10:32:11pm
As a man born in 1940s I congratulate you Nicola,no right-left wing sleight here,just admiration for a very effective legislator.
16 Oct 2013 11:46:33pm
Why do you think she's a failure? It'll be interesting to see how much difference that plain packaging makes to the decline of smoking rates over time, and how much that'll benefit the community, in both financial and quality-of-life terms. Other countries have indicated their interest in adopting the initiative, and if it does have the expected benefit, she deserves the credit.
17 Oct 2013 2:01:18am
"We the public" are more than just right-wingers such as yourself Simon - do your best to try and remember that.
17 Oct 2013 6:24:58am
"Whatever, labor will be out of power for a decade"... vs. the Abbott Government becoming the shortest Federal Government in the history of Australia..... the plot is truly thickening, this thriller is the best entertainment in town.
17 Oct 2013 5:02:32pm
"We the public..."
A bit of hubris there, Simon, not to mention inaccuracy, bias, wishful thinking and spleen.
By the way, is "proud right-winger" an oxymoron?
"Rabid" is probable are more appropriate adjective than "proud".
16 Oct 2013 9:46:15pm
What a hypocrite you have been bagging the prime minister for the last month and now one of your own dumps on the DUD you want to sack the DRUM.
So now you know what the LNP people who post here to provide balance have to deal with.
17 Oct 2013 1:43:23pm
You may have missed the point of the post - I'm talking about the suitability of ANY "article" of this type, NOT the content of this (or any other future) one.
Peter the Lawyer:
16 Oct 2013 11:02:11pm
Lefty you may be MJLC, but you are also fair minded. I wish that some of the ALP supporters here realised, as you do, that you gain more respect when you occasionally put the boot into your own side when it does something silly.
17 Oct 2013 12:12:16pm
Like rorting the public purse to attend weddings, book launches and recreational cycling events you mean?
17 Oct 2013 1:44:20pm
Thank you Peter. I don't normally reply to compliments, but I value your words - much appreciated.
Act Rationally:
17 Oct 2013 1:58:53am
Well its a warts and all assessment of the Labor government over the last 6 years, so it is entirely appropriate that this type of honesty is published in full.
Anyway, here's to Kevin remaining in parliament! May he long serve the Labor party!
17 Oct 2013 1:45:21pm
See my reply to Mortan AR - what the article says about Kevin isn't the theme I'm banging-on about here.
17 Oct 2013 10:17:25am
Do you think Kevin should go?
Surely this bloke given his treachery should leave the party and preferably the parliament as well?
Curious on your take....
17 Oct 2013 1:45:56pm
Yes, I do Cus.
Jo E.:
17 Oct 2013 12:49:28pm
MJLC: I say chum, your 'poor show indeed' carries cliche after cliche in a few sentences. Try to write like Nicola does, say things in your own words - you could discover something of value.
17 Oct 2013 3:28:39pm
I'd be fascinated to discover whose words you think I'm using. And, as the defenders of Rupert's rags are prone to saying; if you don't like it, don't read it.
16 Oct 2013 7:58:10pm
Navel gazing at its most profound.
16 Oct 2013 8:02:02pm
"1) Labor must always focus on the fact that good policy improves people?s lives and that is why the party exists."
Plain packaging was the absolute and one and only policy that improved Ms Roxon's life as wel as the reading and recognition and situational awareness of the counter staff at Coles and Woolies. What made that all worth it was that it had absolutely no negative effect whatsoever upon anybody at all, except for those poor unfortunate myopic checkout chicks.
That every single other piece of legislation that the Gillard government passed barely improved anyone's life (not even Wayne Swan's surplus) abd drastically ruined many innocent peoples' lives, and it is only after the past three years that I have come to realise that THAT is why the Labor party exists. To screw as many people as you can get away with without becoming too unpopular with the ones you aren't currently in the process of screwing.
Minority government ? More like a minority destruction goverrnment.
16 Oct 2013 9:49:00pm
I cannot see how 'plain packaging' improved anyones lives.
Unless you mean it improved the tobacco companies bottom line from having to spend as much money on packaging? Or perhaps how it improves the ability for black market tobacco products to slip through the system because all packets look the same?
If cigarettes are truly evil, ban them. I thought, and still think, the plain packaging initiative was a waste of taxpayers money and hot wind.
16 Oct 2013 10:21:47pm
Well while I applaud the plain paper packaging there is yet again another untold story in the cost and woeful implementation in that there was astronomical costs involved in the buy back and subsequent destruction of all the old packaging, and yes I was involved and we still talk about it 18 months later
Baa Humbug:
16 Oct 2013 11:09:00pm
Here is the truth about plain packaging of cigarettes. Sales at Coles and Woolies have INCREASED by up to 6% since plain packaging.
The simple fact is, since all packaging is essentially the same, smokers have changed brands more readily, especially the young. No longer do they feel the need to be seen smoking a particular "cool" brand. Many many smokers changed to brands up to $5 per packet cheaper. Cash poor young people all of a sudden had money for more smokes, hence the increase in sales.
The so called progressive left never seem to grasp the reality of unintended consequences. If it feels right, it must be right and right for everybody.
When progressives think they know what's good for everybody else, we end up with record amounts of legislation that interfere with our lives. The fools even boast about passing so much legislation.
Nanny Roxon indeed.
Bean Counter:
17 Oct 2013 11:52:23am
Baa Humbug (11.09am) Wasn't it a simialr story with the pre-mixed Alcopops fiasco (also Roxon as I recall)? Weak and sickly pre-mixes became quite expensive so the YOOF started buying bottles and then mixing their drinks quite a bit stronger...and cheaper!
Also; isn't it obvious that making something attractive AND cheaper will lead to more consumption? Isn't the nanny-state left always telling us this about "junk" food?
So how come they can NEVER put two and two together, EVER?
17 Oct 2013 4:01:17pm
When I was at Duncraig High School in WA in 1985, I never smoked but Laura the girl I used to drive home after school in my old EK Holden Special (Parisian Lilac w/wht roof 1962 gry-mtr 3-spd man 66,000ml, good cond one own 3-mth rego, $700 ono. ) and most of her mates were into the PJ Blue 15s because they were less than a dollar. Apparently JPS is all the go now next to Bond St (Philip Morris) Deal Reef, just lower quality less healthy same price. Healthways should change their name to Sickways.
17 Oct 2013 5:16:24pm
If people are buying the cheaper cigarettes at the major stores , that would mean that the cigarette companies who sell higher price products would be losing sales and income .
Now that the packets are plain , it is an opportunity for others to get a better control of the market .
Government could take complete control of the selling of cigarettes and all profit could be plowed back into health care system .
Do cigarette companies who used unethical advertising to get people hooked on the deadly habit of smoking really need any buyer's loyalty now .
You can feel sorry for dairy farmers when the supermarkets sell milk for $1 a litre but not for cigarette companies who are losing market share to the cheaper brands because of plain packets .
Peter the Lawyer:
16 Oct 2013 11:11:40pm
No good policy lets people better their own lives.
17 Oct 2013 3:40:38pm
How about the abolition of slavery?
17 Oct 2013 12:02:12pm
"I cannot see how 'plain packaging' improved anyones lives." Greg 2013.
It was Roxon's hood-ornament policy, so it obviously made her feel all happy and full of herself. Did youi see how in love wioth herself she was on tv yesterday while she was bagging Rudd and all the time squalking about how 'nice' she is? Must be the effects of her plain tobacco smoking because that's all she ever did in 3 years.
Optometrists must be raking in a fortune selling specs to checkouit chicks, as mentioned above, The extra time and intense concentration it takes me to squiz across the counter at the lists of labels on the closed boxes means everything takes 10 times as long AND THEN the girl ag the counter has to have the decent eyesight and grade six reading cimprehension skills to quickly determine the correct allocation of the nice gunmental grey cardboard packet that fits the verbal spoken words that the customer told after having taken the time to scan through the price list carefully. They are not listed in alphabetical order,nor in order of price, so comparison of brands and prices are a bit like a game of mastermind.
Regarding whoever came up with the idea that the plain gunmetal-grey packaging is responsible for people changing brands , mate, you ought to work for the government with an imagination like yours. You could be Ms Roxon's PR man.
IT IS NOT because Marlboro and Bond Street now have the same colour packaging that I buy one packet of Marlboro on payday, and then serpentine down through the bondies to the Ox as the budget dwindles, IT IS BECAUSE Bond Street 20s now cost what Marlboro 20s MAY HAVE cost if there was anyone civilised left in this country; $10.90 at Woolies; while Marlboro 20s cost $5.00 more. Again it is all because of the theiving tax. It has nothing to do with plain packaging making both the quality brand and the discount brand (both by Philliup Morris) looking the same from the packet. Only someone who has absolutely no experience whatsoever with smoking tobacco could believe something like that. It is because of the huge difference in price between the preferred healthy tobacco which is goo d for my lungs bodily oxygenation, and the cheaper tobacco 66% of the price, which is less familiar and not so healthy on my body, but still more healthy than smoking rollies or bumpers.
The only one who benefitted from plain packaging was Nicola Roxon's ego.
16 Oct 2013 8:03:20pm
Its great to see that a labor politician [ former ] step up to the plate and tell it like it is....and yes Kevin its time to go....go find an overseas job and leave the labor party alone
16 Oct 2013 9:12:55pm
Sorry Sidney but its up to the people of Griffith to decide whether he should remain in parliament, and they have for some 15 or so years continuously voted him in. You can't take away their vote, or Rudd's voice.
16 Oct 2013 9:31:38pm
What? It is only a month ago Labor were telling us Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister material and we should vote for him!
You mean to say they were just talking rubbish? Again?
16 Oct 2013 11:06:08pm
Telling it as it is would say that Rudd was the one with the ideas
he started NDIS, he started the gonski reforms, he started the carbon tax / ETS idea - then Gillard and Swan talked him into giving up on it. Others can remind me who started the NBN.
as for Gillard, by retiring after the election, her pension for life is based on her salary as the PM. I believe she has hit the cap of 200k a year for life. Not sure what her pension would be if the cap was ever quietly lifted when Labor get back in.
Did Gillard decided to have the loser of the leadership ballot quit politics after Shorten and Wong told her they were supporting Rudd ? If she remained as a MP, she would now be an opposition MP, her salary would crash, and would never get the large pension she is on.
telling it as it would say could say that Gillard took the money and ran, and declined to go back to the opposition back bench.
And telling it as it is would say that Rudd saved seats, he is still getting openly attack by people in the party, and isn't responding to the attacks as it would damage labor.
As long as Rudd keeps on winning pre-selection by the labor members in his area, and the voters keep on voting for him, he is free to continue to be an MP
16 Oct 2013 8:03:57pm
Bravo. I watched this live and nodded along. It is the uncomfortable truth and anyone who lives in Canberra (and many who don't) knows it.
Paul Bowler:
16 Oct 2013 8:08:34pm
Whilst Nicola Roxon's hit the nail on the head. why did she not articulate them some years ago? I said at the time Kevin Rudd became Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party (whilst in Opposition) that it would all end in tears, and so it has come to pass! Perhaps if she had spoken up (much) earlier, more often and more loudly, Labor's fortunes may not have ended up so badly.
16 Oct 2013 9:34:30pm
Seems she has broken her own rule....
"1) Labor must always focus on the fact that good policy improves people?s lives and that is why the party exists."
But that is nothing new is it? The last six years have been "Do one thing while saying the opposite"
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:16:00pm
She did say that they never explained to Rudd exactly why he had to go.
But then, would he have listened?
16 Oct 2013 8:13:03pm
Point #1. What some people like Nicola don't seem to understand is, that the more that people continue to bring up the issues of the past, comparing them with the present time & making criticisms and verbal abuse, the more the people of Australia continue to get fed up with it and just want to "move on". Sometimes Nicole you need to learn to shut up.
Point #2. Its even worse when people like Nicola are the ones pointing the finger, when themselves are also guilty of disgraceful parliamentary actions. We all know that prior to going on her ANTI-TOBACCO rampage, that Nicola had first tried to lure the tobacco companies to pay donations to Labor and only after they declined did she begin her tirade against them. There is a lot worse as well but can we please just move on from the Rudd v Gillard issues of the past, its gone, buried, and if Rudd does someday wish to contest a leadership of Labor, if the party elect him, then I guess he was the preferred option? Nicola do you forget we are in a democracy? Perhaps its not the way you would like to run things.
Act Rationally:
17 Oct 2013 2:00:44am
Actually I'm loving it thankyou very much!
Biased MSM? Looks like they were doing some very accurate reporting!
Too bad some people don't want to face the truth and want the past scrubbed.
16 Oct 2013 8:18:28pm
You have not learnt anything if you think the Carbon Tax was an achievement.
The carbon tax was the beginning of the end of Gillard.
My copy of the article is incomplete because I could not find the bit about it being a mistake to unwind the Pacific solution.
16 Oct 2013 11:56:05pm
The pricing on carbon was one of the biggest achievements of the last government. Even though I would have preferred the ETS method of pricing carbon, I was okay with the fixed cost option to start with. I believe history will prove that those how boldly stood up to take up action on this were on the right side of history and those who peddled lies and distortions and tried to spread fear among the population with the ludicrous "Whyalla would be wiped off the map" and similar narratives were on the wrong side. It is only a matter of time before even these people will feel compelled to change the rhetoric. Gillard's failure was walking away too quickly from the ETS option, and more importantly failing to communicate properly the reason she chose the fixed cost option and pointing out that the ETS would replace the fixed cost in year 2015.
All surveys indicated people had accepted pricing of carbon as inevitable and there is little evidence it went against Labor in a big way for that reason. Some people did take exception to the way Gillard communicated the change to them but even that faded away once pricing on carbon came into effect.
Gillard's beginning of the end was the day she treacherously removed the elected Prime Minister of the country.
jane Middlemist:
17 Oct 2013 9:52:28am
Your last sentence sums it up. Once the lynch mob removed kevin: all downhill from there, until now and probably for years to come.
17 Oct 2013 1:15:21pm
I am quite sure that Rudd was going to lose the 2010 election.
Gillard got away with displacing Rudd because she got a big upswing in support based on her gender and being the first female PM. She also made the right noises "sustainable Australia not big Australia" "No carbon tax but I will build the case during rthe next parliament"
One has to say that the strategy worked because she formed a minority Govt. However due to the problems created by Rudd from 2007 - 2010 and the public's inclination to get rid of the ALP altogether I felt that support for Gillard was reluctant amongst swinging voters and not very deeply held (Apart from the small number who voted purely on a gender basis).
Gillard found herself as PM without any brownie points or goodwill to sustain any major problems. Rudd had drained the well of goodwill.
The Carbon tax became that major problem. It was done because it was a condition of Greens support. A careful case was not built and a mandate was not sought. I still maintain that was the beginning of the end.
I also think some price on carbon is inevitable but I don't support the present model. Thinking it is inevitable and supporting it are actually two different things.
There is very little support for the carbon tax in the business community , particularly small business.I don't know about the rest of Australia but in WA the small business community employs 50% of the workforce so is very important.
Great attention is paid to "the people" on issues such as the carbon tax because they are the voters and the political implications are paramount to polititions. The people have been over compensated for the carbon tax.
However the economic implications of the carbon tax to business is rarely discussed yet it is vital. The carbon tax increased the cost of doing business in Australia. Many businesses could not get "compensation" by passing on the associated cost increases.
Unemployment has been slowly rising. The carbon tax does is not responsible for all that rise but it is not responsible for none of the rise.
16 Oct 2013 8:22:57pm
11) step away from the Union Movement and start selecting MP's from a broader range of backgrounds.
I will never consider voting for the ALP whilst the Union Movement endlessly hovers in the background.
16 Oct 2013 10:13:42pm
Given that the labor party was founded by the union movement I suspect your vote is permanently lost. But of course it you are happy voting for lawyers and the farming aristocrats then keep doing what your doing.
It seems to be going well??
17 Oct 2013 12:46:14am
TC, wasting your time telling that to Roxon, she was an industrial Lawyer with her snout firmly in the union trough. Fabian Left Ideologist Socialist without any real life experience.
Where's Tony:
17 Oct 2013 8:53:29am
And that's worse than being a "Hardies" lawyer with your snout firmly in the trough, please tell me why so.
17 Oct 2013 2:34:33pm
A lawyer whose single parliamentary claim to fame is plagiarising other peoples words. And we pay her for that?
17 Oct 2013 2:30:05pm
I will tell you what?s worse WT, a lawyer that makes union slush funds that she and her boyfriend can them skim from. Need to restore your house or go on a clothes shopping spree???
17 Oct 2013 1:27:17am
I am always amazed by posts of this sort and wonder at the depth of anti union sentiment by some people. The ALP is the party of the union movement so it's not surprising that the union movement is involved with the party. If you object to the shadowy union presence in the background, you should also be opposed to the shadowy faceless men and organisations that control the Libs and Nats too, but rarely a poster mentions this? All social democratic and labour parties have an union involvement as does business or church interests in all conservative parties whatever their name.
17 Oct 2013 2:16:45pm
And did you read her list of newcomers and recent Labor members and check their backgrounds? There was a lot of variety there and don't forget, most union "leaders", by the time they get to that level in their union, they have spent a number of years working in the relevant industry, representing and negotiating with their members as well as employers.
Jane Middlemist:
16 Oct 2013 8:24:52pm
I watched this on tv tonight. Interesting to hear N.Roxon STILL trying to justify the ousting of Kevin Rudd, still trying to destroy his character and reputation, and THEN counselling others to be"nice".
Unlike Kevin, I can't forgive (and forget about) the lynch mob bringing labor into disrepute and behaving in such an election-losing manner.
The anti-Kevin mob are still trying to brainwash the rest of us (voters) into believing that their behaviour was understandable, even tolerable.
N.Roxon joined in the calls for Mr Rudd to leave politics. I was so pleased when she left and now wish that she and her cronies would just shut up.
16 Oct 2013 9:11:48pm
I find those requests from some former Labor politicians for Rudd to leave politics totally outrageous, but I perfectly understand the same request coming from the Liberals. They hoped to get rid of Rudd at the election, but failed, miserably. In fact, I am of the opinion that Rudd MUST NOT leave politics right now. His presence in Parliament must become a symbol of Labor endurance and resilience, unlike the dishonourable exit of John Howard from politics.
17 Oct 2013 3:46:01pm
I think that many Liberals would agree with you. As you can see, today, Labor is distracted by infighting and therefore is unable to function as an opposition. Long live Kevin!
16 Oct 2013 11:59:20pm
No one has to try to destroy his character. His actions towards others demonstrated his many failings as a politician and human being.
17 Oct 2013 12:10:54am
How disingenuous it was of Roxon to counsel people to be nice and giving dubious accounts of Rudd's failures in this regard! Reminds me how Abbott promised to be "nicer gentler" and soon after stood before the "ditch the witch" placard and made personal derogatory comments about the PM. People have become used to such hypocrisy from politicians.
I would have been convinced of her sincerity if she had mentioned the savage personal attacks of Conroy, Swan, Combet, Emerson, and Garrett against Kevin Rudd when the Julia Gillard called the spill the first time. These people had no regard to the damage they were doing to their own party. As someone who had no personal preference between Rudd and Gillard both of whom I considered as good parliamentarians, I was dumb-founded at the utter disregard of these people for the good of their own party. I can remember thinking what if a sudden twist of events caused Rudd to come back and becomes the leader again? These people were basically burning the ships and trying to make sure whatever happens to the party or the country, Rudd should never become the leader of their party and the PM. Roxon conveniently overlooked such atrocious behavior which was nothing but character assassination.
All Roxon managed to do is tell us how vehemently she supported one side of the conflict. She also demonstrated she did not have much regard for the success of her party at a time when most of them had managed to put the conflict behind them and were looking to the future and were starting to have some success.
17 Oct 2013 12:17:03pm
Terrence, can you quote what Combet said to attack Rudd, where it was reported and when he said it. The reason I say this is I believe Combet was one of the few who didn't publicly attack him. May be you can show me where I was wrong.
16 Oct 2013 8:25:45pm
You said it all Nicola, eloquently and as kindly as possible given the circumstances then and now. Every member of the Federal opposition should keep your speech handy as a check list to ensure we do make progress towards resuming the progressive development of our country. Thank you.
16 Oct 2013 9:36:36pm
Roxn just confessed to participating in a shambles and you somehow equate that to "progressive Development"?
I think you missed the point.
Paul Bowler:
16 Oct 2013 8:28:02pm
Further to my last comment, Nicola's comments also support my contention that although, in the 6 years' of Labor government we had 3 Prime Ministers (Kevin Rudd (twice) and Julia Gillard), the Labour Party (and Australia) never actually had a leader - both PM's lacked essential leadership qualities, which was on display every day! Bill Shorten will prove no better. In fact he has already proved that point in the manner in which his "shadow Cabinet" was picked - by 2 factional warlords ("faceless men") and not by the Labor caucus. It appears that they - the ALP - will never learn!!
16 Oct 2013 8:28:03pm
Do not see how all this helps Labor now. I probably will not vote for Labor for a long while to come. Too many over-sized heads and egos. NDIS hopelessly politicised from the start, not thought out properly, leaving many people with disabilities subbed out. Oh, well, then I remember you are all only politicians, maybe we need something different in Australia.
