The Honourable  Kevin Michael Rudd  BA (Hons) MP
26th Prime Minister of Australia Elections: 2007
Incumbent
Assumed office  3 December 2007
Deputy	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	John Howard
Leader of the Australian Labor Party
Incumbent
Assumed office  4 December 2006
Preceded by	Kim Beazley
Member of the Australian Parliament for Griffith
Incumbent
Assumed office  3 October 1998
Preceded by	Graeme McDougall
Born	21 September 1957 (1957-09-21) (age 50) Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse	Thérèse Rein
Alma mater	Australian National University
Profession	Diplomat Civil servant
Website	Prime Minister of Australia's website

Kevin Michael Rudd MP (born 21 September 1957) is the 26th Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP). The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable (abbreviated to " The Hon A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. Federal elections for the Parliament of Australia were held on Saturday 24 November 2007 after a 6-week campaign in which 13 Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961 is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government of Australia. The Division of Griffith is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Graeme Robert McDougall (born 21 November 1946) Australian politician is the former Liberal Party of Australia member of the House of Representatives Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Nambour is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia, 101 kilometres north of the state capital Brisbane. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Thérèse Rein (tə'reɪz reɪn (born 17 July 1958) is an Australian businesswoman and the wife of the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public Research university situated in Canberra, Australia. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think Under Rudd's leadership, the Labor Party won the 2007 federal election on 24 November against the incumbent centre-right Liberal/National coalition government led by John Howard. Federal elections for the Parliament of Australia were held on Saturday 24 November 2007 after a 6-week campaign in which 13 Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think tanks whose views The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a pragmatic grouping of Centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922 See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The Rudd Ministry was sworn in by the Governor-General, Michael Jeffery, on 3 December 2007. The First Rudd Ministry ( Australian Labor Party) is the 65th Australian ministry. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia) Major General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC (born 12 December[[ 937]] was the 24th Governor-General of Australia Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Entry into politics 3 Member of Parliament 3.1 Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs (2001–2005) 3.2 Leader of the Opposition 4 Prime Minister 4.1 The 2007 election campaign 4.2 First term: 2007–present 5 Political views 5.1 Economics 5.2 Foreign policy 5.3 Industrial relations 5.4 Environment 6 Religious views 7 Honours 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Early life

Rudd was born in Nambour, Queensland and grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Eumundi. Nambour is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia, 101 kilometres north of the state capital Brisbane. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Eumundi is a small town with 500 residents in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia, 21 km south-west of Noosa Heads and 118 He boarded at Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane^[1] and was dux of Nambour State High School in 1974. Marist College Ashgrove is a Roman Catholic day and Boarding school for boys located in Ashgrove, a northern suburb of Brisbane, Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Nambour State High School is a Co-educational, state High school located in Nambour, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] His father, a share farmer and Country Party member, died when Rudd was 11 and the family was compelled to leave the farm under hardship. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ^[3] Rudd joined the Australian Labor Party in 1972 at the age of 15. ^[4]

Rudd studied at the Australian National University in Canberra where he resided at Burgmann College and graduated with First Class Honours in Arts (Asian Studies). The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public Research university situated in Canberra, Australia. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. The Dwellings The two original buildings of the college Homer (named after the poet and Barassi (named after an Australian Rules Football player provide The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for Undergraduate degrees ( Bachelor's degrees and some Master's degrees He majored in Chinese language and Chinese history, became proficient in Mandarin and acquired a Chinese alias, Lù Kèwén (traditional Chinese: 陸克文 or in simplified Chinese: 陆克文). Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan ^[5][6][7][8] Like most Chinese names given to westerners, Rudd's Chinese surname (Lù 陆) is partially based on the phonetics of his actual surname, Rudd (both possessing the vowel 'U' and the similar sounding alveolar lateral flap initial 'R/L') as well as being an actual Chinese name. U is the twenty-first letter in the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled u (juː Similarly, despite his Chinese given name (Kèwén 克文) closely resembling the official Chinese language transliteration of 'Kevin' (Kǎiwén 凯文), it is also a Chinese name in its own right. Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice ^[9][10].