16 Oct 2013 8:29:32pm
I have never read as concise and accurate summation of the failings of a party and leadership as this. I suspect the great tragedy of these failings will be felt in the years ahead as Tony Abbot comes to grips with trying to "fix" what he said has been broken.
The greatest failing of Julia Gillard was not policy but a lack of leadership in the party's focus on selling the political message and the inability of senior members of cabinet to be disciplined in the selling of policy to the public. It was a great loss that she was not allowed to grow into the leadership role like so many others have done and Australia as a result lost potentially one of our greatest PM's to taudry attacks.
16 Oct 2013 10:09:37pm
Here Here theImus!!!
It is very sad that the overt bullying culture of Rudd was not dealt with in the best way....many of us in our working lives would not tolerate it. That he then resorted to a "passive aggressive", "smiling assassin" approach, IS unforgiveable. I imagine it would be a very difficult task to maintain focus. My question is why is his bullying of both kinds to be rewarded with the privilege of office?
17 Oct 2013 12:02:00am
The ALP faithful at their best. It wasn't the government's policies, it was the inability to sell a message that was it's greatest failing.
Bean Counter:
17 Oct 2013 1:39:55pm
Chad (12.02pm) be kind. These luvvies are still in deepest grief.
It's like what that bloke told the judge; there was no problem with the Miracle Slimming Tea. It was just that the suckers who bought it didn't appreciate how good it was.
If only the scamster could PROVE that the suckers' eyes were lying, he'd not be in such a pickle, I tell's ya!
Bruce Welch:
16 Oct 2013 8:32:23pm
Not bad, but never forget that as attorney-general she tried to introduce some really awful draconian legislation.
I think she had started to lose the plot too.
17 Oct 2013 8:01:18pm
Yes remember she was admonished by a judge for organising for Slipper to use the judicial entrance to the Courts.
Begs of sandy:
16 Oct 2013 8:33:06pm
..........and now their caucus selects as leader, a politically treacherous, mummies-boy no-body, who freely admits his role as a slaughterer of leaders, and who couldn't attract a majority of party members at a party leadership ballot!!!!
Does the ALP have a death-wish ???
It must surely be time for a Hitler-like true leader to take the reins of Australia, and lead us out of this peurile, navel-gazing morass ??
16 Oct 2013 11:34:48pm
Are you crazy? We have leaders.
We've got one who can ride a bike and do tricks on an old tyre. What more do you want?
Come to think of it, after this one has aided and abetted global warming for a few years we may need one who can speak in diver's tongues
Bubble bubble, gurgle, gurgle, gulp!
17 Oct 2013 12:51:51am
Billy "The Blade" Shorten will take his bat and ball home just as often as Rudd did.
16 Oct 2013 8:34:29pm
Well said, if a trifle too late. Any person with half a brain could see that all this was happening. We are just disappointed that you didn't speak out at the time, preferring instead to save your own skins.
17 Oct 2013 3:49:42pm
Good point. While Kevin was PM nobody in his government said "We hate Kevin" After he was ousted, they all said it. They are just cowards apparently.
16 Oct 2013 8:34:51pm
Brilliant and massively informative speech. I hope Labor's current pollies will read and digest it, I hope Kevin reads it and gets the heck out of parliament.
And to the spineless Labor pollies that voted Julia out and Kevin back in - you spineless, spineless wimps, your lack of backbone cast Labor to the wilderness for possibly a decade. Hopefully you will follow Kevin out the door.
17 Oct 2013 2:08:25am
It was a great mistake for Kevin Rudd to return and lead the ALP in the election and ensure they were not reduced to the 30 seats Gillard was heading for.
If the ALP had been wiped out then Gillard, Roxon and Pliberseck would have no credibility and the Emily listers would go away.
16 Oct 2013 8:36:00pm
Well no surprises for LNP supporters we knew what was happening and posted it here to the howling and stomping of the lefties who backed their messiah to the hilt.
LNP supporters also know Tony Abbott is a decent bloke ask his staff. Now I will sit back and wait for the howling and stomping of the lefties to begin.
16 Oct 2013 9:41:37pm
Absolutely! But I bet not one of them has the temerity to stand up and say "Sorry, we should have listened".
Nuh, for so many Labor supporters nothing matters beyond barracking for their side, in all its ugliness.
The Whitlam aftermath demonstrated the brutality of Labor to me and I have never forgotten it.
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:20:36pm
Howling and stomping was Abbott's way.
16 Oct 2013 10:26:20pm
And the relevance is...?
17 Oct 2013 12:04:11am
Exactly. The left have a habit of confusing fact with fiction.
16 Oct 2013 8:37:47pm
Thank you for your candour Nicola. It is refreshing to hear someone say it as it was.
I totally agree with you that Kevin Rudd has to go. Labor needs to make a clean break from the dysfunctional past and whilst Kevin Rudd is still there that will never be possible.
Jeff H:
16 Oct 2013 8:38:03pm
A great read -- hope the current Labor party take it on-board and act on your advice and limit Abbott to one term. Enjoy your retirement
Red Henry:
16 Oct 2013 8:39:56pm
What a bit of confected self serving nonsense from a passive aggressive Kevin basher. My disgust at the removal of Rudd, the wrecking of the Labor vote and the smarmy post facto self justification was amplified by the relentless brutality of "Operation Character Assassination".
You remember that, Nicola? Your small, delicate role. Bastard Kev, Friendless Kev, Rude Kev. Funny how he managed to attract some of Labor's finest to his cause. History will judge your bastardry harshly.
16 Oct 2013 10:27:53pm
Labor's finest? I seem to recall most of Labor's finest retired when Kev was voted back in.
Anne T:
16 Oct 2013 11:04:35pm
Yes, Red Henry, people such as Nicola forget that those who supported Rudd speak volumes for who he is and many of those supporters are as you say, "some of Labor's finest."
Act Rationally:
17 Oct 2013 2:03:26am
Meanwhile the public assessed Rudd's bastardry pretty harshly.....
Imagine what he must have been like to work for if this sort of assessment is made. He must have been a real piece of work.
Imagine sabotaging your own party's election campaign?
Anne T:
17 Oct 2013 2:04:08pm
Act Rationally, one could just as easily ask what sort of person Roxon must have been like to work for. The sort of person who it seems heard others treated poorly but did nothing except support the 'behind closed doors faceless men' toppling of Kevin Rudd.
Sounds to me as though she is 'two-faced' and cowardly. To come out now with all this vitriol reflects very poorly on Ms Roxon.
If she claims that he 'sabotaged' the 2010 election campaign by leaking, why doesn't she follow her own example and keep internal Labor Party matters 'internal.'
David :
16 Oct 2013 8:40:12pm
What a great speech! Nicola should have been PM based on those 10 tips. Like a lot of management rules, they are all basic common sense, but often not adhered to.
16 Oct 2013 9:45:07pm
"Like a lot of management rules, they are all basic common sense"
Totally agree, and that sums Labor up. For the last six years we have had a government devoid of common sense!
The Opposition knew it, the mature media knew it, the majority of Australians knew it and Nicola Roxon just testified to the fact.
The question is why have Labor supporters and the ABC denied it for so long?
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:33:13am
Care to explain then, why it is being said now, after an election loss, when any decent politician with an ounce of self respect and respect for the people they represent would have stood up earlier?
Labor or Liberal, I really despise the way politicians either leave office, or are relegated to Opposition before "telling it like it is".
I know people aren't perfect, but I am sure if there was a bit more honesty, humanity, and bit more openness, we'd respect politicians more, and we might even get to have a decent government one day... maybe in the next 100 years...
The Blue Smurf:
16 Oct 2013 8:41:40pm
As written by the former member for Safe Seats and replaced by Brumby prot?g?, Tim from Fitzroy nee - Toowoomba. Fiztroy to Footscray, let's hope he doesn't need to access the city or eastern suburbs in peak hour too often. Sorry, what was your point?
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:22:29pm
'Sorry, what was your point?'
Pay attention instead of rambling and you might get it.
17 Oct 2013 3:51:18pm
Stop wining!
Harry Gerard:
16 Oct 2013 8:42:18pm
Interesting speech. Why do politicians often sound so much better when they have just left office? possibly the 'madison ave' mode is over and some candor can ooze out. However the talk is a bit Rudd-centric ignoring other failings like the factions, faceless men and selfishly clinging to power with a dysfunctional 'majority' when an election may have been better for the country.
16 Oct 2013 8:43:53pm
Actually, it would be a lot better if Labor, or in your case, ex Labor members would just shut their mouths and get on with it. I realise you all want your 10 minutes of fame, get a book deal, and the chance to put the boot in, and place blame, etc etc...but whenever any of you play the Darth Kevin card, it just reminds everyone why they didn't like you very much.
I am sure if Chris Bowen came on here, he would have a different spin on things regarding Rudd. And I have to say Nicola, out of yourself and Bowen, I would definately prefer having Bowen on my front cabinet than yourself.
Just to sum up; Kill off your leader and then act like a bunch of monkeys; lose the election. It doesn't matter how you would have spun it to the electorate. Howard wasn't very popular with a lot of Liberals either, but they knew he was the boss, and did as they were told. Discipline, it is called.
Oh, and don't forget your old bosses; The Faceless Machine Men. Wonder why you didn't mention them eh? I know that THEY didn't like Rudd the factionless, especially after he didn't do as they said...
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:25:57pm
'I realise you all want your 10 minutes of fame'
An ex Attorney General seeking 10 (actually it should be 15) minutes of fame?
That's a pretty lame put down. She's had years of fame and now wants a quiet life.
16 Oct 2013 10:29:12pm
Right. Never analyse, never learn from the past, just summon the stiff upper lip in case someone gets offended by the analysis.
16 Oct 2013 8:44:09pm
Good on her for getting up and saying this stuff.... it is good and important that players such as her get it out.
However... re the Kevin thing at the end... at the time as I remember it the whole thing was explained as being not about Kevin so much as being about winning the election... he had messed up the mining tax and the climate change issue that the polls had turned...
Therefore I think Roxon is a bit self serving here. He was not knifed because he was a 'bastard'... rather he was knifed because the ALP feared losing an election.
by the way... I do cut Roxon some slack as she does come across as being extremely genuine and truly motivated by the 'right' reasons...
16 Oct 2013 8:44:11pm
Thank you Nicola Roxon for spelling it out as it should be spelled out.
It is one of the great paradoxes of contemporary Australian politics that some of the most progressive and potentially beneficial national policies and laws were implemented at a time when the leadership of the Government was being systematically undermined by a minority of amoral self-centred egotists from within its own ranks, ably assisted by a corrupt media cabal. By any analysis, this is a great achievement, and an important example of how good government can be achieved, although clearly at great personal cost to those doing the hard yards.
You are right about the liability Kevin Rudd represents so long as he is in the Parliament, he simply cannot be trusted.
16 Oct 2013 9:48:24pm
Kevin Rudd simply cannot be trusted? But you wanted us to vote him in as PM!
You mean to say you would be happy to have someone you know is untrustworthy as the leader of our country rather than let the other side win? How duplicitous can you get?
17 Oct 2013 12:32:36pm
Yes Tony, as hard as it is to say it some of us think Rudd, as bad as he was, was still light years ahead of Abbott.
16 Oct 2013 8:44:52pm
You lost me, Ms Roxon, with this stupid and nasty little comment...."Australia will need a stronger Labor Government next time, to repair the damage that will be inflicted by Tony Abbott "
Labor lost the election because of their blundering, uselessness and utterly dysfunctional way of running the country, plus their contempt of the ordinary working man, which, after all..is what Labor is supposed to be about.
Because of your garbage, your carbon tax lies, BER rot, thousands lost their jobs right across the country.
You lost also, because of your inhouse fighting, your disunited and squabbling schoolyard crap that most of us just got plain sick and tired of.
You lot are still fighting..Anna Burke aint happy, neither is Jacinta Collins. Long time strong labor women..spat on by your latest leader the sly back stabbing Shorten who hasn't a clue what his dear leader Gillard ever said..but agreed with her anyway! what a tool!
And of course there's the illustrious Michael ?Williamson, to add to the Obieds, MacDonald's and the countless other Labor pollies caught with mega corruption agenda's.
You disgust this working man Labor..totally disgust me.
And you have the nerve to try and tell us Abbott will do damage!
Go away, and stay away, for a very long time.
16 Oct 2013 9:51:02pm
Thankfully Shane there were enough like you at the election to stem the tide and set us free from the train wreck.
Thanks. Now we face the task of rebuilding.......
Wining Pom:
16 Oct 2013 10:28:37pm
Kept your job in the worst financial crisis since 1929 did you?
B is for Beer:
17 Oct 2013 1:14:19pm
No actually, on the 4th job since the ALP took power and about to lose this one thanks to their enduring legacy ! Have you one of those cushy ALP/ABC jobs Mr Pom ?
The street knows the truth.
The real question here is why did this elected people's representative ( MS Roxon and many others) not say these things before such a person was elected by her Caucus to being our PM Twice !! Why were we not warned, even by our Attorney General !
Oh wait, some of them did ! Lost their jobs or resigned and were disparaged accordingly by the Machine.
Lost the plot the ALP and just won't face up to the facts, here or anywhere it seems.
16 Oct 2013 10:30:36pm
A working man that thinks Abbott won't do damage is not a very smart working man.
17 Oct 2013 3:59:59pm
A working man who thought Kevin Rudd was on their side is not a very smart working man either. He was a failure.
17 Oct 2013 12:06:20am
I doubt the LNP will create a policy that they know will lure people to their death.
17 Oct 2013 12:23:07am
I suppose it may be because with the Liberals the adults are in charge which is why only Abbott speaks. Anyone else who wants to speak has to be cleared by his Peta first. The few occasions when they tried to speak out of turn, like Pyne, Hockey, and Smith, they had to make quick backflips or admit they were not across the details of the policies.
On the opposition side, I like many are frustrated with their constant navel gazing even when they know it could cause them some political damage. However, I would much rather politicians give us their opinions freely rather than be led as sheep by someone who by his own admission does not have much in his "suppository".
17 Oct 2013 7:43:38am
Maybe if you learned to listen you would hear the other voices on the team. Your deranged fixation with Abbott just limits what you hear.
That and the fact that the media always look for conflict or disagreement. A united team attracts far less media attention.
Just try listening to the next briefing on the boat arrivals and see who does the talking. I think his name is Morrison NOT Abbott. After complaining about only one briefing a week you will be listening won't you?
When you hear just how few boats are arriving now don't fail to give credit where credit is due will you?
17 Oct 2013 2:11:52pm
You are right, I agree Morrison is the only one who is earning his bread. Even though I don't quite like his policies, and I didn't quite like Labor's either on this issue, but it is hard to fault Morrison's delivery and work ethics, particularly when you see him working within the constraints imposed by Abbott.
The only other one I'll state here right away in case you come back, is Arthur Sinodyne (sorry about the spelling). This man has got some talent but he has effectively been demoted. Hockey works hard too, but has serious limitations not the least of which is consistency and getting the figures right. EVERYONE else is a passenger, including Julie Bishop and Andrew Robb. No one had heard from Bishop (both of them) in all the six years. The only time Julie Bishop was seen was when she unsuccessfully tried to pin Gillard on the AWU matter - nothing at all on foreign policy. It was a blessing in disguise for the Liberals that Sophie Mirabella could not be elected because she would have got an important portfolio and what a disaster that would have been!
Well Then:
16 Oct 2013 8:46:14pm
That's telling him. And from someone so high up. Who else is going to come out of the closet. Liberal supporters are now vindicated. And I don't mean the swinging labor voters.
Unfortunately he is still stringing Griffith along.
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:39:57am
Well, to his credit, he did win the seat, and deserves the right to represent the people of Griffith, until such time as they choose someone else.
Maybe he really is a decent MP? They do seem a bit like hens teeth though...
16 Oct 2013 8:48:09pm
Typical. She said nothing of this whilst in power and now tries to make herself into something that she is not. There are many words that could be used to describe her.....
16 Oct 2013 8:48:27pm
Hindsight is such wonderful commodity. It makes us all so smart and wise. Unfortunately, it is how you perform under the pressure at the time - is what matters.
Having said all that, I still believe that in a majority government and without ongoing undermining from Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard would have made one of the best Prime Ministers ever. She is a very warm, capable and intelligent person. Actually she did reasonably well with the minority government as well. However, having to compromise her promises and policies in order to get support from so many politically diverse individuals, created the impression of inconsistency and uncertainty. Unfortunately that is all the voting public was able to see.
I have a lot of respect for Nicola Roxon. She showed high degree of trust and loyalty. That is why I am extremely disappointed at Tanya Plibersek, Jean Macklin and particularly at Penny Wang who deserted her former close friend and ally for selfish political reasons.
16 Oct 2013 8:48:28pm
Yes good speech, but a great shame she failed to mention Labor's lack of compassion with regard to asylum seekers. I for one will never forgive the party who always got my vote for their actions.
16 Oct 2013 10:16:26pm
@MurrayH you are the first person to bring up Labor selling out on asylum seekers. Labor lost me for a long time because of that. Bob said the Greens would take 50 years to get power but there's a void in the left now where Labor was.
A nation of bigots, 85% of us voted against asylum seekers by voting Lib or Lab in `13. Will someone not living in the 50s please run this place?
16 Oct 2013 11:36:48pm
Yes the asylum seeker issue is a hard one. I came to realise any party would be stuck on this as the Australian people seem so redneckish towards them and lets face it, the main parties have to go along otherwise they will not get elected.
Just last weekend a friend (liberal die hard) asked me "Did I realise they got more than old age pensioners". No matter how hard you try to talk facts they just don't want to know.
16 Oct 2013 8:48:30pm
The fact remains that Rudd was elected an MP and owes it to the electorate to remain. How someone as dysfunctional as Rudd was elected as leader is another matter. Oddly enough, it was Rudd who introduced a different approach to electing a leader. Nonetheless the newly elected leader does not have majority support with the membership.
17 Oct 2013 5:48:39pm
Seems to me that the voters see the refugee/boat people issue very clearly. As long as the refugees see any chance of getting here and staying here, they will come, by any means they can. It is therefore essential that they see no prospect of staying here - result no boats. Politicians of left and right and a majority of voters want to stop the boats, because they do not want people to drown on the high seas. They can see that the sugar that tempts refugees must stop. As long as the sugar exists. people will come in their thousands. Kevin Rudd's dreadful blunder was to put the sugar back on the table. He is personally responsible for the deaths at sea.
16 Oct 2013 8:49:39pm
Its always interesting to see what politicians say once they are out of the ring. For years people in this country have been blasted by the Labor party for saying exactly what many in the Labor party were thinking all along. These people did their best to persuade us to vote for someone they considered a dysfunctional bastard.
16 Oct 2013 9:52:27pm
It's not about us David. Where Labor are concerned it is always, absolutely always, about them.
17 Oct 2013 9:05:57am
Labor even bought Rudd back for a 2nd go at us! wtf does that say about them?
They're a mob of useless fools...unfortunately for them, the average australian is not!
Labor honestly just doesn't get it.
The average working man doesn't give a toss for plain packaged smokes, or pie in the sky crap about global warming on a planet that has never remained the same from one century to the next.
Labor has turned the working man against it, the amount of guys NOT in unions is huge and probably would have huge for a long time before this, if it were not for the fact that it was compulsory. How damn gestapo was that!
Labor is full of bully boys and corrupt sods...I hope to never see them in power again during my lifetime.
17 Oct 2013 5:51:07pm
The reason they dumped Rudd and the reason he returned was simply to save labor MP's seats. Pure self interest. They did not even consider how they might damage the nation. What a rabble they are!
16 Oct 2013 8:50:27pm
Well said. Yes Labor does have a lot to be proud of especially when viewed under the circumstances of a minority government during the last three years. and yes we as a nation need Labor to get its act together so it can take government away from Australians version of the USA Tea Party.
Now gals and guys stop the back biting and get to work. A DD election will be a great opportunity to dump Abbott before its too late.
16 Oct 2013 9:16:51pm
darn: Love your optimism pity you couldn't add some realism.
17 Oct 2013 6:44:37am
Headline from the SMH ...
"PM won't act over expenses"
"Don Randall has claimed $10,000 on travel, $2500 on books, yet Tony Abbott won't budge."
Do you and other Abbott huggers support such corruption? A little more then a month into government and already Abbott's government is a train wreck.
Where's Tony:
17 Oct 2013 9:05:07am
I was interested in his choice of taxpayer funded books. "Children's Cookery", now who'd have guessed that the "Adults" would have need of them.
peppy buzzword:
17 Oct 2013 11:08:03am
Maybe he is going on Annabels cooking show. We will probably get the bill for the air fares there as well.
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:45:38am
Which country are you talking about, because the last 3 years in Australia have seen a few good things, but a hell of a lot of bad things come out of what was laughably called a government.
Can you provide a list of exactly which Coalition government policies are also Tea-party ideals?
16 Oct 2013 8:50:47pm
Replacing Kevin Rudd in the way he was replaced, so suddenly, in 2010, killed the Labor Government - it just took until 2013 for it to bleed out.
All retrospective attempts to justify this are too little, too late. The story needed to be told in 2010, Labor's own supporters needed to have a chance to understand why Kevin needed to be replaced, Kevin himself needed to have a chance to change, etc. Justifying things in 2013 is 3 years too late (well actually the justifications started in 2012 but that was still 2 years too late).
The truth is this. Ministers like Nicola Roxon never had the courage to openly tell Kevin Rudd he needed to change in his just under 3 years as Prime Minister until 2010. Then all of a sudden in the last few days of that Prime Ministership they fell all over each other to push him out - they couldn't take it anymore. If they were genuinely removing Kevin because Kevin was a bad prime minister, then they should have actually tried to get him to change course much earlier and the change shouldn't have been so sudden. Unfortunately for them, it looked to all the world (and still does) that a bunch of factional hacks who felt personally disrespected by Rudd decided to toss him out and replace him without bothering to offer the faintest justification to the public who had elected Rudd.
It is often said that the media was very instrumental in the destruction of the Labor Government, and that's true. But let's face facts - Labor gave them most of the bullets.
Peter the Lawyer:
16 Oct 2013 10:58:27pm
It has been obvious for a long time thta Kevin Rudd is not really totally sane. He was a terrible PM as a result, bouncing from silly idea to idiotic thought bubble. He was the kind of person who sounds plausible to the people who don't know much about the world, but who is an obvious dolt to those who have any real understanding of ways things work.
17 Oct 2013 1:38:58pm
If in fact you are a lawyer then I'm at a loss to understand why you would think that you were privy to any understanding of the "way things work".
Do you think you came by this wisdom in the scattering of first year Arts subjects which you undertook in your degree?
Perhaps it was while scrabbling round for dollars in other people's psychological garbage bins?
What were his silly ideas?
That climate change was the greatest moral and economic challenge of our time? (Just stick around - you won't have long to wait).
It is the tragedy of our world that mediocre reactionary dills in our nation-state societies will always triumph over anyone with a bit of a spark.
Kevin Rudd is not your normal dope. He learnt Mandarin and that immediately sets him apart from you and your ilk. He also had noted the social uses that had been made of Norway's oil wealth. That sets him apart from Joyce and Abbott who cringe after billionaires.
His wife portrayed him as a person who might forget what he went to the shop for.
I don't need a PM who is good at grocery errands. I suspect that you do.
Have you checked the Geological Time Scale lately? Where do you think we are heading?- for another ice-age or do you think the present Interglacial has got some time to run?
What significance does the recent discovery of steranes have do you thin?
Have you done any conveyancing lately, or is most of your time taken up doing deals with the police over the gaol terms to be given to schizophrenics in Magistrate Courts?
David Latimer:
17 Oct 2013 3:18:54am
As Ms Roxon herself points out, Kevin Rudd was unfairly dismissed by the party that champions laws against unfair dismissal. They had their reasons, but they are minor. None of the reasons relate to misconduct. They surprised him totally and it was absolute humiliation for Mr Rudd and the ALP. They could have at least tried to solve the problem internally.
17 Oct 2013 6:24:20pm
But, given that they all hate his guts, hardly surprising. I recall a dismissal because everybody hated their guts - place where I worked. An unfair dismissal claim was brought. It failed.
16 Oct 2013 8:52:19pm
I was very much enjoying this article, and thinking that it had a lot of credibility, until 'finale'. If your message to the Labor party is to keep sinking the boot into Kevin then forget it. Moving forward?
Claudius Pseudonymus:
16 Oct 2013 8:53:14pm
So says another union hack who felt so entitled to parachute herself into a safe seat.
Still in denial, I see. Can't accept that the ALP LOST the 2007 election and then bought its way back to govt by paying off those 3 Independents $1 billion each, protecting a lecher like Thomson and worst all, making the entire country pay the 30 pieces of Silver which was the Judas price that the Greens extorted from Gillard and which she tried to tried to disguise as a Carbon Price.
Blame it all on Kevin ......! How typical! 10 house keeping rules? How abt
1) Don't LIE
2) Stop overspending on the national credit card budget and blowing the budget all the time
3) Don't cry tears or cry misogynist each time you are exposed as incompetent
4) Stop all the family bickering and concentrate on good housekeeping
5) Stop hanging the dirty laundry in public
6) Stop cooking the books and budgets
7) Don't make promises of savings and surplus when you KNOW that's never gonna happen
Oh geez. I could go on and on but enough said already. The voters sacked the bad housekeeper and we brought in a new broom. This new broom has already swept away some flim flam flannery, slowed down the numbers of unwelcomed guests or asylum seekers and will soon clear the air of the Carbon Tax as well. Yes, I think this new broom will do very well.
16 Oct 2013 9:54:56pm
A new broom, a worn broom, even half a broom. When the house is as full of rubbish as Roxon admits then any broom would do.
Thankfully we have an excellent broom and the cleaning has begun.
17 Oct 2013 6:44:38am
I've got the next one;
8)Stop laying the boot into low income earners.
16 Oct 2013 9:01:44pm
I always found Roxon obnoxious, impolite and unlikable. However, this speech shows her intellectual capacity and pragmatism. I recall Janet Albrechtson basically saying the same thing about the need for Kevin to go, just days before his counter-coup. Go Kevin, into the sunset... you lost two more seats in Qld than you needed to...
16 Oct 2013 9:07:05pm
Roxon -sorely missed, please come back, in your own time, at your choosing, you will be very welcome.
16 Oct 2013 9:08:33pm
What a great honest speech on Labors 6 years in power and the mistakes and also the success. I get the feeling Ms Roxon is saying in a polite or diplomatic way that Kevin was a bastard and a control freak.
16 Oct 2013 9:58:13pm
Yes. When she said he was a bastard, it was a polite or diplomatic way of calling him a bastard.
Alison Cann:
16 Oct 2013 9:10:07pm
It is a shame Nicola that after this great effort we will go back to all the conservative guff and politeness and niceness of other people that they put here. No alcohol, drugs or cigarettes here or sex. This is The Drum.
Free speech is free speech.
But Australia does not have it. Australia does not have free speech, Nicola.
Australia does not have free speech, Nicola.
We are a backward nation. Some people will not like what you said.
What is news?
What someone at some time does not want published, all the rest is advertising. Now bring on the ads.
Wagga Mick:
16 Oct 2013 9:10:37pm
Will the Labor Party ever learn a lesson. Kevin was popular because he promoted himself; he was not seen to be part of the "factions", people almost forgot he was part of the Labor Party in the beginning. Gillard was never going to be success; she simply did not have anything in common with a large portion of the population. Where was Roxon; why didn't she put her hand up; same appeal as Gillard.
Bill Shorten I am sure is a very intelligent man but I don't see him setting the house on fire. Again the popular choice, Albo, is dumped by the "factions". When will it ever end? Tony will have a total dream run. What a man of vision he is : axe the tax, stop the boats, ride the bike. Jobs done. What a joke. Either he is an idiot or he thinks everyone else.
Come on Labor, where is our modern day Bob Hawke. You will be the opposition for years if he or she is not found.
16 Oct 2013 9:11:42pm
Thank you for this refreshing and honest talk. I respect you and thank you for all your work in a good government that focused on inclusion and the good of all the people. Your advice is sound and hopefully will be heeded.
I could not understand the sacking of Rudd but over time his lack of leadership became apparent and since then he has proved himself a man with no honour. He and his followers have shown contempt for voters and should resign, history will not be kind to them.
MSM have worked hard to give us a government with no policies or vision, only lies and the desire to destroy and serve the self interest who backed them. Even now old media has shown no interest to scrutinise and demand answers on behalf of the people, we will see if the expenses rorts comes to anything but with a PM the top offender, accountability is only for others.
16 Oct 2013 9:15:57pm
How does Nicola Roxon relate her RULE 5 to her attacks on Kevin Rudd ?
Labor will never learn They have been a divided Party since the 1950s' and will continue to be that way.
16 Oct 2013 9:17:19pm
What a fantastic article. I don't agree with all (but who does agree with all points in such an article) but it was the most positive explanation of the negative side of Kevin.
There is no doubt that both Kevin and Julia were workaholics, and the above does highlight Kevin's poor tolerance of others not as committed.
There is some excellent advice provided, and I hope Shorten has the IQ to take it on board. (my choice was Albo and i believe we would have done so).
Regardless, I see such healthy analysis will help the ALP bounce back faster than many people expect.
16 Oct 2013 9:27:06pm
Ms Roxon acknowledges they did not explain the removal of K Rudd. That would have been forgivable if Ms Gillard had managed to adequately explain and 'sell' their visions beyond that day. But how do you sell the idea that you can ask us to vote you on one policy but do another to placate a green rump. Maybe honesty should be rule 11!
16 Oct 2013 9:33:41pm
Here we go! Another former Labor minister barking on about what a Bastard Kevin was!
The members of the federal Labor party of the last few years are all a pack of bastards. They couldn't tolerate him, they thought he was unworkable, they thought he was an egomaniac ... they all thought he was a king size s**t yet they were prepared to offer him up to the Australian people as Prime Minister.
They all deserve to be in political oblivion for years.
Peter Abbott:
16 Oct 2013 9:33:55pm
So this Kevin Rudd that they are all taking about no one met him or had heard of him prior to 2007 election. He could have had the plague and been Krazy Kev and they would have followed him into Government.
Nicola you need to accept responsibility for helping Kev into office and stop trying to make Julia look like anything other than the most incompetent PM in our history.
17 Oct 2013 9:49:38am
".. the most incompetent PN in our history" Aah - to be so young!
17 Oct 2013 12:38:19pm
And no-one in the Coalition had ever met Brendon Nelson or Malcom Turnbull, apparenlty
The bear on the hill:
16 Oct 2013 9:33:58pm
Nicola is a straight shooter. The Prime Minister is the first minister, not the minister for everything. Labor allowed itself to fall into the trap of lazy poor journalism ie the 24hr news cycle, sound bites, and presidential style. This starved the government of oxygen. The failure to eradicate scandal quickly left festering wounds, fodder for the media &Tories. Poor tactics, poor discipline & Disunity fogged a marvelous record achieved despite minority government. Two terms of opposition will allow time to rebuild. On TV Abbott is an embarrassment, a clueless witless charmless inarticulate oaf, can't wait for Malcolm to knife Abbott
16 Oct 2013 9:43:33pm
Wow, what a speech. So full of wisdom and common sense. Thanks so much for informing us all about the inner workings of the Labor government over the past 6 years.
It is indeed a wonderful guide for all political parties, but especially for a progressive party that aims to make the future better for all Australians, not just some of them.
But it raises some very interesting questions relating to the choice of candidates in the first place, and then the selection of Ministers and Prime Ministers. There is clearly a particular skill set required to be a good Minister, and a different skill set required to be a good Prime Minister. How can we change our democratic processes so that we get people with the right skill sets, (experience, people management skills, communication skills, team building skills, community connections), into these extraordinarily complex and demanding jobs?
I surprise myself by suggesting that maybe we need to have special education courses that teach prospective politicians (of all persuasions) about these matters before they can even nominate for election to parliament? I know it sounds crazy, but maybe it actually isn't!
17 Oct 2013 10:46:47am
Before you get yourself a bezoar from the injudicious habit of swallowing things "tail and all" I suggest that you read pages 160 - 198 of Maxine McKew's book "Tales from the Political Trenches".
Perhaps it might also help your wider vision of these matters if you check the piece by "Freddie" at 10.49, 16 - 10.
That said, and despite my reservations about your gullibility, and despite my fundamental disagreements with Roxon and Gillard &Co about what they did, Ms Roxon's talk has caused you to have some very interesting fundamental questionings about the structure of our elective oligarchy and that, in itself, is a profoundly good thing.
Perhaps the courses for politicians you propose should be after they are elected?
Perhaps there should be education standards for electors? Why for instance should we hand our decision making faculties to people given power by biased stupid ignoramus.
Is our politics so much less important than our bridges and our ulcers that we require engineers and medicos to be highly educated for their jobs, but electors and those they elect can be both abysmally ignorant and profoundly stupid?
Keep thinking and please keep offering suggestions.
However we have to
17 Oct 2013 1:58:51pm
BJA, I'm really not so concerned about these 'he said, she said' arguments. I wasn't part of these events so no account, whether it be by Roxon, Rudd, Gillard or Shorten, passes any sort of peer-reviewed test that would convince me of anything. I am far more interested in what Roxon has said about the need for political parties, particularly progressive ones, to display the sort of team work and discipline that I expect my favorite football team to display.
But to pick up on the question of education standards for politicians, what do you think of the idea of the Electoral Commission running education programs for prospective politicians, and then providing an 'un-biased' report card on their relative capacities, capabilities and responses to key policy issues to the voting public, rather than voters having to rely on glossy pamphlets and TV ads produced by political parties.
This might actually reduce the overall cost of running federal elections. But it would make it easier for good candidates from minor parties or independents to replace 'party hacks' who spend decades in Canberra without doing anything constructive? Could this sort of system lead to both better educated voters, and better politicians in all parties in Canberra?
16 Oct 2013 9:48:04pm
I listened to this speech live and found it to be candid and with a ring of honesty and common sense. It is just a shame that some of these things were not articulated earlier.
I've read some of the comments to this article and find it depressing that so many people are so negative and petty and just plain nasty. Nicola deserves to have her say. As she said herself, it is the first and last time she planned to speak about these matters. People can comment on this site as if they know better, but I'd prefer to hear from someone who was there in the middle of it all.
16 Oct 2013 9:51:40pm
Well done Nicola, be nice if some others backed her up because most of them feel the same.
As far as him being elected, I think some sections of the community are just clueless.
Peter Abbott:
16 Oct 2013 9:53:42pm
The ALP are all the same they would eat their babies and then tell it to the journalists.
Nicole you need to get a touch of reality and tell us your place in the Rudd period. Sorry didn't hear that??
16 Oct 2013 9:55:09pm
I do agree with Mrs. Roxon that there were many, many mistakes made within Labor but also a lot of great successes and anything is better than a Liberal government who doesn't share with us what is really happening with asylum seekers and passes laws that are an infringement on human right. But this is the worst time to come out with this speach, because people are sick of the power struggles and backstabbing within Labor and we just want to see someone starting to publicly question the Coalition's bad policies in Parliament or to actually come up with some good team work and ideas themselves.
She must realize that this is not helping. By her own words: "If you are part of a Labor team, and care about its mission, you put that before your own hurt or ambition." Household tip: Don't only put the dirty garbage out, also clean the house.
16 Oct 2013 9:55:14pm
Labour can talk about themselves forever and a day, until they get a policy, and some economic literacy they will have plenty of time to talk about themselves
17 Oct 2013 6:32:05pm
Which of course makes Tony Abbott a very happy man. Do they not see that?
Mike M:
16 Oct 2013 9:56:26pm
The damage done by Kevin Rudd to the Labor movement is profound. Sadly he promised much and delivered very little. His failure as PM could be excused as human frailty, but sadly he was prepared to damage the party to satisfy his own fragile ego.
16 Oct 2013 10:00:46pm
A honest, and honestly need speech highlighting and discussing so much of the conversation Labor never had with the public.
We're all very lucky to have had Nicola as both an attorney-general and federal health minister and I wish her all the best at the Kitchen table.
16 Oct 2013 10:06:36pm
#7 "Labor should welcome debate, not fear it". Great. So let's debate Labor's notion of appropriate penalties for corrupt union officials like Michael Williamson. The stark contrast between Bill Shorten's idea of what's appropriate and Paul Howes' acceptance of Abbott's plan to bring penalties into line with those for corporate criminals for starters. I refer to the front page Australian Financial Review article on 8th July this year. "Under the coalition policy issued November 2012, officers of registered organisations would face fines of up to $340K and/or five years imprisonment. ... In its response to the FWA investigation into the HSU, the (ALP) government stopped short of what the coalition was recommending." ... Mr Shorten more than tripled (wow!) the penalties for breaches of workplace law to a maximum of $51K for an organisation and $10,200 for an individual. There would be NO criminal penalties..."
Some of us are just a tad sceptical about the Bill Shorten version. What is more, it is simply not credible that someone like Shorten would have had NO IDEA of the expensive lifestyle of the former party president or of the way he ran the union like his personal fiefdom. I am a former union member myself, and I think Shorten's claim that the penalties accepted by national AWU secretary Howes are "scapegoating unions" is total B.S.
Next, explain Shorten's treatment of Kathy Jackson who exposed the corruption in the first place. Nothing has changed. Anna Burke was right when she recently spoke up. Jackson's "crime" was apparently worse than Williamson's! Some of us want to see somebody we can trust, John Faulkner for example, leading the ALP. Nathan Rees and Robert McClelland can also hold their heads up high. (Most of) the rest of you should examine your consciences if you possess such inconvenient items.
Have a good one!
16 Oct 2013 10:06:52pm
The speech so many bewildered ex labor party members and supported needed to hear, thank you for restoring some faith that some elected members might actually have been focused on the people of our country and the policy, not the personality and the ego. I only hope the current elected labor members have the same insight and honesty to name it up and take on these ten points.
16 Oct 2013 10:07:39pm
Yes, except you guys elected the Ruddbot knowing what he was like. I knew he was a bastard from a friend who was in Foreign Affairs. Doesn't mean he couldn't be PM. I'm pretty convinced that Rudd saved seats. For all Gillard got dreadful press and disgusting treatment for which the coalition should ever be condemned, she also, like many of the cabinet could not sell the ideas. She had terrible political judgement and the idiots who ran the coup could easily have gone to the election, won with a reduced majority and then tapped Kevin on the shoulder. Gillard would have had time to make her case.
Stupid people as far as understanding the nation goes and unfortunately Gillard who showed poor judgement at Slater and Gordon continued to show it,even when she had the right idea in general.
16 Oct 2013 10:12:01pm
With friends like Nicola, who needs enemies ?
. . . cheap attitude for a former "attorney-general" !
poor Kevin had to deal with these people as well as running the country ?!
16 Oct 2013 10:15:57pm
Easily as informative, insightful and riveting as Anna Burke's welcome speech to new parliamentarians.
16 Oct 2013 10:16:13pm
A great speech from a great local member. A special thank you Nicola for placing the MS drug galenya on the pbs. Thank you.
16 Oct 2013 10:17:05pm
"Once the hospital we were scheduled to visit the following day was changed en route in the PM's plane. We went instead to a city hundreds of kilometres away, and had to pay for over 20 hotel rooms near the original hospital as we cancelled too late for a refund."
And there is just one small example of the total confusion that generated such monumental waste. If they couldn't organise at this level then the only wonder is how the deficits weren't twice the size.
I expect the public service has sheltered us from the extremes of incompetence to the extent it was able.
16 Oct 2013 10:21:00pm
Well said Nicola, it needed to be said and you did the job.
The Labor Party will go ahead again (as it always does) but with only one thing in mind. To rail against the Liberal Party and its current secrecy and see them ousted at the next election.
People may have seen Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard as "dreadful leaders" but three years from now (unless Abbott calls a double dissolution because he cannot get the carbon tax through) you will have survived the worst Prime Minister in Australias history.
His party has already started on the downward spiral of "rorting" their expenses and it will only get worse. The public have long memories and Abbott will not be able to ride this out.
At least the Labor Party has an open organization who are not afraid to let the Australian public know what is going on, unlike the Liberals who have closed the shop and are not informing us. That is our "right" to know what the Government is doing and also to be informed by them. Anything less than that is a Dictatorship.
17 Oct 2013 9:57:16am
"His party has already started on the downward spiral of "rorting" their expenses..."
Buttercup - you do realise these rorting incidents took place years ago, don't you? Not in the few weeks since the election.
17 Oct 2013 10:15:11am
Oh, we do realise snowball.
From shock jock weddings to book launches to recreational cycling to soujourns in India to investment properties in FNQ.
Protracted, constant, ongoing.
You do see the problem here?
17 Oct 2013 11:08:24am
No, she doesn't know that. She thinks that suddenly, in one month..every Lib pollie started running off to weddings lol!
These incidents happened years ago and are about as relevant right now as walking on the moon.
Gotta love these idiots and their crystal balls. We've just had 6 years of absolute disorganized crap yet the crystal ballers try to tell us the Libs and Abbott will be worse?
In that case we might as well all go jump off a cliff.
Brian of Buderim:
16 Oct 2013 10:23:16pm
Nicola Roxon was talking about the ALP from the point of view of a very involved, very close to the action insider. It is an intriguing thought to ask how many of these points are, or will be, equally relevant to the LP/ NP/ NLP/ CLP Coalition.
All Roxon's points relating to ethics, honesty, truth and morality already are.
We seem to have exchanged a gang of honest but incompetent leaders for a gang of dishonest and incompetent leaders.
And to think that the next election is up to 36 months away!!
16 Oct 2013 10:23:47pm
Even after the incompetent Labor Government has gone ( and good riddance to bad rubbish ) to Labor Circus is still in full swing.
I cant stop laughing now.
Oh, how I miss the 'selfies' from the former Prime Minister of Australia, or should I say, Big Brother candidate, Kevin 'dud' Rudd.
16 Oct 2013 10:25:47pm
Nicola Roxon represents Australian excellence - intelligent, capable, strong, does not suffers fools, honest, hard-working and warm-hearted. A high-achiever all round.