Rudd's thesis on Chinese democracy activist Wei Jingsheng^[11] was supervised by Pierre Ryckmans, the eminent Belgian-Australian Sinologist. Wei Jingsheng ( Chinese: 魏京生 Pinyin ：Wèi Jīngshēng born May 20, 1950) is an Activist in the Chinese democracy Pierre Ryckmans (born 28 September 1935, in Brussels, Belgium) who also uses the Pen-name Simon Leys, is a Writer Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China but especially in the American academic context refers more strictly to the study of classical language ^[12] During his studies Rudd cleaned the house of political commentator Laurie Oakes to earn money. Laurie Oakes (born August 14, 1943, Newcastle, New South Wales) is an Australian political Journalist and commentator ^[13] In 1980 he continued his Chinese studies at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan. National Taiwan Normal University ( Wade-Giles: kuo2li4 tai2wan1 shih1fan4 ta4 hsüeh2 Taipei ( Taiwanese Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak-chhī Jhuyin Fuhao: ㄊㄞˊ ㄅㄟˇ ㄕˋ Hakka: Thòi-pet-sṳ has been the capital of Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. ^[14]

In 1981, Rudd married Thérèse Rein whom he had met at a gathering of the Australian Student Christian Movement during his university years. Thérèse Rein (tə'reɪz reɪn (born 17 July 1958) is an Australian businesswoman and the wife of the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, The Australian Student Christian Movement (ASCM is a Christian group with an ecumenical focus working with university students They have three children: Jessica (born 1984), Nicholas (born 1986) and Marcus (born 1993). ^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

Entry into politics

In 1981 Rudd joined the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he served until 1988. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) is a department of the Commonwealth Government charged with advancing the interests of Australia and He and his wife spent most of the 1980s overseas posted at the Australian embassies in Stockholm, Sweden and later in Beijing, China. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

Returning to Australia in 1988, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Labor Opposition Leader in Queensland, Wayne Goss. Wayne Keith Goss (born 26 February, 1951) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December, 1989 until 19 February, 1996 He became Chief of Staff to the Premier when the Labor party won office in 1989, a position he held until 1992, when Goss appointed him Director-General of the Office of Cabinet. See Premiers of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Premier In this position Rudd was arguably Queensland's most powerful bureaucrat. ^[12] In this role he presided over a number of reforms including development of a national program for teaching foreign languages in schools. Rudd was influential in both promoting a policy of developing an Asian languages and cultures program which was unanimously accepted by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 1992 and later chaired a high level Working Group which provided the foundation of the strategy in its report, which is frequently cited as "the Rudd Report". ^[20]

After the Goss government lost office in 1995, Rudd was hired as a Senior China Consultant by the accounting firm KPMG Australia. KPMG is one of the largest Professional services firms in the world He held this position while unsuccessfully contesting the federal seat of Griffith at the 1996 federal election. The Division of Griffith is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. House of Reps preference flows The Democrats contested 138 electorates with preferences slightly favouring Labor (54 He contested the seat again at the 1998 election and won. Results House of Representatives preference flows The Nationals had candidates in 13 seats where Three-cornered-contests existed

Member of Parliament

Rudd made his first speech to the Australian Parliament on 11 November 1998. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) ^[21] His most publicised local cause was opposition to a suggested parallel runway at Brisbane Airport, against which he organised one of Brisbane's largest public demonstrations, receiving massive media coverage. His commitment to the issue reduced when the airport altered its plans with the support of Queensland premier Peter Beattie, removing Rudd's constituency from projected flightpaths and, with the advice of the airport's 3PR adviser, renaming it a "staggered" runway, rendering the Rudd campaign's widely distributed "No Parallel Runway" posters out-of-date. Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) Australian politician was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland 3PR was a Norwich based Public relations consultancy which was founded in 1987 by Peter Phillips and closed in 1998. The development received legally binding permission to proceed in 2007 under John Howard's administration. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs (2001–2005)