I imagine John Button would be smiling at Roxons brave and open speech.
Roxon acknowledged Shorten & Plibersek were the dream team. Couldn't agree more. A formidable team.
Must have hit a nerve - within 24 hours Julie Bishop & News Ltd smear the exceptional Ms Plibersek - her decency and intellect will shine through highlighting Bishop as the old Liberal has-been non-achieving hack.
Game on.....
Bill B:
16 Oct 2013 10:28:12pm
Ms Ruxton's litany of advice for ALP future practice and her enthusiastic trashing of Kevin Rudd would have had a degree of credibility if it had been delivered at the time the party reinstated K Rudd as Prime Minister.
Instead she waited until Rudd delivered what was expected, an electoral loss which avoided the cataclysmic loss which had been forecast.
As a voter who chose to stay with an ALP vote as a contribution to saving some furniture, I find Ms Roxon's speech along with the faction driven recent cabinet selection worrying trends.
Papering over problems and demonising Kevin Rudd will not cut the mustard at the next election.
Unless the major reform agenda, symbolised in the leadership vote, but as yet unrealised in almost every other area of ALP life, Bill Shorten's career will parallel Arthur Caldwell as a long term opposition leader: a pleasant man but without a credible party behind him.
Col'n etc:
16 Oct 2013 10:28:51pm
Well, we know who Nicola Roxon believes is Labor's "dream team". Perhaps she should have refrained from using the word dream. And speaking of repeating the same mistakes, it looks to me as if Labor is still heading that way, by electing Bill Shorten to be their leader. Seems that's back to the future for the true believers. If Labor could only overcome their factions, which divides the Labor movement and therefore sets it up for failure. The pragmatic Albo is obviously suited to lead Labor. Ms Roxon's nasty megaphone criticism only serves to revive the past, not heal wounds, and in the act, she diminishes herself by doing so. Like him or not, Kevin Rudd has every right to decide his representative future in the seat of Griffith, for which the people have elected him.
16 Oct 2013 10:45:48pm
Thank you for your honesty Nicola Roxon. You have summed up the issues brilliantly.
17 Oct 2013 7:45:33am
A bit like a criminal confessing his crimes before facing the firing squad being acclaimed for their 'honesty'.
A tad late don't you think?
16 Oct 2013 10:49:08pm
For someone who was a 'live in love' of young Billy Shorten and who's actions and words played a role in the bust-up between Bruce Wilson and then, yet to be, Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Nicola should know eventually, the story will emerge.
Oh to be young again.
But there is no doubt, that some of that 'condemned' leaking to the Media, attributed to Kevie Rudd was clearly, indirectly or otherwise, from the wilful Billy Shorten.
During the last Election, Rudd showed great anger at the lunatic advice that came out of the ALP Federal Campaign Office, that was instantly proven fallacious. Nicola's 'crowd' (on behalf of Shorten) remarked during the Election that he (Rudd) was reverting to type. He, of course, had every right to be angry. She (Nicola) was not contesting her seat.
Not forgotten no doubt (by Rudd), that during the lead-up to Rudds dismissal, two prominent ALP Executive members, Robinson and Ludwig, both Factional Czars repeated shortly after Kyoto, exactly what George Pell remarked. "I'm a climate change sceptic". And the ALP Caucus and Cabinet, secretly and in confidence moved in that direction. Meaning, Rudd as the PRIME Minister had to support that view. But the Media condemned him (Rudd), not the Caucus. And our illustrious Cabinet Ministers sat mum on 'Cabinet solidarity.'
And the Murdoch Press proceeded to 'Banner Bash' Rudd, for a back-flip, all around the streets of Australia. His popularity inevitably took a dive. But it would have bounced back. Gillard sensed Shortens mob was making its move. And she said hang on, I'm the Deputy PM, your not taking my rightful position off me, and so made her move. She knew she had 10 votes to each one of theirs and would never get the opportunity again. But her time then, as Deputy, was limited by the move on Rudd.
So what's Roxon up to now? Simple, to provide a credible excuse for Shortens performance, down the track, so he remains Leader for a long time.
Alas, its too late, for Tony Abbott has already done young Shorten 'like a dinner', in a classic battlefield manoeuvre. And poor Bill Shorten, hasn't digested yet, but will never get back in the game.
Sadly, Labor's woes will take awhile to sort out.
Even if it was Cardinal Gearge Pell who remarked at the 2009 AWU conference '...it's Tony's turn, THEN its Billy's turn...'
Poor 'Bloody' Members !
"Poor Fellow My Country".
16 Oct 2013 10:51:27pm
Nicola's speech was remarkably soft on Gillards performance. To say she couldn't communicate is an understatement. Unlike Rudd she lacked any sense of gravitas and charisma. She may have been a good beaurocrat but she was a hopeless politician. Somehow this did not make it into Roxons speech. Her justification for the 2010 deposing of Rudd was truly pathetic. It seems to her that it was simply a failure of explaining why Rudd needed to be deposed that was the problem. No - it was the manner that was the problem.
16 Oct 2013 11:00:12pm
Oh the things an ex-politician can say when she couldn't when she was a politician!
16 Oct 2013 11:05:59pm
Gillard "--- a diligent and trusted deputy. I never saw any evidence to the contrary".
Well, Ms Roxon, others certainly did.
Sometime in the first half of 2008, less than six months after Labor had been elected and when Rudd's popularity was in the stratosphere a person who is very knowledgeable about the Federal Labor Party and of the inner workings of the Federal government told me, as if it was an established fact, that Rudd would be undermined in the press and that as soon as his popularity was low enough he would be replaced by Gillard.
At the time I thought he had lost his marbles, and then watched in amazement as exactly what he had said all happened.
For your story to be credible to me, I would have to believe that Maxine McKew is a liar, and I don't believe that Maxine could tell a lie on the rack.
If as Maxine states that in a speech to the special caucus meeting where he lost the Prime Ministership Rudd revealed that Lindsay Tanner and Penny Wong had argued to retain the ETS but this had been strongly opposed by Gillard and Swann, given that Rudd had made it the single biggest focus of his Prime Ministership, how do you construe this as loyalty? It is this act of disloyalty which explains a great deal about the first Rudd Prime Ministership.
As I've said elsewhere Gillard's "Game on" to Abbott having just got rid of Rudd (with the assistance of Paul Howes, Abib, Bitar, Williamson, & Co. - remember them?) was literally, in the circumstances utterly revolting.
As for your gratuitous advice to Rudd about what he should do for the good of the Labor Party, I don't think you should be offering anyone advice on that matter.
The contents of your talk have seriously damaged Labor's chances of recovery from the harm that has already been accomplished.
You, Bitar, Howes, Abib, Williamson, and above all Gillard, have installed a disastrous Prime Minister leading a disastrous government in Canberra.
17 Oct 2013 8:20:20am
Absolutely spot on.
Labor will remain in the wilderness for a very long time until they realise government should be for the citizens, not the factions, nor the egos.
Once again factions rule. Which was Rudd's "execution warranting" offence. He was not of a faction.
He is elected and should serve the term.
It just shows how true it is that people find it hardest to forgive those whom they themselves have wronged.
16 Oct 2013 11:10:09pm
This is just a long rambling diatribe from a wretched third rate former health minister. Clearly, she has a series of well paid sinecures in the private sector already lined up. This settling of old scores in public is so lacking in class. This disgraceful character assassination of Rudd is a measure of the dreadful woman's character. I fully expect her to be a columnist for Rupert in the near future. Parliament will certainly not be any poorer for her absence.
Lenny Bill:
16 Oct 2013 11:11:45pm
And still Labor are talking about themselves. They will never learn which is why they are in the wilderness for the next decade.
16 Oct 2013 11:12:18pm
Hooray!! Finally someone prepared to say what needs to be said and in much kinder fashion to Mr Rudd than I could have managed. Still despite Rudd's faults and foibles and dare I say it, thoroughly nasty disposition he was a far better option than the current PM who will in a smiling, oafish manner not dissimilar to Ronald Reagan sell our country to a bunch of amoral, greedy and countryless corporate entities who will then set about stealing all of our assets and reducing us to the role of servants and slaves in our own country. It's worked out so well for them in the US eh!
16 Oct 2013 11:27:55pm
So this lays bare, for all to see, how insanely focused the Labor Party has been, not on establishing or improving good governance for all Australians, but on its own survival, pure and simple.
Why didn't Nicole Roxon have the guts and conviction to say all of this when it mattered - i.e. when we mugs were being called upon to support the Rudd 2013 campaign ?
This is the final nail in the disgusting and rotting Labor coffin. I'd be surprised if it is exhumed again before 2020, even with dimple-boy "trust me" Shorten now at the Opposition controls.
Ms Roxon, you and your kind make me puke!
Leave politics forever and take as many of your Labor apparatchiks as you can, with you - for the good of this fine country !!
17 Oct 2013 7:48:39am
The tragedy is mate, the Labor apparatchiks fully believe government of the shambolic nature testified to by Roxon is good government!
They couldn't manage a food fight in a school yard but think they are at the pinnacle of the leadership tree.
Hudson Godfrey:
16 Oct 2013 11:28:00pm
Ah the old Top Ten, approach ably critiqued by luminaries as celebrated as the late great George Carlin. Tonight with apologies to him I think we should look at doing much the same thing here that he did with the Ten Commandments.
George started out and I'll quote the bit to emphasise why I'm doing this.....
".....why did they pick 10? Why not 9 or 11? I?ll tell you why- because 10 sound official. Ten sounds important! Ten is the basis for the decimal system, it?s a decade, it?s a psychologically satisfying number (the top ten, the ten most wanted, the ten best dressed). So having ten was really a marketing decision! It is clearly a bulls--t list. It?s a political document artificially inflated to sell better. I will now show you how you can reduce the number and come up with a list that?s a little more workable and logical."
1) Labor must always focus on the fact that good policy improves people?s lives and that is why the party exists.
2) Governments as a whole and the prime minister in particular, need to keep their focus high level - spending time and energy on the things that really matter.
3) Good leaders are good delegators.
4) Labor needs to welcome debate, not fear it.
5) Be polite and be persuasive.
6) Always ask what you can do for the party (and the nation) not what it can do for you.
7) Good governments run best with good diaries.
8) Choose good people - as leaders, as MPs and as staff.
9) Accept you are not always right, and cannot always fix everything. It?s easier with this as your starting point.
10) And lastly, never forget polling is only a snapshot, not a predictor.
Points 1, 2 and 6 are really just a progression of a single idea. To improve people's lives you need to focus on things that matter to the people you represent and not what politics can do for you.
We could say that points 3, 7, 8 and 9 are the critical antithesis of the above outlining what not to do as a critique of politicians who fail. It is a poor statesman who fails to recognise their own personal limitations, and a poorer one who can't trust his colleagues enough to delegate.
And lastly points 4, 5 and 10 jointly address notions of leadership, embracing debate, being persuasive and rising above poll paranoia might better be lumped together under the banner of something Martin Luther King Jr. once said "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus."
And if those are adequate distillations of Roxon's points then they also highlight the degree to which internal divisions sapped the former government's ability to function in ways that ordinary voters and the odd savvy pundit tried so many times in countless ways to convey, seemingly without success.
true blue ozzie:
16 Oct 2013 11:32:17pm
Thank god thats the last time I'll ever have to "here from that"! thing.
A fine specimen of everything that was wrong with the labor party !!!!!!!!!!
Woopy do Roxan your only claim to fame was wasting tax payers on your personal vendetta against tobacco companies who you blame for his early death! Dont ever think for a minute you ever did anything of substance for Australians, because you didnt.
Oh you and your clan of midnight back stabbers surely didnt think Rudd and his voters were going to shake your hands for such a despicable cowardly act did you ?
You and your clan are totally responceiable for the destruction of the labor party, and RUdd had ever right to be pissed and undermine you bunch of losers, yes losers because your actions set in stone the future of labors destruction and election loss this year.
Its time you losers stopped wasting good air time trying to paint your selves as the victims !
Roxan, Gillard, Plebsick, Swan, Conroy, Emett, combet, Shorten, Maclen, AUSTRALIA has had a gut full of you lot, now get back into your Rabbit worrens and dont come out again, your times over, we dont care got it !
16 Oct 2013 11:45:15pm
Given facts in regard to Rudds behavior it brings to question the real motives of Rudd's backers whom white-anted Gillard.
Such as Fitzgibbon, and McClelland and others.
What was their real motivation if Rudd is as Roxon reveals.
Rudd had an ego, yet, these apparatichs toiled to place themselves in his destructive wake.
Will have to wait for more relevations, almost as intriguing as Gina's legal woes.
16 Oct 2013 11:55:27pm
The ALP just can't help themselves. If only they had focused on pre-selecting mature adults.
17 Oct 2013 12:00:23am
Go for a job - any old job - and one of the criteria to be satisified will be the ability (and willingness) to be a team player. These Rudd did not have.
Rudd brought about his own downfall and he deserved it. Afterwards, well it was the Labor way not to kick the man when he was down. This cost Gillard and others who lost their seats as the rabbit exploited the sacking to the hilt. Much better it would have been to come out with the truth and explain why the man was not fit to be the team leader.
The passing of time will see Gillard's contribution and character seen in a better light.
17 Oct 2013 12:02:34am
This speech is smoking hot. Intelligent, honest, earnest. If only our politicians had the courage to open up like this when they are actually on the job. Its what I was yearning for during the entire debacle. A lot of people were. On so many issues, so let's not focus entirely on the Rudd/Gillard revelations. Refreshing.
17 Oct 2013 7:51:45am
Helen, not all MPs need to talk like this. Most serve in functional organisations before coming into government and bring their skills and expertise with them.
The recent crop of Labor MPs had no competence to bring!
The last six years has been an outstanding demonstration of incredible incompetence and Roxon has just testified to that.
peppy buzzword:
17 Oct 2013 10:11:01am
Did you watch the speech?
She struggled to read it.
I doubt she wrote it herself.
I keep thiking of that saying about RATS and sinking ships.
17 Oct 2013 11:44:21am
It may be smoking hot, but honest? No, it isnt. In the 2010 election, Gillard's problem were not the leaks, it was that the message they entailed - the truth. Weren't we, the voters, entitiled to know it (the Wikileaks problem)? But even more important, it was her disconnect with the public that did not let her recover. Remember the "Real Julia" issue? This was her problem, a failure as a politician, while Rudd excelled at it. Also, how can the Labor party claim to have steered the country through the GFC (rememeber, the one big achievement), but not acknowledging that this was almost entirely Rudd's call. Hypocracy and mythbuilding on a grand scale...
17 Oct 2013 4:03:30pm
I think that even the ALP would disagree on that one.
I would go for jaded loser with an axe to grind.
17 Oct 2013 12:09:12am
Much can be said about Ms Roxon?s speech and she will not make many Labor friends with it. Nicola Roxon?s speech is like the Gillard-Summers gathering: an attempt to alter history. The speech has value though as it is like an unopened DIY manual of how to stay in government, but she says that she and her colleagues were too cowardly to implement its instructions. Her litany of Kevin Rudd?s heinous faults makes one wonder why Labor ever followed him, let alone twice. She glosses over Julia Gillard?s equally serious faults like her misogyny speech and lack of appeal. She makes no mention of her own insensitive attack on Margaret Abbott to gain political points and somehow accuse Abbott of being unable to cope with capable women: false and demeaning of Roxon and of Mrs Abbott who was not a political player. Roxon tries to air brush history by refusing to accept that without Rudd campaigning in the federal elections Labor would have hit bottom. Roxon also tries to broaden the blame for Gillard?s usurpation of Rudd onto Caucus: an unlikely story. Space disallows so much more.
17 Oct 2013 12:10:24am
"I say this only because Australia will need a stronger Labor Government next time, to repair the damage that will be inflicted by Tony Abbott and to pursue the next generation of positive reforms for the nation."
Given what she subsequently says, that's a tad hypocritical, hmmm?
17 Oct 2013 12:22:31am
11) Don't have a management structure that allows a man guilty of thieving nearly $1 million from his own members to become your National President.
17 Oct 2013 7:52:58am
Their management structure is 'survival of the fittest' with everyoe adhering to 'whatever it takes'.
No more than a bikie gang in suits!
17 Oct 2013 11:35:00am
"No more than a bikie gang in suits!"
Boom! Nailed it.
17 Oct 2013 12:36:07pm
11a.) Have the ability to foresee the future.
17 Oct 2013 4:06:17pm
In the Fin Review yesterday: Williamson increased his salary from $291,000 in 2005 to $513,000 in 2011.
He was National ALP President from 2009-2010.
He was on the take WHILE he was National President - it only took proper due diligence to identify it.
17 Oct 2013 12:30:27am
There used to be a (in my opinion, WISE) saying to never air your dirty linen in public.
I'm sure I'm not the only one fed up with Labor folk imploding.
Much as I admire Nicola Roxon, I don't think this does anything for the party.
The LNP will use this ammunition, just as they used every little bit of 'dirt' that indiscreet Labor folk spilled for the past six years.
The press will go to town, again.
Disunity is death.
17 Oct 2013 12:38:06am
Roxon has confirmed (admittedly pathetically belatedly) that the Rudd government was as chaotic and as dysfunctional as many of us knew.
Although Gillard is not mentioned much, she could only have been worse, because Labor returned to Rudd as a dog to his vomit - after all, Labor wouldn't dump a PM simply for a few measly votes, would they? And now there leader is Bill "I have been disloyal to every leader I've served under" Shorten.
Good grief, and good riddance.
17 Oct 2013 12:43:13am
AT last someone who speaks for real when Rudd was in the US the murdering press was hounding him to come back on "rumours: of infighting that fired up rudds ego and it worked when Rudd arrived back in Aus Abbott payne and co where all smiles and clapped like they had just won the election Rudd stand aside.you are all "theory and no crux piss off Rudd.
Me Myself I:
17 Oct 2013 12:55:27am
Interesting to read this speech. With no personal experience of political parties and their role in govt or opposition, I'm surprised that the need exists to deliver such a list of the blindingly obvious to those who are. As a consequence, what this says to me is that it seems too many individuals enter politics for all the wrong reasons, and apparently most of those reasons are related to selfish motives. If you don't understand the real reasons for being in Parliament, to build a better society at all levels, be it local, national or international, then you won't know how to conduct yourself in the job. Regarding Kevin Rudd, I find it possibly a slight hypocrisy to be accusing him of behaving as so many others in politics behave i.e. putting himself first - I believe it's often lauded in our society as being focused and competitive, on oneself of course, but isn't that what we are all supposed to be doing in our working environment? Isn't that why we are awarded, rewarded and applauded for individual "success"? Isn't that what life is all about?
Chris Peterson:
17 Oct 2013 12:57:34am
Dear Nicola,
We get it, that you can't stand Kevin. And even in retirement, you still want to throw a sharp knife at his back. And you don't believe that your colleagues made the right call reinstating him. But you and your former colleagues still to this day have not explained why you foisted Gillard upon us for three years. It can't be because of her superior political judgement. Nor can it be because Julia and Wayne made such a dream team.
Is it because you simply didn't know how to deal with Kevin, and made a decision in panic, not thinking of the possible consequences?
17 Oct 2013 12:58:06am
What an absolute load of cods-wallop.
Labor does need to severely lift its game along these lines, however mea culpas dressed as confectious sage advice post fact serve little other than showing a high degree of just not getting it at all.
Shame that any of it wasn't thought of during the last 6 years.
And what is this kitchen cabinet guff all about? Surely not suggesting that having been graciously allowed to play in the big league, it's back to the rightful place in the kitchen?
17 Oct 2013 1:32:37am
Feedback is like gold - as they say. Let Labour and LNP take note of the key points. Strategy is a conversation - it has t o be shared with the key stakeholders for ownership and for the implementation to work - it is not about one brilliant person discovering a solution to a major problem and assuming that the implementation will automatically work. agree completely that the way they got rid of Kevin did not pass the 'fair go' test and labour paid the price. Thanks Nicola.
17 Oct 2013 1:38:10am
A thoughtful and insightful piece by Nicola Roxon providing the best explanation yet of key developments within the Labor Government over the last 6 years. It offers practical and sensible advice for any reforming government which, as Machiavelli noted 500 years ago, will always face an uphill struggle:
"It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favour; and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had the actual experience of it."
17 Oct 2013 1:44:56am
Why can we Labor not keep this stuff behind closed doors and well away from podiums and TV cameras. What is it going to achieve?
17 Oct 2013 7:55:31am
It salves the conscience, or what's left of it. Even Labor knows it is dysfunctional. They just want to get the truth out there and absole their part in it.
It also is part of the 'payback' system. You did note the attacks on Rudd didn't you?
Now it is his turn to return serve and so the game progresses.
17 Oct 2013 9:49:46am
I beg to disagree, Susan. I think it is important that the predominant reasons for the acute problems of the Rudd/Gillard years are aired in public. The consequences were very public and I think it beneficial if the public is helped to understand what was going on. Sure, there will be those who try to use the "truth" against Labor, but I think the public-at-large is rather tired of being treated like "mushrooms" and as fools. Not all of us believe slick images.....people and life are not like that and a party that pretends it is, cannot offer real solutions. Life is complex and people are not perfect beings. We need to deal with the reality. I think too many Australians want life to be simple and easy and are too ready to accept 3 word mantras. Solutions are not simple and we need to use our combined intelligence and understanding for the good of us all.
17 Oct 2013 11:37:42am
Yeah, why should the truth get out?
Much better to have conspiracies about Murdoch.
Nasty, Murdoch, bad Murdoch, it's all his fault.
Susan, denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
Annemarie :
17 Oct 2013 1:46:47am
John Button would be proud. Whatever your politics Nicola Roxon is a loss to our government - the great pity is that she didn't speak up earlier.
17 Oct 2013 1:57:08am
Thank you Nicola for your passion and hard work ,as you represented my electorate I had the honour and pleasure to meet you on several occasions. You were down to earth , warm and inclusive ,walking across the road after inspecting a new school building you noticed I was getting wet so you tapped me on the shoulder and shared your umbrella,it was a caring gesture and gave me insight in to your natural caring
Imagine if Rudd had been a team player and supported his party instead of ltrying to destroy them . He would probably still be foreign Minister and Julia would still be PM.
looking ahead I am pleased that Bill is Leader and Tanya is deputy they are formidable ,I have no doubt that labor will win the next election. Mr Abbot thinks it is about the carbon tax and boats ,he looks incredibly uncomfortable as leader and is unable to articulate a vision . if the ALP is able to show and explain their policies and communicate a progressive vision they will win the next election.
You gave so much and you achieved some significant reforms , you can hold your head high !
17 Oct 2013 2:00:48am
I'm disabled and get a payment of $10 a week from Centrelink because I am de facto.
Time for government to be honest and look after disabled.
Peter Abbott:
17 Oct 2013 2:05:45am
Shouldn't it be recognised how Roxon got the job as Attorney General and recognise the pay back from Gillard.
I am fascinated that Roxon feels it is her place in advance of Ferguson, Creen and the many ALP fathers who were bought to their knees during this time of turmoil and turpitude to give advice on what should and shouldn't be done. The hide of her.
Nicola you have a significantly inflated view of your importance on this planet as many of your co workers have.
Pull your head in we aren't interested.
Bob N:
17 Oct 2013 2:07:06am
Well said Nicola. I suspect that Labor's parliamentarians will usually behave in a more adult manner under Bill Shorten. And be encouraged to do so by his example.
While I feel sorry for Julia I also feel very sorry for Wayne Swan. He did an excellent job in keeping our economy in good shape during the debacle, he's had very little thanks for doing so and he's now a forgotten man. That is a shame.
17 Oct 2013 8:54:43am
I second that, Bob N. I think there are several MPs from the previous government who deserve much credit for mature behaviour and hard work in very difficult circumstances, Gillard and Swan among them. I think Nicola Roxon has actually outlined the problem for any political party and our government, should a person with fairly severe personality flaws (take note Abbott), become leader. Dysfunctionality, unhappiness and disunity occurs in any group where such a person exerts their influence.
Far from airing grievances and "not getting over" past issues in the Labor Party, I think Roxon has said what needs to be said in order for the situation to change. Someone needs to speak the truth and there will be sufficient public servants and others independent of the Labor Party to confirm whether it is the truth or not. Certainly what she has said gels with my view of what was happening, and that was at enormous distance.
For those who call her hypocritical for talking about the need to be "nice", but then criticizing Rudd, I think you are confusing speaking the truth with disrespect for others. One always need to stand up for the truth, however unpalatable it may be. Roxon has used plenty of examples to support her explanation of the situation.....it is not just baseless namecalling. Indeed, it was because of trying not to be critical of Rudd "in public" (trying to be "nice" by not drawing attention to his problems) that Roxon believes the Labor Party ended up getting themselves and the government into such a difficult situation. Papering over "truths" will never get us anywhere, in any situation......we need the maturity and strength to recognize them and put things right. Trying to pretend the truth is not what it is, and attacking those who speak it, will end us in a mess from which we cannot extricate ourselves.
Thank you Nicola Roxon.
17 Oct 2013 1:57:55pm
The problem is that what you imagine is the "truth" may well be baloney.
For example, where would your idea of "truth" lie were it to be shown conclusively that Gillard and Co plotted the removal of Rudd from early in Labor's time in office - if not from before then?
I'd love to hear from Lindsay Tanner. He might back up what you are thinking but I seriously doubt it.
17 Oct 2013 8:24:35pm
Thanks for the comment BJA. In issues like this, evidence is pretty critical....one can't just make unsubstantiated allegations. Nicola Roxon gave many examples of poor behaviour on Rudd's part which should be able to be substantiated by many people independent of the Labor Party. Independence is clearly important. If Lindsay Tanner were able to produce evidence "of Gillard and others plotting to remove Rudd" soon after the election, that was able to be independently substantiated, I would accept it. Of itself though, it would still not invalidate Roxon's comments re Rudd.
I notice one post above somewhere, made the observation that many people in Canberra knew what Roxon said, to be true. My own recollection is that the country was becoming ungovernable because of Rudd's need to micromanage. So far, I have no reason to question Roxon's account.
17 Oct 2013 2:12:20am
Thanks for that Nicola. If you have any other thoughts on how to restore confidence in politics don't bottle it up, just let the feelings flow.
17 Oct 2013 2:14:10am
I am always a little curious on how a person that was a failure at almost everything over the past year can say that Labor will have to come in and clean up the mistakes and mess of Tony Abbott.
Would that be something like what Mr Abbott has to do now the the Labor party has left behind it's mistakes and huge mess?
MS Rixon is in her rightful place now I feel and she will do well to to leave such comments as her speach contained, to people that know what they are talking about and have a more informed and educated view political matters.
Goodbye MS Rixon. Thanks for not very much !!
17 Oct 2013 2:53:57am
I wasn't expecting to read that speech in its entirety, but I did, and whilst it contained some excellent advice, it also suffered from a serious lacking - timing. You should have said these things years ago.
17 Oct 2013 3:03:38am
"5) Be polite and be persuasive. Or I could call this "Keep yourself nice"."
"Kevin had been such a bastard"
Very polite. Good to see you value your own advice so highly, Nicola!
Matt Guitar Murf:
17 Oct 2013 3:27:25am
On the one hand Roxon says "Be nice and mind your manners" and in the next breath she calls a former Prime Minister a "Bastard"??
Self serving, hypocritical, speech belittling the memory of Senator J Button who had more vision in a day than Roxon will have in a lifetime,,,good riddance Roxon.
17 Oct 2013 4:19:04am
I'm tired of these former MPs coming out and publicly attacking Rudd.
Get over it.
None of you at the time, including you Roxon, had the guts to stand up to him. Instead you stabbed him in the back and look where we are now.
We now have to put up with PM Abbott because you and your 'group' were too gutless to stand toe-to-toe with Rudd. Thanks a lot Roxon. Your man has just been elected Labor leader so shouldn't you be happy?
Get over it.
17 Oct 2013 5:04:07am
Absolutely Brilliant Nicole! Your timing was impeccable, just as the media was beginning to focus on the vacuous hypocrisy of the Abbott Government, you shift all the attention back onto ALP navel gazing!
Well, having aired some trite, clich?d and obvious issues in your speech - along with venting your spleen - what else will you do to support your party? (brings to mind the old adage.."..their help provided the same support a rope gives to the man on the gallows.." - heck, can't the ALP ever get it?)
Robert of Lindsay:
17 Oct 2013 5:24:52am
Therein lies the difference between the two major parties.
Labor see and act on their mistakes, The Libs just leave them in power and hope the electorate won't notice. Well it worked well this time, just like it did with Howard, so who am I to say they are wrong?
Labor recognised they made a mistake with Rudd and refused to let the bastard be PM, right up until it became clear his actions were causing the train to leave the tracks. Then they let the man back at the wheel so he could wear the brunt of the disarster he caused.
Rudd biggest problem was he was addicted to the ego massages from the Murdoch press. With Rudd staying in parliament the Murdoch press know they have a lap dog to rely on for mischief every time they want to run one of their political campaigns against the "evil" of the Labor party
Ever hopeful:
17 Oct 2013 5:54:46am
Oh Nicola, thank you for once again highlighting how the Labor Party is riddled with internal hatreds and politically murderous characters. I vowed that I would not considered voting Labor for a decade after the debacle of the past 3 years. Maybe I'll make that 2!
17 Oct 2013 2:01:02pm
Just check, but if you have feet of clay I'd revise that.
Clay doesn't go too well in sea water.
Peter Graham:
17 Oct 2013 6:10:45am
The problem with the Labor party is underlined in one Roxon sentence.
"Surely he, like we, would be proud of how we?ve left the country a better place after our six years of government."
This is why they are no longer in government. They took a healthy economy and turned it into a basket case which will need years of prudent management to set right.
None of their grandiose schemes came to fruition, the thoughts were there but not the application.
They hailed Kevin Rudd as their saviour, when all the time, according to Roxon, they knew he was a dysfunctional bastard. Says a lot for their, whatever it takes, mentality.
The only Labor people that came out of this with any credibility were the likes of, Combet, Garrett etc who had too much principle to serve under Rudd.
The rest of them, Wong, Shorten, Bowen, Albanese etc. Are all people you would never turn your back on. These same Rudd idolisers, of just a few months ago, now call for his political head. A bit like Julius Caesar really.
Such a sad rump the workers party has become.
Robert of Lindsay:
17 Oct 2013 12:56:11pm
Would be the basket case economy that was the envy of the western world post GFC? Or the one Abbott lied through his teeth about, telling us what a crisis there was right up till the moment the votes were cast?
You do know the one I'm talking about, the economy that was in a crisis that suddenly wasn't?
James Murphy:
17 Oct 2013 6:13:22am
If the situation was so bad, then why didn't Nicola Roxon and her colleagues do something about it much earlier, why wait until being booted out of office to complain and whinge? Talk about job preservation at the expense of the country... typical 2-faced politician.
As for number 6 "... Always ask what you can do for the party (and the nation)...". That sums up the problem with politics in this country perfectly, Labor, Liberal or Greens, it's always the party before the people...
Robert of Lindsay:
17 Oct 2013 12:59:24pm
Don't you suppose getting rid of him in the first place counts as "doing something".
Seeing she never backed his return, it looks like your critising her for doing the very thing you're advocating.
17 Oct 2013 6:50:36am
This from someone who to enact legislation to stop free speech - pretty free with the insults now
17 Oct 2013 8:54:56am
"This from someone who to enact legislation to stop free speech"
@albie ... She never did any such thing which I suspect you already know which makes this statement a lie. Lies don't make convincing arguments.
Jan Newby:
17 Oct 2013 7:02:40am
Bullying staff as Kevin Rudd is alleged to do, is totally wrong. How can one respect a person, in particular, a Labor person who bullying. Yes, he may have had a case for 'unfair dismissal', but his staff may have a case for bullying and harassment. When is this behavior going to be considered as totally unacceptable in the workplace and not just as a personal 'quirk' or 'aberration'. It is wrong and can have life destroying and deadly consequences. There should be a zero tolerance policy for this kind of behaviour.
17 Oct 2013 7:14:42am
Forgive me I was not going to comment on this but I have been involved with the alp since 5 & the family almost from the get go 100 years past.
Moderne labor just does not get it. We have been flogged by the electorate as never before & you come up with these facile thought bubbles. I would almost add that the alp should ban all lawyers from membership, since they live in a parallel universe so different from working families.
However I would add No 11, Do not get the nation into unsustainable debt no matter how much university professors say iit does not matter. You idiots it does & it's called stealing from your children.
My take on Rudd/Gillard/greens is that only Billy McMahon was worse.
Jay Somasundaram:
17 Oct 2013 7:16:02am
And when there is fraud and corruption, look the other way.
Williamson, the President of the Labor party? And she didn't know what was going on? Corruption is an open secret, whether it is Labor or the Libs with their expense claims.
We need integrity in our public life. Why has Roxon waited so long to speak up?
Wayne Davidson:
17 Oct 2013 7:18:25am
The unilateral dismissal of a leader of any political party defines the definition of failure for a political system. No country can govern itself when its democratically elected leaders can be dismissed unilaterally by entrenched factions pushing their own agenda. The institution that was the labour party has imploded and no introspection by the current administration will change this. Unless the institutions of democratic governance are restored, our political system will spawn countless minor parties with predictable outcomes, compromised and ungovernable parliaments will be the norm.
17 Oct 2013 7:26:15am
May all be true but unhelpful now. Where were the straight talkers in managing Kevin in the first 3 years. Also a few big problems Julia tried to solve that didn't belong to the Federal govt. The tough talk on law and order in the futile and desperate Western Sydney pilgrimage springs to mind and the mess Nicola had to sort out after Julia announced the enquiry into sexual abuse in institutions, something that cuts right across State responsibilities. Also interesting there is no mention of the appalling public sledging by senior ministers and the then PM of Kevin in the section on 'keep yourself nice'. This behaviour did a lot to damage the party's reputation. On polls maybe some advice to future leaders is to avoid facile and pathetic photo opp's of knitting in front of wind machines.
17 Oct 2013 7:31:59am
There is so much I can say about this essay, but I'll limit it to just a few points.
Labor's professional activists lied through their teeth claiming kevin Rudd lead a good government. I learned long ago not to believe a single word that comes out of their mouths. This is great advice for anyone that posts on message boards. Labor activists have no credibility whatsoever.
Kevin Rudd was not a Labor anomaly. Mark Latham was beloved by his Labor members precisely because he was unbalanced, a smearer and a bully. Bill Shorten continues this tradition as a faceless assassin and someone that made sure whistleblowers were left in the cold whilst those accused of corruption were protected.
Point 8 refers to choosing good people, as leaders, MPs and staff. I don't know why this was put in point 8, as it is Labor's most critical problem. Labor's pool of talent is limited and poor. Limited because almost all the Labor MPs have a union and/or legal background instead of a more diverse professional range. Poor because of the wretched record on policy delivery, and the high number of dumped policies because they were too hard or had huge cost blowouts.
Judy Bee:
17 Oct 2013 2:38:05pm
Hello Ravensclaw,
Nothing like a bit of hypocracy on a fine day.
Thw following also rings true:
Liberal Party professional activists lied through their teeth, claiming Abbott would provide better government. I also learned long ago not to believe a single word that comes out of Tony Abbott's mouth. (Today claiming he will save Australian households $500 per annum by repealing the carbon tax). Already the better informed are cutting that one down to size.
Liberal party activists have no credibility whatsoever. Ahh that has such a ring of truth!
And this...Liberal National Party 'pool of talent' display their obvious talent for deception, hiding the boats, exaggeration, fear mongering, rorting their expenses and on and on and tediously on. Liberal Party 'faceless assassin' Minchin assigning Turnbull to a position where he can do no harm to the big and wealthy LNP donor polluters who want to do exactly what they want with impunity. LNP probably have a number of would-be whistleblowers too but are too gutless to speak up (except in Queensland). In Queensland, an ex LNP heavyweight went public and said that the Newman Government 'cooked the books to pave the way for selling off assets'.
The circus going on in LNP Queensland is worth a good hard look right now Ravensclaw.
Protection for the corrupt would seem to be the MO of the LNP and their MSM buddies. Why did we not hear about the entitlement rorting till after the election??
Jay Somasundaram:
17 Oct 2013 7:41:59am
What Roxon is saying is that the system doesn't work. It isn't capable of reliably delivering competent leaders. But she doesn't offer any real ideas for structural redesign - just a motherhood and apple pie wish-list.
And why couldn't she manage her boss? Tell him that he either needed to shape up or she would resign as Health Minister?
And if she had done that, would Rudd have hounded her out of parliament, or would he have thanked her for her courage, and pleaded with her to stay on because he needed people with her integrity - that would have been the real test of Rudd, not his rudeness.
17 Oct 2013 7:42:25am
I am glad some one has finally had the guts to say this, you cant be nice to someone who just doesn't get it, on many an occasion I have said Rudd was the JUDAS in the Gillard government, leaked info to the media then sat back and watched the mess unfold, he was a very destructive and vindictive little boy who set out to bring Gillard down, he played into the hands of the coalition and gave them all they needed to carry on the vindictiveness. He was like a bad penny always turning up where she was to run interference, couldn't work as a team and although showing a nice personage to the public, like a marriage you don't know who that person is until you live with them. Unfortunately he not only destroyed Julia he destroyed the party he lays claim to. He should be asked to leave politely for the sake of the party, so it can get rid of the pettiness and concentrate on rebuilding. I don't take away any of the good he did, but even in the last fling at winning the election he proved he had lost touch with what the party is and that it really is a team effort. It is now in the past and with the new leader in place, its time to look to the future and get down to business.
Gratuitous Adviser:
17 Oct 2013 7:46:33am
Typical mitigator for her period in power which will (along with NSW Labor) historically be remembered as their darkest. I liked Roxon's plain packaging thing but overall she was part of a very dysfunctional team that changed a lot of socially democratic voters into conservatives, for a generation at least.
Remember how they destroyed the live cattle trade (and many Australians with it) by knee-jerk reacting to a television show. She did not mention that little gem.
peppy buzzword:
17 Oct 2013 10:26:18am
Far better the cows died the death of a thousand cuts or be bludgeoned to death? The body set up by the cattlemen let them down. The government did what most decent Australians wanted.
17 Oct 2013 7:54:13am
History always seems to point to murdering a leader rather than talking to him about his 'problems' - why would you do that? It just gives him time to organise his defence.
Nicola is talking rubbish and was most probably, like many in the labor party 'keen for his head' and happy to carry a knife if needed.
17 Oct 2013 8:02:11am
Roxon, you are doing precisely what you suggest should NOT be done. Your bitterness about your experience has led you, even now as Labour is rebuilding and moving on, to go over and over what was wrong. You have couched this in terms of moving ahead, but in fact that is minor compared to what you are actually doing: venting against Rudd and the past.
Take your own advice to those disappointed by political machinations:They, like others before them, will rightly be advised that they will be measured by how they cope and recover from defeat or a set back. To take stock, find other ways to add value and prove why the Party should promote them.
On a personal note: I am really sick and tired of hearing from the 'holier than thou' Gillard supporters who are willing to continually rake over their version of the past, to the huge detriment of the Australian people who desperately need a strong opposition.
Alison Cann:
17 Oct 2013 8:03:21am
There is a quote from Bill Shorten that Kevin Rudd in a democratic ALP deserves to be treated democratically and there is no reason Kevin Rudd should not be on the front bench.
Then in a backflip Bill Shorten in his choice bill Shorten did not pick Kevin Rudd. May we call him Backflip Bill.
17 Oct 2013 9:05:37am
Alison. Kevin Rudd declined the offer to join the frontbench. There is absolutely no back flip on the part of Bill Shorten, as you suggest.
Paul W:
17 Oct 2013 8:18:12am
Lets be plain. Labour lost the last election because it kept public put downs of it's own going for years.
The population just got sick of it all.
Really really sick of it all. From all of them. No one wants to know who is a bastard. No one wants to listen to a bad marriage going on and on.
This is just more of the same.
Politics is a war where the participants don't die. But war with out integrity is just a nightmare. Labour lost because of ends less friendly fire.
Labour will stay out of office until it learns the lesson of solidarity.
Until there are no public put downs of other Labour members they are a bunch of losers.
The Liberals and the Greens do not indulge in this manner.
It's not democracy, its incontinence on the verge of necrosis.
17 Oct 2013 10:10:35am
How often does labor and its supporters (like nicola roxon ) need to be told? "Disunity is death"!
17 Oct 2013 11:28:44am
Personally I prefer disunity, to telling lies in unison.
17 Oct 2013 1:40:10pm
Very good point RosieA. I guess that what rosemary may have had in mind is: Lie in unison if that's what needed to keep power.
Paul W:
17 Oct 2013 12:28:45pm
Apparently until they are dead!
17 Oct 2013 8:25:27am
Bravo! What a wonderful address and truly in the spirit of John Button, I am sure.
17 Oct 2013 8:29:01am
I love watching lefties tearing themselves to pieces.
Switch the dial to vaudeville, the ALP are on stage again!
17 Oct 2013 8:33:22am
11. Ban lawyers and union officials from holding positions of power in government.
17 Oct 2013 11:58:01am
ij, if that happened there wouldn't but many people left on the Government's frontbench.
David Palmer:
17 Oct 2013 8:34:50am
Interesting light thrown on Kevin Rudd, a complete jerk.
Problem with Roxon's speech is the hubris, the lack of self awareness and her own failure as a member of a disastrous Government to come clean.
No mention of her own failed attempt to stifle free speech with her unlamented Human Rights and Anti Discrimination Bill.
All well and good for trumpeting a progressive agenda of which same sex marriage is such a fatuous example, but for the half of the population who are conservative, progressive all too often means regression.
As for all the vaunted Rudd Gillard initiatives, all we get out of them is a mountain of debt which we then expect conservative governments to clean up so the progressives can come along again, and so the cycle goes on - think Kennett fixing Kirner's mess, Newman Bligh's, Costello Keatings (though Hawke Keating mostly good).
Probably we'll get (mostly) good Government the next 10 years under Abbott & Co, here's hoping anyway.