Following his 1998 election success, Rudd was promoted to the Opposition front bench after the 2001 election and appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 November, 2001. In this role, he strongly criticised the Howard government over its support for the United States in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent operations there, while maintaining Labor's position of support for the Australian-American alliance. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia

Well, what Secretary Powell and the US seems to have said is that he now has grave doubts about the accuracy of the case he put to the United Nations about the claim that Iraq possessed biological weapons laboratories - the so-called mobile trailers. And here in Australia, that formed also part of the government's argument on the war. I think what it does is it adds to the fabric of how the Australian people were misled about the reasons for going to war. ^[22]

Rudd's policy experience and parliamentary performances during the Iraq war made him one of the better known members of the Labor front bench. When Opposition Leader Simon Crean was challenged by his predecessor Kim Beazley in June, Rudd did not publicly commit himself to either candidate. Simon Findlay Crean (born 26 February 1949) is an Australian Politician, and current Minister for Trade in the Australian Federal Government For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. ^[23] When Crean finally resigned in late November, Rudd was considered a possible candidate for the Labor leadership,^[24] However, he announced that he would not run in the leadership ballot, and would instead vote for Kim Beazley.

Rudd was predicted by some commentators to be demoted or moved as a result of his support for Beazley following the election of Mark Latham as Leader, but he retained his portfolio. Mark William Latham (born 28 February 1961) a former Australian politician was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party Relations between Latham and Rudd deteriorated during 2004, especially after Latham made his pledge to withdraw all Australian forces from Iraq by Christmas 2004 without consulting Rudd. ^[25] After Latham failed to win the October 2004 federal election, Rudd was again spoken of as a possible alternative leader. Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October, 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member He retained his foreign affairs portfolio and disavowed any intention of challenging Latham.

When Latham suddenly resigned in January 2005, Rudd was visiting Indonesia and refused to say whether he would be a candidate for the Labor leadership. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. ^[26] Such a candidacy would have required him to run against Beazley, his factional colleague. "The important thing for me to do is to consult with my colleagues in the party", he said. ^[27] After returning from Indonesia, Rudd consulted with Labor MPs in Sydney and Melbourne and announced that he would not contest the leadership. Kim Beazley was subsequently elected leader.

In June 2005 Rudd was given expanded responsibilities as the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Security and, also, the Shadow Minister for Trade.

Leader of the Opposition

In December 2006, with a Newspoll opinion poll indicating voter support for Rudd to be double that for Beazley,^[28] he announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Australian Labor Party in a Beazley-announced leadership ballot. ^[29][30] Fellow Labor MP Julia Gillard ran alongside Rudd for Deputy Leader of the ALP. Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961 is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP

The vote took place on Monday 4 December 2006 and saw Rudd elected leader with 49 votes to Beazley's 39, almost exactly three years after the election of Mark Latham to the leadership. Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961 is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Mark William Latham (born 28 February 1961) a former Australian politician was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party Gillard was subsequently elected unopposed as Deputy Leader. ^[31]

At his first press conference as leader, having thanked Beazley and former deputy leader Jenny Macklin, Rudd said he would offer a "new style of leadership", and would be an "alternative, not just an echo" of the Howard government. Jennifer Louise Macklin (born 29 December 1953 is an Australian politician He outlined the areas of industrial relations, the war in Iraq, climate change, Australian federalism, social justice, and the future of Australia's manufacturing industry as major policy concerns. The field of industrial relations (also called labor relations) looks at the relationship between Management and workers particularly groups of workers represented The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences On 1 January 1901 the Australian nation emerged as a Federation. Rudd also stressed his long experience in state government, as a diplomat and also in business before entering federal politics. ^[32]

Rudd and the ALP soon overtook the government in both party and leadership polling. The new leader maintained a high media profile with major announcements on federalism, climate change, broadband Internet and the domestic car industry.