17 Oct 2013 8:38:55am
Well done Nicola at last someone has had the guts to say what needed to be said , Kevin Rudd should get out of politics and let some genuine Labor person take his seat now, knowing Rudd he will hang on just to satisfy his egotistical way of doing everything i am sure he is unaware of the damage he has done to his on Party because his ego rules him , i am of the opinion that everyone who supported him on his road of destruction should leave with him including Bill Shorten they are all like the so called Judges on these Talent shows they should leave their Ego's at the door. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Nicola Roxon and Julia Gillard the best for their future , Labor has let two good politicians go , makes me wonder if you really do have to have balls to stay at the top in politics
17 Oct 2013 9:00:57am
How about
No 1: Not lying to the electorate
No 2: Getting rid of the idea and practice "my Party, right or wrong"
No 3: Not blaming others for incompetent management
No 4: Not defaming character by making up lies about people
No 5: Putting the nation first
No 6: Not parachuting celebrities into parliament to replace competent opponents within the caucus
No 7: Govern the country, not the 24 hr news cycle
No 8: Focus on the country, not focus groups
No 9: Broaden the caucus beyond the union movement
No 10: Actually have core beliefs (beyond yourself) which underpin every policy you advocate
Hudson Godfrey:
17 Oct 2013 10:02:25am
Well how about it then?
1. Would probably involve not saying climate change isn't "crap" anymore then trying to repeal the carbon tax without replacing it with a better plan.
2. Would probably allow you to negotiate an ETS.
3. Taken to its logical conclusion would help us manage to complete the big ticket infrastructure projects that the country needs without blaming others for the fact that what we're now being offered is a second rate NBN.
4. I guess you'd have to ask Peter Slipper about that?
5. Putting the nation first is something all parties should do but then killing off the MRRT always looked to me like somebody was putting their mates first.
6. No please whatever you do no Celebrities... Oh and no women either!
7. Govern for the country not according to the Murdoch Press.
8. Treat minorities like people not voting blocks.
9. Make sure workers have strong unions if they choose to be a part of them, but foster a system of consensus rather than political bargaining to the detriment of everyone involved.
10. Doing the right thing should be your ideology. Anyone who needs or applies an ideology that overrides that one is without doubt a bum.
And last but not least stop making top ten lists. They clearly apply just as well to all Political parties and could be stated in fewer words to emphasise principles over codification of basic decency in government that will always be lacking if it serves vested interests ahead of the goal of representing people's needs.
17 Oct 2013 11:56:07am
I think in point No 6 John is referring to no celebrities like John Alexander.
17 Oct 2013 1:51:35pm
And talk about a low-achiever, 3 years as an MP and I believe he has only delivered one speech to parliament.
Alexander is the serial LNP background nodder .
Frank of NQ:
17 Oct 2013 11:50:36am
john, I agree with all your points except No. 9. It is unfair for the unions to give up their hold on their political party. I would like to see a little more honesty though. Perhaps the struggle between left and right would be better served all round by both factions going their own way. The Unions become the AUP and the rest of the rabble go off and create the ADP. It is clear to everyone that the majority of ALP members want democracy in their party but not too much democracy for the rest of Australia. That way both can legitimise their public bickering and name calling.
17 Oct 2013 9:02:33am
Hey Nicola, here's a 'tip'. If you are a senior member of a totally dysfunctional Government, ruining the country and headed for electoral oblivion, consider having the guts, the brains and the integrity to say 'enough is enough' and support a no-confidence motion, even against your own side. I believe any member of the 'departed and despised' (the last Labor caucus) who had done this a few years ago would today be considered a hero, even by their own side.
17 Oct 2013 9:04:25am
Congratulations to Nicola, tell it like it is.
I recall a Tasmanian Green stating that the nation will get a taste of Abbott and his Abetz style cronies then the legacy of Julia Gillard will be appreciated and the negativity of those Liberal individuals will be seen for what it was.
When it is considered that Rudd and his disciples undermined our party they and I mean they should all leave the scene.
17 Oct 2013 10:23:54am
Jamesgrey, I think it would be enough if Rudd simply left the scene.
peter of mitcham:
17 Oct 2013 9:07:07am
Yes Kevin has to go, agree. But what of his band of merry men like Fitzgibbon who were beetling away undermining their own party. They said they needed to do it to 'save the furniture'. They never got it that people saw them as displaying treachery just to save their own hides - not the blinking furniture. I see little difference in unsuitability to be a leader between Rudd and Abbott though. Pot ... kettle ... black
17 Oct 2013 9:07:57am
Roxon giving advice on the last 6 years of labor...how cute.
You were part of the bastard organization Nicola! best thing you could have ever done was leave the sinking ship to save face. didnt work, but thanks for the sentiment.
I think I think:
17 Oct 2013 9:09:28am
The simple fact of the matter is that Labor lost to the clown party. That says to me that the whole lot were incompetent. No excuses. Fix the rot through honest self assessment.
Frank of NQ:
17 Oct 2013 10:16:15am
This "honest self assessment" has been ongoing for 6 years. Could it be simply a case of malcontents unwilling to toe the line and work as a team?
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 9:09:42am
A brilliant speech by Roxon and so appropriate that it was the Button Memorial Lecture. I am pleased to see it published but am extremely disappointed that it has been placed on The Drum and open for comment. It has just attracted the usual bile from the Liberal hit squad (same people posting many spiteful dumb comments).
17 Oct 2013 9:42:55am
Another perfect example of the disconnect between the Left/Progressives and irony. The Stuffed Olive spends a lot of time viciously castigating the Coalition and particularly Tony Abbott about a whole range of trivial things, yet when someone draws their attention to some of the extremely obvious shortcomings of an ALP/Greens politician, gets quite huffy about it.
Time for a reality check here I think, the ALP are no longer a 'protected spp.', they have to learn to live like the rest of us.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 10:25:04am
I only fairly castigate. Vicious is not in my dna but it is certainly in the Liberals, all of them. And there is nothing trivial in what Abbott & Co say and do that I criticise. Other than that I call out your own comment as pretty darn pathetic.
Frank of NQ:
17 Oct 2013 10:08:29am
Olive, your extreme disappointment regarding Nicola Roxon's speech appearing on the drum is noted. Many people were more than extremely disappointed with the ALP's performance.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 11:17:53am
And you just prove my last point. You can't help yourselves and of course your 'many people' are all your conservatives who never had an original thought on anything.
Frank of NQ:
17 Oct 2013 2:06:04pm
Talking about having original thoughts Olive. When Shorty said the ALP had run out of messiahs and emphasised "no more messiahs," did that not send shivers through the ALP? How are they to cope, knowing they will need to do some thinking for themselves? Not very well, I imagine. This is why a return of the last messiah will always be an option. You might say, in the first instance, who called the bastard the Prime Minister and why? Those who wanted this rabble whipped into shape. Not even a day playing handball on the lawn could teach them a lesson in teamwork.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 5:19:22pm
I'm a far left agnostic and so any talk about messiahs certainly turns me off. Other than than I really don't get your drift Frank.
17 Oct 2013 10:21:48am
Stuffed Olive, you and I have been reading and commenting on this website long enough to observe that the, as you call it, "Liberal Hit Squad" is capable of nothing more than spiteful dumb comments. They cannot see substance so they choose ad homonym statements.
17 Oct 2013 11:21:13am
"the usual bile from the Liberal hit squad". Stuffed O, most of what I see here are Labor supporters still fighting the old Rudd - Gillard battle, apparently unable to move on. So much for Shorten's new beginning. Still, as he was instrumental in getting rid of Rudd in 2010 and Gillard in 2013, at least his record is one of even-handedness.
I can understand your extreme disappointment that Roxon's "brilliant speech" is open for comment. Giving the ALP rank and file an opportunity to discuss the party in public is never a good idea. As for we of the "Liberal hit squad", it gives us the satisfaction of seeing a still disunited ALP and confirms what we were saying for the last six years - the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments were seriously dysfunctional. Moreover it is now confirmed they had at least 10 serious problems Roxon wasn't honest enough to admit to at the time.
We can now expect more of the same as the memoirs of other Rudd-Gillard-Rudd ministers appear. As you say, "brilliant". Certainly something to look forward to.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 1:03:51pm
Yet another to prove my point. The rank and file here are mainly your Liberal members and supporters babbling on inanely. Frankly I think we have had enough discussion of the Labor Party on the Drum. I can see it will be a long long time before we see anything similar on the Liberal Party where everything is perfect only because 99% of it is kept completely off the public radar.
17 Oct 2013 9:12:26am
Roxon and Co are delusion. Do they realise they are in politics? Kevin, for all his faults, did nothing wrong in undermining Gillard to win back PM. Thats politics! And look at the new Labor leader, Shorten - he was a key player in the whole saga which destroyed Labors credibility and he, above all, has benefitted.
Labor has learnt nothing....i particularly liked the part about best people. Have a look at the stats on how many Labor MPs are either staffers or Union officials. Labor doesnt cant make the connection that this is why they are out of touch and cant produce policy that people get behind..and no slogans dont count.
Oh , and what is it with Labor heaping gung on their former leaders; Rudd and Latham? It is a really bad look. Makes the party look disfunctional if not downright schizophrenic.
Uncle Ron:
17 Oct 2013 9:14:18am
I find there are two kinds of people in left wing politics, those who deceive and those who are deceived. Which one is Ms Ruxton?
17 Oct 2013 9:19:59am
Top stuff Nicola Roxon. If ever anyone was handed a poisoned chalis it was Julia Gillard.
Great speech - boy I hope they are all listening.
17 Oct 2013 9:22:38am
Now the truth is out. What we all thought and suspected articulated loud, and clear.
What is really frightening is that these people could have got back into government. Thank God they didn't.
Frank of NQ:
17 Oct 2013 9:22:59am
At the risk of sounding politically incorrect with an observation. Seems to me that Kevin is only seen as a bastard by women in the ALP. Shorty, Albo and Bowy wanted him as leader last time around. I think if Kevin can fix his women problem he will make a good opposition leader.
Des des:
17 Oct 2013 9:23:52am
A little late. if Roxon put her country first instead of party politics she would have had the honesty and integrity to outline her historical views BEFORE the election. Also,as one would expect from one of the handbag hit squad she gives the impressi ion that Gillard was as pure as the driven snow. The Austr alian p eople knew otherwise When l Labor hates they can be so one sided and biased
17 Oct 2013 9:24:05am
Although Labor needs to honestly face up to its failings, the most important tip for now might be to focus, at least publically, on holding Abbott to account - this is what the people need from the opposition now.
Rudd is yesterday's man, so get over it - people like Roxon must take some of the responsibility for letting him get away with too much.
Despite the expenses scandal and Abbott's backflips and lies, the media is not holding him to account over the major issues, so the role of the opposition is vital.
Steve F:
17 Oct 2013 9:32:58am
An act of bastardisation against a bastard. Two wrongs don't make a right. Julia G as PM was illegitimate from day one.
17 Oct 2013 10:10:23am
"Julia G as PM was illegitimate from day one."
@Steve F ... You might think so. The Governor-General who appointed her, the legal advisers that advised her, the Australian Constitution and the majority of Australians do not. It seems you have a problem with the nature of Australian parliamentary democracy.
lance karbuncle:
17 Oct 2013 1:49:18pm
No, she certainly was not illegitimate as you claim. In fact the Labor Party won an election in 2010 with Julia Gillard as their leader.
17 Oct 2013 9:44:20am
Ms. Roxon is doing her party a great disservice by continuing to 'expose' the negatives (real or imagined) within it. She would do well to take a leaf out of Tony Abbott's political handbook and take a 'vow of silence', as the Labor Party goes forward into this new period of advancement in government. Sometimes it is better the devil you don't know.
'Dishing the dirt' (however diplomatically) only serves to perpetuate the toxicity of the Labor brand. And Ms. Gillard is probably no better, with her upcoming tell-all book. It is so easy to spill all when you have nothing left to lose, but spare a thought for those still there, trying to overcome the past mistakes (real or perceived). It all makes for entertaining reading, but not for good publicity.
17 Oct 2013 9:50:22am
You have just scored an own goal Nicola Roxon. You have just delivered another blow to the Labor Party. How about something constructive coming out of your mouths?
Your disgusting speech and the elevation of little Billy assures me to not vote for Labour for a long long time - and this is from a previously loyal Labor voter.
17 Oct 2013 11:45:08am
Did you read the whole speech Linny or did you just cherry pick the juicy bits about Rudd?
It was well considered, frank, positive, constructive and needed to be said.
As for your decision not to vote "Labour" for a long time, too bad!
Mystery Man:
17 Oct 2013 9:53:05am
Life is first about treating those close to you correctly. The manner of Rudd's removal was not moral. If the ALP can do that to Rudd like it's nothing then there is clearly something wrong with the party. Rudd decided that he didn't have to cop that. He also realised that any party which allows that to happen has serious problems. So he tried to fix those problems. Rudd believed that it was in the best interest of the party that he stick around and try to reclaim the leadership because if he left it to Gillard she would've failed dismally. He is not sabotaging the party. It's already broken. He's fixing it. But Shorten is now leader so Rudd's work is not done.
Tony P Grant:
17 Oct 2013 9:56:43am
"You people, let many that depend on the ALP to govern, down"! Well heeled and so far removed...all are a disgrace and traitors to the party's base...M/N110983!
Norman Wisdom:
17 Oct 2013 10:01:57am
As a teenager Rudd adored Whitlam but- I suggest - for his 'celebrity' status not for what he stood for and achieved politically. This was Rudd's big mistake. From and early age he new he wanted to be PM but he never new why. So when he finally got the job he'd always dreamed of he didn't know what to do because he had never known why he wanted it - he just wanted to be a celebrity. Intelligent and hard working but fatally flawed by his own narcissism.
So Nicola Roxon - a talent beyond compare who would make an excellent PM - has left parliament and Rudd is still there. It should be the other way around.
17 Oct 2013 1:35:23pm
Norman Wisdom - what a lack of wisdom! You 'suggest' that Rudd was only after 'celebrity status'. On what basis do you make that statement? You then go ahead and take your own 'suggestion' as fact. A strange lack of logic.
Then you see Roxon 'as a talent beyond compare' - oh come off it! Do you think she gave this type of speech from her heart and her intelligent mind? If she did she shows she has no heart (so willing to attack in a very bitter manner a fellow ALP member) and very little mind (so unwilling to see the impact on the ALP of her attacks at a time when the ALP is moving on)?
Or is Roxon just playing politics - waiting her time before she once again is handed a secure seat? Perhaps she is rallying the unions on her side by attacking someone they do not like because he does not come from a union background - and nor is he a party hack or a union lawyer. Perhaps she too is trying to remind female ALP members in her electorate that there is a gender issue here where she stands on the side of Gillard, sainthood and martyrdom, and in doing so trying to remind the female members that she is 'owed' their support in the next pre-selection battle.
Or is Roxon doing the dirty work for someone else? For Gillard (who is just continuing the fight through interviews and books)? or Shorten (who has to be quiet but who can readily rely on others carrying his message)? or Plibersek (who herself criticised Rudd BEFORE the final count for the election was done)?
Politics is not simple - and so when someone gives such a prominent criticism of Rudd, and taking her not for a fool, then I'd say she was doing this for some political reason in relation to her own ambitions.
We'll see!
17 Oct 2013 10:04:00am
I have only read the first few comments but am disappointed, yet again, that the authors have only focused on Kevin and Julia and not the bigger picture that Nicola was trying to get across. Just like the media has. On the radio I have only heard Nicola's comments about Kevin when there is so much more in this speech. I admire Nicola's optimism but as a grumpy old woman who despairs about the future I don't think any of the "me" generation has or will learn anything. They just don't "get" courtesy or "all for one and one for all" or biting their tongues or ministerial responsibility etc.
17 Oct 2013 10:13:27am
Good girl Nicola. Was a pity to see you depart the political world as you were one of the best. In fact I found the girls of the party had more balls and better skills than most of the blokes. Particularly those weak bastards whom abandoned Julia (Crean apart) to support that deluded creep in order to save their own arses should not be forgotten and are not of the calibre to deserve Govt. of this country. I include the opportunist (Shortland) whom gained notoriety safely narrating the Victorian gold mine disaster on the surface, while the real heroes were risking their lives underground in the endeavour to save their mates lives.
17 Oct 2013 11:50:34am
GaryG. Nicola is not a girl, she is a woman as are the other women of the party. Also the "bloke" you are referring to as "Shortland" is Shorten.
17 Oct 2013 3:29:26pm
Gary G - Beaconsfield gold mine is in Tasmania. Have to agree with you, Shorten milked it for all it was worth, meanwhile the real and unsung heroes were underground risking life and limb to find and rescue their mates.
17 Oct 2013 10:14:14am
Since you wont publish my last comment to this article, perhaps this will get a run. I am not a regular correspondent. The Drum has been used throughout the Albanese/Shorten campaign as a labor party clearing house for party barrackers to discuss their preferences. Now this absolute trash, which is for the party room only. I object to my taxes being used for this clearly one sided party discussion, and I ask that you stop it immediately. We all know that Rudd was trouble, and so was Gillard. It has all been said many times now. Shorten will be the same - you watch. I cannot abide these superannuated poor little rich laborites parading their ghastly dirty linen for all to see. For a less grumpy but excellent summary of the issues look at John, 17th October at 9.00:57 am. Let Roxon take her dreadful Judas money but do not rub our noses in it.
Stuffed Olive:
17 Oct 2013 11:25:10am
I've asked similar of the Drum where Peter Reith's trash is published every week. What do you think of the superannuated Howard, Reith, Minchin, Cameron, Hewson, Alston, Fischer, Peacock, Costello, Downer et al.
Kenny L:
17 Oct 2013 10:15:12am
Full marks to Nicola Roxon. The Rudd debacle has wasted so much political talent in Labor that it has left them like early life forms in the primordial soup and they need to do lots of evolving before the next election. This can be much better done without show pony Rudd generating a keep looking over your shoulder atmosphere in the background. Roxon's lecture also serves to highlight what a courageous job Julia Gillard did to maintain her dignity and cool throughout the whole toxic affair. Rudd should finally redeem himself and act on behalf of his 'fellow Australians' and make a dignified exit from politics and let the healing in Labor begin.
17 Oct 2013 10:15:43am
Thank you Nicola for your insight - your courage may have best been served had it been applied prior to the last election. Post election diatribes do become boring and insignificant.
Had you confronted the Prime Minister whilst in power with the issues you have raised - perhaps our democracy may have been all the better for it.
17 Oct 2013 10:22:58am
Fantastic Job, one of the best & most accurate speeches I've heard - you have had the courage to say what most of your colleagues wish they had the guts say.
17 Oct 2013 12:56:25pm
Pity she didn't have the guts to say it whilst she was in government.
Lehan Ramsay:
17 Oct 2013 10:24:00am
I just want to congratulate Ms Roxon on her talk it was excellent.
17 Oct 2013 10:24:27am
Nicola's speech highlighted more than her opinion of Kevin Rudd, but that's all that is emphasised in the headlines - her speech is nothing more than common sense. I find it reassuring that someone in the Labour Party can speak up in an intelligent and well-organised manner, which, given the salary and benefits we are paying our politicians, should be a basic requirement of the job description!
17 Oct 2013 10:25:55am
It just highlights how foolish the Labor Party behaves they are like the dinner party guests you have over when the real ones have cancelled again because they couldn't get a babysitter and the au pair turned out to be illegal. Something really needs to be done about that.
17 Oct 2013 11:34:23am
Or alternatively we could do something about politicians who rort the public purse to attend weddings & book launches & recreational cycling events.
Pete the gibberer:
17 Oct 2013 10:28:28am
Put it in the 'forgettory', Nicola. Kevin has. And let's find a safe seat for Jessica Rudd.
17 Oct 2013 12:13:48pm
I don't think that Jessica needs a safe seat and when Roxon has helped bring up someone of Jessica's calibre I might take a bit more notice of her.
Jessica's don't usually just appear from nowhere. They usually emanate from profoundly worthwhile and decent mothers and fathers.
As you no doubt intended Jessica is the living, breathing negation of almost everything that Ms Roxon has to say about K Rudd.
I've no doubt he is difficult, odd ball, and can't stick to a shopping list, but I wasn't hoping for someone to remember a shopping list.
I was hoping for someone just like Rudd with deputies who had the vision and sense to, together and very loudly, say pull your head in.
Pete the gibberer:
17 Oct 2013 6:09:54pm
Actually, BJA, Kevin's and Julia's skills ought to have complimented each other. But Kevin couldn't trust her, or anyone.
17 Oct 2013 8:36:33pm
Actually I have information which I believe credible that it was Julia that he couldn't and didn't trust, and for very good reasons.
I do believe that Rudd might have a mild case of that nebulous thing Asperger's syndrome, (so might I, so might have Shakespeare, so might have Einstein) but that doesn't make it sensible to waste the odd talents of such people on the pointless grounds that they don't conform to the behaviour of the mediocre.
If we do that I can reliably predict that the oceans will wash over millions of us in the near future because we were not prepared to listen to any but the spokesmen of the mediocre.
Jane R:
17 Oct 2013 10:29:34am
Gosh, Roxon gave a new depth to the words "Revenge" & "Assassination". I am basically indifferent to Kevin Rudd but there are so many glaring black holes in this speech that made one question Roxon's integrity.
1) For those of you who "thank"Roxon for her "honest" speech, one may ask-- if she was so for the good of the Party, did she and her team calledl Rudd a bastard in his face back then and even gave him ultimatums to change or else? I doubt it, I think morelike those who had intended to put Rudd up as figure head for public consumption, found the opportunity right then to stab him in the back to get rid of him first then assassinate him publicly to put him out altogether.
2) One may also consider Roxon who were reluctantly dragged into resigning because of her support for Gillard now wants revenge and blood and can only be satisfied if Rudd lost his job altogether too, hence this so public assassination. Good for the Party image she said??
3) John Button who was pragmatic and a fine politician , I think would be appalled and unlikely to condone her speech. He would have told Rudd off in his face rather than in this manner.
4) Would Roxon and the Gillard seniors even now do not want to wear the responsibility that it was their public vicious attacks on their own that contributed tremendously to most of us quitting the Labour votes?
5) Is she thinking of going down the Gillard "misogyny" speech route that got her some global attention with her own dramatic " bastardry" one? Is she gunning for a job in the US too?
5) As for why many of the public did not want Gillard --- apart from her personal ambition and characteristics that have many dark spots ,her decision making and leadership contributed to her downfall. her bad ones outweigh her good ones. To the many already stated in this chatboard, I'll add her Live cattle reaction. For sure we don't condone animal cruelty and would like to see ways to end that but her action showed a lack of worldly wisdom created a lot cruelty to the already long suffering farmers.
17 Oct 2013 10:37:19am
IMHO: I think Roxon made a few good points which will unfortunately get forgotten in a few days time when this speech is no longer newsworthy. Even worse, the media will only report the criticisms she made of Rudd and Gillard without reporting the crux of her speech.
If nothing else, the Rudd Government has been an excellent example why process and planning is so important. All governments, no matter what their political persuasion, need to adopt a standard process by which policy is formulated, reviewed and approved before its taken to the public. It may sound terribly tedious and boring but it produces better results in the long run.
17 Oct 2013 10:50:29am
Here we go again, all Labor people are doing is talking about themselves (STILL!) while rAbbott fiddles away unchallenged!
Jane R:
17 Oct 2013 10:52:15am
Sorry, my feedback got truncated accidentally,,,, to continue, the live cattle issue could have been handled better for all parties concerned, now we see farmers lost years of hardwork and properties when they should have been helped instead. (Incidentally , while the ABC reporter went on to winning a prize for her article-- did she even now spare a thought for the farmers' kids who now have lost too?-- but can't really blame her for Gillard's action) I wonder though if this reporter had won a job in America too?
One last point, politicians who signed up have always known that public office is often an extremely taxing taskmaster & disrupting to family life,, so why did Roxon said it was Rudd's fault that one " personal relationship" ended?? One can only say Bravo to the Hazel Hawkes and the ex-Mrs Keating and those who had the gumption and commitment to the public to stick around and not add rankus and pressure(at least not publicly) to their partners while they were handling the highly pressured public jobs ( good or bad) .
Judy Bee:
17 Oct 2013 11:55:22am
Hello Jane R,
The live cattle slaughter was shut down due to a very substantial public outcry. Anyone in government would have acted no differently. It had to be acted on and quickly.
I have it on good authority that a lot of cattle producers over produced recently (not understanding the climate change problem), increasing their herds after the rains. Now 60% of Queensland is in drastic drought, and cattle producers are looking to the tax payers to bail them out. They have also subscribed to a culture of entitlement, requesting that their cattle graze in National Parks. Have no sympathy for the live cattle traders.
17 Oct 2013 2:41:33pm
'Anyone in government would have acted no differently. It had to be acted on and quickly'.
What absolute garbage. You in the left have no idea, as one other contributor said recently, "how is it out there in the 8th dimension".
Can you imagine Tony Abbott and John Howard, closing the live cattle trade down? I think not.
Abbott just apologised to the Indonesian government for all of to trouble and inconvenience caused.
17 Oct 2013 10:53:11am
The voters in Griffith have re-elected Kevin Rudd to the Australian Parliament. What right does Nicola Roxon have to demand his removal?
17 Oct 2013 12:08:48pm
Not his removal, just his disendorsement from the Labor party. He can still represent his electorate as an independent.
17 Oct 2013 3:17:56pm
And on what grounds would this be? They just were saved their backsides by having him as a candidated for PM, and now they shall disendorse him in his local electorate?
17 Oct 2013 7:14:49pm
That's debatable. Face facts. While ever Rudd is around Labor will have no chance. He has to go.
17 Oct 2013 10:54:16am
heres another few housekeeping tips for labor, and for any politician for that matter.
1 never ever depose a sitting prime minister- it is political death. its bad enough to do it once, but twice. no one is going to take you seriously
2 if the pm is being a bastard, grow some balls, stop being a sicofant , grab him by the scruff of the neck and stand up to him, and put him in the naughty chair until he behaves.
heck, organise an intervention. there is no excuse for bad manners and contempt, especially if its the pm, who should know better.
3 try using the words , "yes" and "no" when answering questions , instead of the 3 paragraph answers without a full stop . you just lose people after the first sentence.
the other option is to just not let any lawyers join the party. the western world is run by too many lawyers, which explains a lot .
4 if you dont know the answer, say so, and stop the bs replies
5 stop playing games, and doing deals with people of questionable character. i wont name names. character always shows through in the end, and you will never ever get away with it.
6 always always go old school , look people in the eye and tell them whats truely in your heart, and what you truely believe, not something you PR department or media advisor cooked up . tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts.
7 this follows from my last point, talk to the people , not the media. the world is spinning fast enough, you shouldnt be.
i could go on, but that will do for now
Maddy Jones:
17 Oct 2013 10:56:37am
Everything Roxon has said is pertinent to the management of any organisation.
It?s also well past time for Rudd to move on. He has no place in the party rebuild.
17 Oct 2013 11:00:39am
"Accept you are not always right, and cannot always fix everything."
Very sound advice, but the moral superiority complex on those of the left means this goal is often very difficult to achieve.
I am yet to meet a lefty who is happy to admit when they are wrong.
17 Oct 2013 2:28:30pm
We were wrong to vote for kevin. There. Your turn.
17 Oct 2013 11:00:58am
What Roxon says about Rudd is probably true. However, there is every reason to equally believe that the problems were self inflicted by the other main players. When Rudd was rolled members of the press knew before most parliamentary members of Labor had a clue. Also, the bottom line reason Rudd was really rolled was a loss of popularity with the electorate. A significant part of that was dropping emphasis on climate change and Gillard had a role in that and continued the course after the roll, to the next election.
Too many people do not get a significant reason Gillard was not liked, probably Roxon included and especially those that like to blame sexism. Gillard spoke a lot of waffle to the electorate.
"Even if you accept the method of his removal was unfair - nothing excuses persistently destabilising and leaking against your own team ...". Such absolutism is just not right even if you accept that Rudd's behaviour was unacceptable. It is a partisan argument.
Roxon makes many good points but bastardry and bullying (and power broking) is probably part of the game and how many are just not prepared or unable to stand against it on principle. That applies to all politics and so called 'diplomacy'. Roxon's advice means little to bastards and bullies. And who can take such advice seriously when spin is such a basic modus operandi.
17 Oct 2013 11:02:57am
Well said Nicola I am in total agreement with you.
I Love Polls:
17 Oct 2013 11:05:34am
Point No. 6: Always ask what you can do for the party.
Is Roxon displaying a good example of this? I don't think so. I just wish Labor could be given a chance to recover from the past. They were hoping to move away from all the internal disharmony, but here we are with one person after another voicing their negative opinions for the whole country to hear. They should all grow up, get over it, try doing something constructive and stop giving Abbott so much fodder for November 11, when he finally goes back to work.
17 Oct 2013 11:07:13am
You just could not resist the temptaion to stir the pot one last time?
Or is this the first shot of ridding the factional leadership of their worst nightmare?
Kevin Rudd should sue you for defamation.
17 Oct 2013 11:13:00am
Do we really need to go over this again.
The reason Labor is now in opposition is because it has people like Nicola Roxon in it. Political cowards who put party before country. Backbenchers more interested in keeping their seats than their integrity.
Roxon's 10 point plan is pie in the sky stuff. While ever Rudd stays endorsed as a Labor MP it means nothing has changed and probably never will.
17 Oct 2013 11:18:13am
In 1945 Ben Chifley asked..
"How many times do we (The ALP) have to tear ourselves apart before the public have had a gutfull"?
Roxon..shut up and go away...your time is done!
17 Oct 2013 11:27:50am
Let's wind out the focus.
A camel is a horse designed by a committee - "The devil's walking parody of all four footed things".
Our elective oligarchy results in a committee which we call a government.
Rudd tried to design a horse.
Abbott and that collection of dull grey people we now have for a government will make a very good job of designing a camel.
Unfortunately it will be a Bactrian camel, and they can't swim - well not very well anyway - in Central Asia they don't get much of a chance to practice. They are not what you want with rising sea levels.
I've spent a fair bit of my life assessing people's capabilities and in my opinion only three people in Abbott's Ministry have as much innate ability to be worthwhile politicians as the top 25 or so in the Labor Government elected in 2007 (and Abbott and Bishop are not in the three).
It is a sufficient commentary on our politics that a grey (perhaps colourless?) non entity like Minchin should be able to derail the progress of someone like Mr Turnbull, and he and his other grey people replace Turnbull with Abbott.
The description "too good, too honest, too stupid" is the sneer of the cunning manipulator, the camel designer, and the person who makes up for mental and ethical deficiencies by a cunning understanding of the lowest common denominators of humanity.
The description applies in different ways to both Rudd and Turnbull
I've just pulled out Plato's collected works and while I thank Ms Roxon for little else, I'm about to re-read "The Republic" - in the light of "Darwin's Origin of Species", the decipherment of the human genome, and "Hitler, a Study in Tyranny".
If everyone honestly tries and we pool the results, we must be able to do better than a hazy sketch of a Bactrian Camel ridden by a born again something or other as a Melbourne Cup entrant.
17 Oct 2013 5:15:06pm
Then again, when it turns out that the thing is, like everything else they've got, by Moonlight out of The Public Purse and they try to register the colours - soiled white with a blue sash and beer stains - well it would never get a start anyway.
I mean there are some standards to keep up.
17 Oct 2013 11:30:17am
Bravo Ms Roxon, she is to be commended for her service to the Federal Parliament, the ALP, and most importantly to the citizens of Australia.
Who knows how many lives her signature plain paper packaging reform will save in the future . Roxon is also to be commended for her undying loyalty to Julia Gillard, despite appearances a better Prime Minister than Rudd or Abbott could ever even hope to be.
That Gillard and Roxon are now forever lost to our political landscape is the one of the great shames of the past 6 years in politics, second only to the wanton destruction by the right of viable climate policy.
The constant and bitter feud between Gillard, Roxon and certain sections of our media is will be the hot topic of discussion in media and political studies classes for decades to come
Love a debate:
17 Oct 2013 11:31:11am
Politics is dirty. Look at history. But Kevin embraced Gen-Y media and working the me, me, me show to his full advantage. Roxon explains he was not a team player; no 'I' in team. His 'bastard' damage trail got him the sack. Those that go on and on about Julia's knife and back-stabbing forget that his OWN PARTY got rid of him; not Julia on her own.
No doubt Kevin is clever and his supporters eat his diatribe up. But how many supporter's really know the man? The character of the man? None. It was the people working for him and alongside him that had that privilege and they couldn't stand him.
17 Oct 2013 6:55:36pm
I suggest that you acquaint yourself with the story of Perdix in Ovid's metamorphoses, Book 8.
The rejection of Rudd by some in the government and some (certainly not all) public servants might have a lot more to do with problems with those doing the rejecting than the rejected - or perhaps problems on both sides.
Judy Bee:
17 Oct 2013 11:47:06am
Nicola, Nicola, Nicola,
This is a sad moment for Labor. These kinds of personal outbursts hurt the people Parliamentarians are meant to be considering as a priotity - the Labor voters. Thousands of supporters voted for Kevin Rudd in 2007, a victory for Labor that unseated John Howard. We celebrated and were thankful for the nation. And in 2013, he is elected democratically, whether you like him personally or not, the people who elected him deserve respect.
This is appalling venting from you Nicola Roxon, something I am sure you would have ample opportunity to do privately, among friends.
The summary of this is, you have disrespected the voters of Queensland, who voted Labor when all the pundits predicted a wipe-out.
The Kevin Rudd legacy is significant as is the legacy of the Gillard years. Your outburst, Nicola, diminishes more than those legacies..
17 Oct 2013 2:40:14pm
In giving this talk I think Ms Roxon has displayed exactly the same inability to judge the result as she, Bitar, Gillard, Abib and Shorten did when they terminated Rudd's PM ship.
All that did was to achieve the impossible result of putting Abbott into the PM ship. The wonder is that it took 3 years to do it, but that's just a measure of haw bad Abbott is.
All it has done has revived all the hatreds and disappointments and achieved no positive thing whatever - unless you call delusional self justification a positive thing.
There is obviously plenty of that about.
17 Oct 2013 11:56:03am
Interesting that all this is being said after the fact. Luckily our strong sort of democracy weathered such a person. Just because someone says nothing doesn't mean they are not lying.
17 Oct 2013 12:00:12pm
I am sad to see someone of the intelligence of Nicola Roxon steeping to such low. Even assuming her points have merit, it is like a bad divorce, with the wife having nothing better to do than to foulmouth her ex with the neighbors. Of course, she knows this was not addressed to Labor, it is primarily a public assassination attempt of a former PM. But the truth of it can also be disputed. I much prefer Lindsay Tanners recollection, in complete disagreement with Roxon's version and many times more credible. Also, Gillard lost the majority in 2010 because of her inability to get the "true Julia" out. She never has. An able administrator, an appalling communicator. Unfortunately, a PM has to be foremost a communicator, that is top of the job description.
Sure, the leak in 2010 was damaging - why? Because it was the truth, we the public were not to know. But the video of Rudd was nothing but vilification. Its morally on the same level as putting a sex video of your partner on youtube, and it could be traced to Gillard's office.
Everyone has his moments. But Julia never disputed the CONTENT of the leak in 2010. Its origin was never substantiated. No wonder she didn't like the types of Julia Assange, who bring it out into the open. But I, for one, prefer to know...
17 Oct 2013 12:01:56pm
Thank you Nicola for your pitch-perfect assessment of the "problem with Kevin"!
17 Oct 2013 12:12:38pm
This political person has denied leadership of the ALP and caused the Australian voters to issue their engineered troubles the thumb down --live within your capabilities which ain't much at the moment in political time line
17 Oct 2013 12:14:29pm
I wonder if there will be enough current and former Labor MP's to issue regular reminders of what an ill disciplined rabble they are until the next election.
17 Oct 2013 12:26:13pm
all this retrospective backbiting must stop by all members of the ALP caucus. this is putting ALP voters offside. what we should focus on is the dangerous path this country is heading (economically, diplomatically, socially) with abbott at its helm.At this stage it doesnt matter which party is in power. the ALP's constant navel gazing is making it unelectable. the only hope now left is for Turnbull to challenge this buffoon, Abbott before it's too late.
Jungle Boy:
17 Oct 2013 12:36:46pm
Thank you Ms Roxon for your speech.
I'm sorry that the media (including the ABC) & commentators have absolutely misrepresented it as consisting entirely of an attack on Mr Rudd.
Your speech covered a lot of ground. It was quite balanced: it gave Mr Rudd credit where it was due. It also noted some good and bad points of others, including Ms Gillard.
Many in politics, media & commentatariat could learn from your balanced, measured and frank approach.
Thank you for plain tobacco packaging.
jeremy moldy:
17 Oct 2013 12:37:55pm
very disappointing Nicola i thought you had more brains than this. again like Gillard you crow but you should have done something why now we the Labor movement does not need more of this please 'Shut up' you bunch of losers Gillard and now Roxon. As Chris Bowen has already said the people are sick of this rubbish and i as a Labor party supporter who had a lot of time for yu Nicola is now disappointed with yu and you have now lost a lot of credibility that i gave you. Good bye and stop it please.
Joyce A.G.:
17 Oct 2013 12:42:15pm
Thank you Nicola Roxon for the courage you've displayed in how you have worded your address to the world, the insights and outlook therein contained, via the John Button Memorial Lecture 2013. Much obliged - and all the best.
17 Oct 2013 12:43:42pm
Nicola is to be congratulated, she must stand alongside Julia and Tanya as the best Recruiting Sergeants the male cause has ever had.
In the last federal election Morgans polling indicated men were voting 55% for the Coalition and 45% for the ALP.
The ALP the need to regain the male vote if it is to return to government. Any appeal to the male is going to be difficult given the strength and opposition of Emilys listers in the party.
In the last election the female vote split evenly 50/50 between the ALP and the Coalition. Gillards attempt to increase this share with her "blue tie" approach proved a spectacular failure and only antagonised the male vote.
We live in interesting times
17 Oct 2013 12:44:49pm
A pity you couldn't keep to your own rule 5 when discussing the last prime minister.
John Ernst:
17 Oct 2013 12:52:46pm
Nicola is a NSW ALP branch person and needs to clean-up her own branch before she starts haveing a go at the Qld reps. Would have been more interested in her take on what is required to fix things for ALP in NSW. Instead she hits and easy soft target.
17 Oct 2013 5:27:08pm
@John Ernst ... No. She is actually from the Victorian ALP Branch (suggest you google her name). And no she is not "having a go" at the Qld reps. She is commenting on the last 6 years of Commonwealth Labor government. You sound like you haven't even read her speech.
17 Oct 2013 12:54:12pm
What is it about Labor politics that encourages the charismatic and turbulent styles we saw in Whitlam and Rudd? Latham had a bit of it too. Keating teetered on the edge. It is no accident that the soundest Labor administration we've seen since 1950 was led by people of deliberative intellect such as Hawke. Gillard was in his class but was beset by Rudd's antics. Hayden, unfortunately didn't get a go.
When I was a member of the Party I came across plenty of rumour mongers, conspiracy theorists and people desperate to find and anoint a messiah and be in the clique close to him. Many were weighed down by the old discontents and religious loyalties of their ancestors. Some were converted commies. Few ever forgot a grudge. I see before me the image of Clyde Cameron.
Maybe they'll purge all that stuff in time, but as of now, it's still there. There'll be another Rudd. When he pops up, I hope there'll be a Nicole Roxon to spot him before he buggers things up.
17 Oct 2013 1:00:44pm
It's shame that some Labor figures do not learn the lesson -
I wonder how Labor front benches such as Roxon occupied a position
that she was not at to the standard with her lack of ethical behavior
Her desire for revenge is stronger than the Party that she represented
She had done more damage to the Labour Party than good -
The average Australian rejected the coup and character assassination to Kevin Rudd - He was back because he was asked begged to come back to save some of his colleagues seats which he successfully did -
It looks that Labour still divided - its like a mafia - a personal vendetta against Rudd - Why Kevin bothers some Labor front benches so much? Why do they want to eliminate him? - Because people love him !! and none of them got the angel for the position they are holding?
Roxon behavior is really low - and I'm sorry but thanks to this type of figures it will take a long time to came back to government - There is a lot cleaning still in the Labour Ranking - In government we need people with integrity above the average - and what we had seen is less than average .
17 Oct 2013 1:05:14pm
I fully agree with what Ms Roxan's ten points tips. Those tips can be used by all leaders/administrators in all kinds of organisations. It is a pity that Ms. Roxan has retired from politics. Her retirement is a loss to the Australians. I wish her the very best
17 Oct 2013 1:07:25pm
While I'm no Rudd sycophant (for all the usual reasons), seems to me Labor should quit denigrating him.
In fact party members should show a little gratitude.
It was Rudd who defeated the long serving Howard back in 07 and it was him who saved the furniture in Sept (just ask any Labor MP agnostic to the Rudd/Gillard rift).
The man's relinquished the leadership and is apparently happy to serve out his time on the shadow backbench.
It's also depressing to hear the same old gripes against Rudd (e.g. he was a destabilising force).
The truth remains, Rudd could only destabilise because team Gillard were so utterly fragile.
Regardless, the debate's moved on.
Labor's challenge now is to open itself up to meaningful democratic reform (again, something Rudd helped initiate).
17 Oct 2013 1:11:38pm
This doesn't help. The bottom line is that the party is broken into two main factions, the more leftwards and the more rightwards. It is about time that both factions try to pull it up together rather than undermine each other - that is when we all loose
17 Oct 2013 5:26:38pm
Daniel, they all know that, but they love the paranoia, the rat hunting, the pay backs, the deals, the late night phone calls, ('careful, the bastards are listening') the depression that follows the catharsis of defeat at the polls.
Who wants the drudgery and petty achievement of office, the unfeeling scrutiny of the fourth estate? Better to stay pure and unencumbered.
With the rank and file now involved in selecting the leader, imagine the fun, the clustering, the recruiting, the new factions and recriminations, the casks of wine, the flirting. Odear.
17 Oct 2013 1:21:46pm
If labour ever wants to get back in - they need to stop giving the opposition all the ammunition to destroy them - like this piece.