Since 2002, Rudd appeared regularly in interviews and topical discussions on the popular breakfast television program Sunrise, along with federal Liberal MP Joe Hockey. Sunrise is an Australian Breakfast television program broadcast on Channel Seven. Joseph Benedict "Joe" Hockey (born 2 August 1965) Australian politician is the former Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations This was credited with helping raise Rudd's public profile. ^[33] Rudd and Hockey ended these appearances in April 2007 citing the increasing political pressures of an election year. ^[34] On 21 October, 2007 Rudd presented strongly in a televised debate against incumbent prime minister John Howard. ^[35]

On 19 August 2007, it was revealed that Rudd, with New York Post editor Col Allan and Labor backbencher Warren Snowdon, had briefly visited a strip club in New York in September 2003. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The New York Post is the 13th-oldest Newspaper published in the United States and generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continually Warren Edward Snowdon (born 30 March 1950) is an Australian politician Scores is a Strip club in Manhattan, New York City, and is one of several gentlemen's clubs which changed the face of Adult entertainment When he realised it was a strip club, he left. ^[36] The incident generated a lot of media coverage, but made no impact on Rudd's popularity in the polls. ^[37] Indeed, some people believe that the incident may have enabled Rudd to appear "more human" and lifted his popularity. ^[38]

Prime Minister

The 2007 election campaign

Main article: Australian federal election, 2007

On the evening of 24 November 2007, some fifty weeks since Rudd became Labor leader, John Howard held a late night press conference conceding that the Coalition had lost the right to govern. Kerry Marie Rea (born 16 April 1963) is an Australian politician The Division of Bonner is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Federal elections for the Parliament of Australia were held on Saturday 24 November 2007 after a 6-week campaign in which 13 Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a pragmatic grouping of Centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922 Shortly afterwards, Rudd made his victory speech as Prime Minister-elect, saying he would "be a Prime Minister for all Australians. "^[39] Labor's win was coined a 'Ruddslide' by the media and was underpinned by the considerable support from Rudd's home state of Queensland, with the state result recording a two party preferred swing of 7. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The following tables show state-by-state results in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2007 federal election, 83 Labor 65 coalition (55 Liberal 10 National The Mackerras Pendulum was devised by the Australian psephologist Malcolm Mackerras as a way of predicting the outcome of an election contested between 53 percent. ^[40][41] The nationwide swing was 5. 45 percent to Labor, the 3rd largest swing since two party estimates began in 1949.

The next day, Rudd announced he and wife Therese would live in The Lodge, the Prime Minister's official residence in Canberra, and only use Kirribilli House while on official business in Sydney. The Lodge is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia and also the residence of the prime minister's family in the national capital Canberra Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. Kirribilli House is the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister. ^[42] As foreshadowed during the election campaign, on 29 November Rudd directly chose his frontbench, breaking with more than a century of Labor tradition whereby the frontbench was chosen by party factions. In many Parliaments and other similar assemblies seating is typically arranged in banks or rows with each Political party or Caucus grouped together WikipediaManual of Style#National varieties of English.-->A political faction ^[43][44]

Kevin Rudd is only the second Queenslander to lead his party to a federal election victory, the first being Andrew Fisher almost a century earlier, in 1910 (although Fisher had first become Prime Minister in 1908 when the Alfred Deakin government resigned). Andrew Fisher (29 August 1862 – 22 October 1928 was an Australian Politician and the fifth Prime Minister of Australia. Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919 Australian politician was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later second Prime Minister Queenslanders Arthur Fadden (1941) and Frank Forde (1945) were also Prime Ministers for short periods, but in neither case did they contest an election - in Fadden's case the incumbent Robert Menzies resigned; in Forde's case the incumbent John Curtin died. Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 &ndash 28 January 1983 was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, QC (20 December 1894 - 15 May 1978 Australian politician was the twelfth person to serve John Joseph Curtin (8 January 1885 &ndash 5 July 1945 Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct Rudd is also the first Prime Minister since WWII not to come from either New South Wales or Victoria; the last were Curtin (Western Australia) and Forde (Queensland) in 1945. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Kevin Rudd is soon expected to be added to the Prime Minister's Avenue, a collection of busts of all Prime Ministers of Australia, located at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Ballarat, Victoria. The Prime Minister's Avenue is a collection of busts of the Prime Ministers of Australia, located at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Ballarat Victoria A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure depicting a person's head and Neck, as well as a variable portion of The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Reserve, located on the western shore of picturesque Lake Wendouree, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, covers Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat" is a city in Victoria, Australia, and one of the country's largest inland cities ^[45]

First term: 2007–present

On 3 December 2007, Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister by the Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia) Major General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC (born 12 December[[ 937]] was the 24th Governor-General of Australia ^[46] Rudd is the first Prime Minister to make no mention of the Queen in his oath of office. ^[47][48] Rudd's first official act, on his first day in office, was to sign the instrument of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort ^[49]

On 13 February 2008 Rudd fulfilled an election promise to apologise to Indigenous Australians for the stolen generation as the parliament's first order of business. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. The apology was well received,^[50] however, the government came under some criticism for refusing to provide victims with monetary compensation. ^{[51][52][53][54]} However, Rudd did pledge the government to bridging the gap between the vast differences between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australian health, education, and living conditions. ^[55] Despite bipartisan support for the apology, two of Rudd's senior staff joined in on turning their backs part way through the Opposition Leader's reply. Brendan John Nelson, MP (born 19 August 1958 is an Australian politician and former Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia, as leader Rudd did not apologise for their actions,^[56] but said that he would require them to do so in writing.

WorkChoices, the industrial relations regime introduced by the Howard government, will be overhauled and replaced with a new national system. The Workplace Relations Act 1996 as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, or WorkChoices, which came into effect in March 2006, was the most Rudd's cutbacks on public spending in state politics have flowed through, with a "five point plan" to combat the inflation problem it "inherited from the previous Coalition government" (due in part to record low unemployment, also a legacy of the Howard government ^[57]), with new training places to target skills shortages in various sectors, and a "razor gang" going through the budget looking for savings, with added pressures in the domestic and international economy. The target surplus of the national Gross Domestic Product has also been increased from 1. 0 to 1. 5 per cent. ^{[58][59][60][61][62]}

Plans are under way for the withdrawal of Australian troops from the Iraq War. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign ^[63] The question of Republicanism in Australia was raised following the failed 1999 referendum, and although Rudd is a republican, he has indicated that no referendum will take place in the near future. Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia 's status as a Constitutional monarchy to a Republican form of government The 1999 Australian referendum was a two-question Referendum held on 6 November 1999. ^[64] In late January, Rudd declared funding for homeless persons, with the major plank of the policy being $150 million in emergency accommodation. ^[65]

In February 2008 he announced the Australia 2020 Summit, held 19-20 April 2008, which brought together 1000 leading Australians to discuss ten areas the government saw as critical for Australia's future development. The Australia 2020 Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held on 19 - 20 April 2008 ^[66]

The planning and placement of Islamic schools has also been an issue, especially in Camden. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion In November 2007, Rudd visited the semi-rural town of Camden, 65 kilometers south west of Sydney and, following in the footsteps of Pauline Hanson^[67], gave his support to the campaign to oppose the building of a 1200-student Islamic school there^[68]. Camden is a historic town in New South Wales, Australia. Camden is Pauline Lee Hanson ( née Seccombe; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian Politician and former leader of Pauline Hanson's Rudd stated that the development couldn't be supported on planning grounds^[69], citing a lack of adequate infrastructure. The anti-school protests in Camden had received national^[70][71][72] and international media attention^[73], and the Camden Council eventually voted to reject the development application^[74]. The site for the proposed school is on land zoned the same as the existing school 600 meters away. Zoning is a term used in Urban planning for a system of land-use Regulation in various parts of the world including North America the United Kingdom