17 Oct 2013 1:22:41pm
Interesting that Roxon attributes the silence post-2010 knifing to "save Kevin pain", yet readily acknowledges that doing so made Gillard's job harder.
And somehow they never thought to help make Gillard's job easier, by 'fessing up earlier.
With friends like these...
17 Oct 2013 1:25:25pm
Kevin can go or stay or fly to the moon - who cares?
17 Oct 2013 7:21:29pm
I do and so do millions of other Australians.
He is a highly intelligent, knowledgeable, and worthwhile Australian and there are far too few of them in the Federal Parliament.
17 Oct 2013 1:27:53pm
In the best interest of both the ALP and Australia Mr Rudd needs to retire from the Federal politics.
17 Oct 2013 1:46:59pm
Fundamentally your 10 points make common sense and it does not matter what side of the political divide that you can be found, it would be the mantra of any political party.
So what happened to the ALP? simple they did not know how to govern and they did not know how to sell themselves. Why was this? too many people in Government and in the branches with impossible to achieve political and social ideals.
And it appears that with the election of the opportunist Shorten, it appears that the ALP may not learn how to effectively govern. Basically its going to be left versus right again.
Robert Hernandez:
17 Oct 2013 1:54:31pm
She just confirmed to the world what most people with a little bit of intelligence already knew! I am just simply gobsmacked, disturbed and absolutely alarmed at how Rudd still has so many supporters!!!!!
17 Oct 2013 1:58:12pm
Mr Rudd was a work-alcoholic and often when people don't get enough sleep they can appear a little cranky at times .
Mr Rudd worked very long hours during a GFC and Australia should be thankful to him that he got it right at the time .
Could it be that some of his ministers were the exact opposite where they didn't like working long hours and being put under pressure ?
I see it all the time where modern day workers hate to work even a minute over and would rather rush out the door at exactly 5pm than spend an extra one minute with a customer.
It is often all about take and entitlements and never about giving that little bit extra .
M/s Roxon should count her blessings that she could retire from parliament at a fairly early age and to receive such huge entitlements at taxpayer's expense even though at times she was not completely happy with the person she was working with as the leader . .
17 Oct 2013 2:01:20pm
Ms Roxon's comments might be right or wrong, but what was the point? What possible good could come out of that speech?
Kevin Rudd is history, so this is just a pointless diversion by someone who is also history. The speech was harmful to the Labor Party and Ms Roxon. It just revives the internal struggles which did such huge damage. Is Ms Roxon just determined keep Labor in that place.
17 Oct 2013 2:02:29pm
I'm happy to accept what Roxon has said about Rudd.
But she hasn't learned her lesson: she is now silent on why Labor ousted Gillard and grovelled back to Rudd.
Could the answer simply be that Labor are weathervanes who will eat their own vomit for a vote (in which case every single word they utter is a self-serving lie)?
Or are there skeletons in Gillard's closet (in which case they are a talentless cesspit of corruption and greed)?
Which one, Roxon?
William Hunt:
17 Oct 2013 2:07:56pm
don't come out of retirement anytime soon Nicola, you're clearly bent on doing more damage to the ALP than good.
at least right now you sound like a bitter ex-politician to join the rest of them instead of someone we should be paying attention to. the factional version of Mark Latham.
go ahead, milk it like he did. you'll be following his footsteps, on the streets harassing the next labor PM in no time, all for the sake of revenge.
Abbott_the_menace :
17 Oct 2013 2:15:25pm
Roxon should not say anything about Kevin Rudd and his government of which she was a minister. If she did not like it she could have resigned!
Carson Wells Daytrader:
17 Oct 2013 2:19:01pm
Unemployed middle class welfare recipient gives rambling speech to small crowd. What's so "exclusive" about that ABC.
Was it Toastmasters or mooting? Where does Roxon say anything that is relevant or significant to anyone but a small proportion of the community. Didn't they just have the pleasure of playing nominal democracy for a month at the expense of the taxpayer.
Self-serving Drivel Anyone?
17 Oct 2013 2:20:18pm
Roxon's comments are probably true and they do NOT hurt the ALP. Rather, they infer that Kev was the problem. But he was not. Julia was not the problem, either. The problem is Labor's Union/Greens obsession when it comes to policy. Julia and Kev are gone, the Australian people have voted down the Carbon Tax and yet Labor and their Greens partners refuse to repeal it. I think this now dispels the myth that it was only because of the minority government that the ALP introduced a massive new tax that they did not take to the election.
Labor and the Greens are anti-development and therefore anti-jobs. Please stop blaming Kev and Julia. Yes they are part of the problem, but so are all Labor MPs. Labor permanently damaged our cattle industry with its bans. That was driven by Ludwig. Labor undermined foreign investment in our fishing industry by scuttling the Abel Tasman's ability to fish in Australian waters after originally agreeing to it. That was driven by Tony Burke. They tried to introduce an internet filter. That was driven by Conroy. They extortionately increased tobacco excise for the poorest Australians. Plibersek. They introduced plain packaging in breach of WTO rules. Plibersek again. It was Rudd and Gillard that declared war on the resources sector, however. They all share in the blame.
The problem is Labor/Greens policy, not the poor soul who has to be the face of it. I am in no way envious of Bill Shorten's job over the next 3 years.
17 Oct 2013 2:29:45pm
memo to all current, former, future members of the Parliamentary ALP:
Just stop, stop, stop, mouthing off about what went wrong.
Just stop.
Am I making myself clear?
17 Oct 2013 2:36:24pm
When I read this article last evening after watching 7:30 last night, my reaction was typical. Just another example of Labor rabble and shemozzle. No misogyny intended for the she part of the mozzle.
But much later, cause to think a little differently.
Before and after the election much was promised that with the election of new leader, a new and reformed Labor Party would emerge. Then as portfolios were given out, the public sulks and bleating, the accusations of done deals behind closed doors etc, etc. At least some of it was attempted with mirth, something the Coalition can't manage. Smirk is all that can be achieved.
I think that Nicola Roxon has demonstrated, as ugly as it seems to be, that the ALP is more open and more participatory than the Liberal Party. The ALP somewhat bludgeon societal niceties but the fights are in the open. Characterise this with the Coalition and the LNP particularly. They pretend a broad church, democratic party where all members can have a say and have equal say. Yet when one of the members or a number within the grass roots of the party not aligned with the power brokers are not happy because of lack of true and open consultation, they are told to zip it up and knives are placed in backs. When one in frustration having exhausted all supposedly grievance options, decides to speak out about these issues they are threatened with expulsion. And this is supposedly the party of civilised gentlemen (and some ladies).
The definition of the rugby codes is relevant to my point: "It has been said that rugby league is a gentleman's game played by thugs and rugby union is a thug's game played by gentlemen."
It seems to me that the Liberals are the league players, i.e thugs whilst the ALP are the union (no pun intended) players, i.e gentlemen.
Strange as it seems, the LNP hypocrisy, silencing of the media over the boats and insider revelations that has been on show since taking government is all the proof I need.
The LNP wonders why it put up such a bad show in its blue ribbon booths in Denison.
17 Oct 2013 2:39:47pm
the ALP does not deserve to be in government while it continues with its unproductive backstabbing and navel gazing after the fact. It's time the ALP grew up and focussed on addressing the very dangerous path Abbott is taking this country economically, diplomatically and socially. The only hope we have now is for Turnbull to challenge Abbott for the leadership of the LNP.
17 Oct 2013 2:40:49pm
As much as I like Ms.Roxon's honesty and straight talking which she herself liken to Mr.John Button's style, I think there was something not quite right about the timing and the occasion.
If Mr.Rudd is indeed what she described, and I not for one moment, disagreed with her on that, but surely that kind of issues should have had raised and resolved then.
The way Rudd behaved as Roxon described, is a classic bully. We all have our own fair share of bullies in our working and social lives. You have a few ways to deal with a bully.
(1). To tell him to f..k off.
(2). To gently and diplomatically explain to him that you don't want and don't like to be treated that way.
(3). To get out of his way and resign, but make a big splash like what she is doing now to expose him for what he is.
(4). To collect your like minded colleagues and confront him head on.
(5). To simply resign,
(6). Suffer in silence,
(7). Humour him/her to let him know that he is in no way on top of you.
Personally, I chose the last option. The bully didn't know what to think as I relegated him to my equal by doing so.
I thought our elected representatives, who are able to stand in front of a big audience and speak, are not daisies. Surely they would have the kind of courage, power of persuasion, reasoning, organization most of us are lacking. Why can't they deal with it there and then when it became raw and unbearable?
Perhaps they are not as tough as they made out to be. Perhaps they are in fear of losing their parliamentary entitlements/pensions if they resign. Too much are at stake?
So it is rather cute for her to spill the beans now. I am not too sure that I have any sympathy for her and her long suffering colleagues, because they should have been adult enough to stand up for themselves.
James M:
17 Oct 2013 2:58:45pm
The Australian Federal Labor Party: totally, totally, totally... (yes, I am attempting to create the right effect) dysfunctional; a series of "fiefdoms" within a "pretend kingdom" that cannot succeed in the "real kingdom."
The "fiefdoms:"
All the legal companies and the different unions that need to get their "princes," a la David Feeneys, Bill Shortens, etc, in charge of particular sections of the Parlamentary Labor Party--This system excludes good, worthy people, from all parts of the political spectrum, who do not belong to the legal companies and the unions, from contributing to Australian political life;
The "pretend kingdom:"
The Federal Labor Party. For most members of parliament and their controlling "princes," this seems to be the real goal. Fight the other factions, and do it in the most subterfuge, Machiavellian way, and get what you want. Heaven help those--like Rudd--who are not aligned with any faction--and worse, how dare Rudd become Prime Minister, when he has not paid his dues to us, the "princes" of the "fiefdoms. That means only one thing--we the "princes" have to chop off his head!
Whitlam was not really aligned to any faction and look at the trouble he had with the"princes."
Hawke had the fealty of the "princes" and was able to do much good.
Keating, I am not sure how he went with the "princes," but he had (and has) such a strong personality that he most likely was able to control them to some extent.
Federal Labor, with all its private and public infighting to get the best "fiefdoms" within the "pretend kingdom," were placed, by the Australian voting public, in opposition from about 1948 to 1972, from 1975 to 1983 and from 1996 to 2007. I.e.: in the last 65 years, the LNP has governed for 43 years and Labor for 22 years, 66% to 34% respectively!
Nicola, with your speech yesterday, you maintain this public infighting, and you have contributed your bit to keeping Labor in opposition! Do you not understand the history of your party over the last 65 years, and the Australian voting public's judgment of such flaunting of public disunity as worthy only of the party being in opposition and not government?
The "real kingdom:"
The political party that sits in the goverment benches, in the Federal Parliament. The "real kingdom" is of secondary, maybe tertiary consideration, most likely even worse, for the Federal Labor Party. The Labor parliamentary members and senators, as well as ex-members and ex-senators, are so caught up in their "Labor infighting" that they don't even realise the greater goal! It is not in their vision; not in their field of view!
Labor underestimates Mr Abbott. He has shown himself to know the goals that the public wants action on, to be d
17 Oct 2013 2:58:49pm
What a joke we're not taking advice from a failed backstabbing minister like her.
Labor should put in its party constitution that no sitting leader/pm can be voted down or dismissed by the party unless they are medically proven to be ill, or, 100 percent of caucus votes in favor of the need for the dismissal. Highest benchmark.
They should also stop listening to the union movement and the party minister/leader should only give a maximum of one media conference a week.
I think labor is going to be out of office for at least two parliaments, possibly three. It's entirely their own fault.
pat wilson:
17 Oct 2013 3:02:44pm
Nicola Roxon has a bad case of sour grapes. In summing this up, she is no longer at the cabinet table, where Rudd still is! Clearly the "kitchen got too hot" for Nicola which is most probably why she got out. Kevin Rudd will be contesting for the Leadership of the Labor Party in a year and a half from now.
Forrest Gardener:
17 Oct 2013 3:06:26pm
Pretty good piece.
In view of this statement of her principles for good government, why did Roxon compromise those principles by participating so wilfully in the handbag hit squad?
Do as I say, not do as I did?
17 Oct 2013 6:35:00pm
Loving the reverse sexism there Forrest.. How dare a female (ex) Labor MP speak her mind! Damn her forever with some lame tag like ... "Handbag hit squad"
And don't try to argue that is was a woman who first coined the phrase, that only makes it worse.
17 Oct 2013 3:20:15pm
I wish Nicola Roxon could have shed some more light on the Swine Flu epidemic that ravished Australia when she was Health Minister in 2009.
Australia and Roxon got off very, very lightly in what was a potentially devastating disaster of epic proportions, averted only by the very mildness of Swine Flu. As Health Minister she made a 'terrible decision' to not close our borders in the early days of the flu, before its fatality rate was known. In doing so she let an Australian family returning from a Disneyland holiday, who had contracted Swine Flu, to return to Australia on a normal flight - unchecked, unquarantined.
Consequently, Australia suffered one of the highest and fastest infection rates of Swine Flu in the world. Over 40% of the population eventually contracted that flu in one form or another.
Months later, Health Minister Roxon, finally armed with a vaccine bought millions of doses for the Australian population, after-the-event, which very few people then bothered with (i.e. millions had already suffered the virus to some extent - ask your GP, if you don't believe me here). How many does got thrown out Nicola?
So Nicola Roxon, don't come out all high-and-mighty after you yourself got off by the grace of god or sheer dumb luck, on the great Swine Flu epidemic, after a single act of incompetence that could have cost us tens of thousands of lives, had that virus turned out as dangerous as many medical researchers had earlier predicted.
Steve Mount:
17 Oct 2013 3:47:12pm
I think this is atrocious behaviour, and the language is unacceptable at top political levels.
Rudd had never publicly uttered one bad word against his deposers, unlike Gillard and her supporters, including yourself.
If you want to know what's wrecking the Labor Party, Nicola, it's not the internal struggles, it's the public venting by ex-prime ministers, and ex-cabinet ministers, such as this. This open bitching is destroying Labor. I am appalled.
You may well worship John Button, but it's a very safe bet that he would never call anyone a bastard, especially in a public address. You fall well short.
Discipline, and discretion, is the answer, which Rudd has in spades, as compared to a bunch of publicly-displaying whingers.
Rudd should resign? Bollocks. He stood for election in his seat, and won. He has not only a right, but an obligation, to represent his electors.
He didn't retire when the road became bumpy...
17 Oct 2013 5:27:56pm
I think Kevin Rudd has been a wrecker for the ALP but I agree with you, Steve. He has the right to hold a seat he was elected to; and more to the point, this is just plain stupid behaviour on Nicola Roxon's part. How is she helping her colleagues who are still there by rehashing all this? I bet the organisers of the John Button oration were horrified to hear this instead of some thoughtful reflections on the future for Labor. As a previous Attorney General Nicola Roxon would have been in a very good position to talk about law and electoral reform, but she wasted the opportunity. I always thought she was level-headed and I would have thought some time out of politics would have given her some perspective, but clearly not.
17 Oct 2013 3:53:04pm
Nicola's parenthetical afterthought ' Always ask what you can do for the party (and the nation) not what it can do for you (with apologies to JFK) is very telling and firmly places the interest of the nation as secondary to those of the party. When the comrades talk, the nation always takes a backseat to the party - therein lies their greatest problem and a big reason why they have lost support. Nation first, party second comrades!
17 Oct 2013 4:04:52pm
I was appalled that Nicola Roxon spoke such vitriole at the John Button memorial . Or anywhere else for that matter.
The psychological term(not just a word) transference comes to mind. In essence it's about negative thoughts(about oneself) which are buried deep in the ventrals. These come to the surface and are transferred to someone else. I can only think Nicola must be disappointed with her own performance.
Also can't help wondering whether Nicola is trying to get at Bill Shorten just when he is trying to steer a new course
At one stage she said "Julia, Wayne and I ......" then something about Kevin. It reminded me of yard duty at school.
The behaviour of Nicola & Anna this week has been that of spoilt little girls. Perhaps they could use Tanya, Penny & Jenny M as role models.
17 Oct 2013 4:05:52pm
I'm certainly no fan of Kevin Rudd but this stupid rant by Nicola Roxon does her and her party no favours. Roxon said she would be speaking in John Button " style ". Roxon is no John Button and I'm sure he would be as embarrassed as the rest of the Labor party after hearing what she said.
17 Oct 2013 4:19:18pm
It is a shame Nicola Roxon chose to act in such a dishonorable manner yet again. Her behaviour as a member of parliament is really disappointing and very poor conduct. It is interesting that she accuses Rudd of being rude while her own meanness and continual outbursts of abuse she seems oblivious to. I hope Kevin Rudd continues to ignore this abusive person and continues to contribute to the ALP. Ialso hope this is the last that we all hear from Nicola Roxon and her gang of Julia Gillard supporters who almost destroyed the ALP. Hopefully Bill Shorten distances himself from her and others like her. I know Anthony Albanese will and has so this is what I will be watching as a ALP supporter!
17 Oct 2013 4:25:58pm
People don't take much notice of the news, sadly, if there is not a scandal, a sensation, or a scoop. So who would have read Nicola's speech if she had not used the B word about Kevin Rudd?
The points she makes are very good, but they simply outline the essence of good political leadership for any party in power. The new government should read it, mark it, and digest it all very carefully.
Nicola Roxon has my great respect for her parliamentary achievements. I regret her one foray into immoderate language, and that "Rudd's bastardry" is all the media thought fit to focus on, but at least it has resulted in people getting to read the speech. Thank you ABC News/Opinion for printing it in full.
17 Oct 2013 4:36:04pm
I'm so over this it's not funny. Can't they shut up and concentrate on working for us?
But a couple points in passing: Nicola Roxon was an appalling AG and Bill Shorten cannot ever be considered as being part of a "dream team".
Common Sense:
17 Oct 2013 4:56:08pm
Only a politician/lawyer could dish out 'one-minute manager advice' with a straight face
gary :
17 Oct 2013 5:06:52pm
perhaps she should have spoken up when it really mattered, bit late now niccola.
also labour need to address the fact they had terrible policies and conducted themselves like babies. that's why they lost!
17 Oct 2013 5:10:02pm
Well, well, well.......isn't it ironic. The Julia Bashers righteously proclaim what a hopeless leader she was, what a dreadful government she lead, how socialist Labor was, yet these same people are more than happy to take advantage of the social programs available to ALL Australians. If MAG, et al, are so anti-socialist then they should put their money where their mouth is and refuse to take part in Medicare, the NBN, our disability scheme, the list goes on. We are not a third world country and certain human rights should be available for everyone not just a privileged few. Yes, some people rort the system but they should be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
Queensland JAK:
17 Oct 2013 6:27:07pm
I was underwhelmed by Nicola Roxon's speech. I found myself becoming more and more sympathetic to Kevin Rudd. "I feel it my painful duty to inform you for the good of the party". Give me a break. She reminded me of Lily Tomlin's telephonist who "had to get this out Sir!"
It was harmful. It resurrected sleeping dogs and insulted a man who has obviously given his heart and soul to his job, no matter how others may see it. The bitchy internecine party rivalries were sanctified at the expense of the future of the party and of Australia. I honour all those who gave their best to the government and that includes Julia GIllard, Kevin Rudd, Nicola Roxon and Bill Shorten.
Now get on with it or shut up!
17 Oct 2013 7:02:48pm
She called Kevin a "foul mouth vicious bastard" and then showed her lack of political brains by being surprised the "vicious bastard" didn't turn the other cheek after his political ambush.
I like everyone else I don't know what happened behind the scenes, but from what I've seen there was only one side that bad mouthed and attacked the other viciously in public and it wasn't Kevin and his supporters.
For all his faults, in public he kept his tongue and behaved with dignity which is more then could be said for Gillard supporters.
Gillard supporters seem to think Kevin should have taken the disloyalty and the stab in the back of a first term Prime Minister and not fight back, he showed Gillard the same loyalty as she showed him, the Labor party knew what he was like before they elected him leader ( as Latham kept telling us) but were willing to ride his popularity.
As for the leaks etc well one good turn deserves another don't dish out what you can't take.
Another Aussie:
17 Oct 2013 7:10:02pm
When Nicola Roxon announced she was not going to seek reelection I was quietly satisfied that such an action would be good for the parliament. Events since then have me convinced that I was correct.
Roxon's mouth seems to be a problem. She spat the dummy when a man won Labor preselection for her former seat and she spat the dummy last night about Kevin Rudd.
Tony Abbott need not taken any Roxon dummy spit aimed at him personally because it appears she just runs off at the mouth against men. Pity.
17 Oct 2013 7:12:20pm
Glad to hear that this is the last we hear of Roxon. John Button was a decent, fair and thinking man, respected by all sides of politics. Roxon using the lecture series established to celebrate him to be so churlish is disrespectful to John Button, unhelpful to the party she served, and says more about her than Kevin Rudd
Unashamedly rational:
17 Oct 2013 7:12:32pm
Labor has to keep the reform work going because they could be back in power as early as next year.
Felix Leiter:
17 Oct 2013 7:17:03pm
With a wafer thin advantage and already discredited and on the nose, the ALP has to be ready to resume power now. Abbott, already way out of his depth, might be foolish enough to go to a DD election over the moot carbon tax issue.
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