Newspoll polling in February 2008 saw Rudd achieve a "Preferred Prime Minister" rating of 70 percent, setting a new Newspoll record for any Prime Minister. Newspoll Market Research is an Australian company providing opinion polling and other market research services ^[75] March figures set another record, 73 to 7 percent. The two party preferred figure also set a Newspoll record, at 63 to 37 percent. The Mackerras Pendulum was devised by the Australian psephologist Malcolm Mackerras as a way of predicting the outcome of an election contested between ^[76]

Rudd began a 17-day international tour in March 2008, meeting with government leaders in the United States, Europe and China including US President George W Bush, presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton, spoke with Barack Obama, and met with Queen Elizabeth II and President of The People's Republic of China Hu Jintao. The United States Deputy Secretary of Defense is the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Defense. Gordon Richard England ( September 15, 1937) is an American Businessman who currently serves as the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Hu Jintao ( born 21 December 1942 is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist His knowledge of Mandarin Chinese and experience as a diplomat in China have been acknowledged by leaders, with US President George Bush stating that "It’s clear when you talk to [Rudd], he is an expert on China. "^[77] He also addressed students at Peking University, Beijing in Mandarin. Peking University ( of Beijing, colloquially known in Chinese as Beida (北大 Běidà) is the first formally established university and the first ^[78] In his absence Julia Gillard served as Acting Prime Minister, the first female to do so in Australia. An Acting Prime Minister is a Cabinet member (often in a Commonwealth nation who is serving the role of Prime Minister whilst the individual who normally holds the position Upon his return, Rudd announced that Quentin Bryce would become the first female Governor General of Australia. Quentin Alice Louise Bryce AC (born 23 December 1942 is the current Governor-General of Australia and a former Governor of Queensland. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia)

In April 2008 the Rudd Labor government proposed greater recognition of LGBT rights in Australia by announcing reforms to the recognition of same-sex relationships in taxation, health, employment, superannuation, aged care and other areas. The recognition and rights of LGBT couples and individuals in Australia have gradually been increasing within the states and territories since the 1970s Originally, 58 Commonwealth laws where gay couples faced discrimination were identified in HREOC's "Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry", which was tabled in Parliament on 21 June 2007, following a year-long national inquiry. ^[79] A Rudd Labor government audit in early 2008 found around 100 Commonwealth laws where gay couples faced discrimination. It was announced that changes would be implemented between mid-2008 and mid-2009 to remove these laws. These changes would not affect marriage, IVF access, and adoption rights. ^[80][81] The precursor was the Australian Capital Territory's civil union legislation, originally blocked in toto by the Howard government, was put for consideration in early May—however, the Rudd government objected to sections which allowed legal ceremonies to establish same-sex relationships. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to Marriage. In the end, the ACT was forced to amend the legislation so it would allow for legal recognition of the relationship without a ceremony. ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said, "We are angry, disappointed and frustrated with the approach of our federal colleagues. Simon Corbell is an Australian Politician in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of the seven members of the Legislative Assembly electorate "^[82][83] Corbell also pointed out that in December 2007 Kevin Rudd, whilst not supporting civil unions, did support the legislative sovereignty of territories. ^[84][85]

In May 2008 it was revealed that the immigration department was rejecting asylum seeker applications at a higher rate than under the previous government, rejecting 41 of 42 applications, a denial rate of 97. 6 percent according to Melbourne's Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. ^[86] The minister responsible, Chris Evans, claims a denial rate of 77 percent, based on his acknowledgement that of a caseload of 730 appeals, he has intervened in 170. Christopher Vaughan Evans (born 14 May, 1958) is an Australian politician and a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Western ^[87]

The first budget of the Rudd government, delivered by Treasurer Wayne Swan, saw spending cuts to "fight inflation". Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954 is an Australian politician Spending in the budget, as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), was lower than at any time of the Howard government. ^[88] The projected surplus of $21. 7 billion, the highest since 1999, was higher than expected, at 1. 8 percent of GDP. Promised tax cuts were delivered, and three major investment funds were established - the infrastructure fund, "Building Australia", received $20 billion. Education received $10 billion, while health also received $10 billion. ^[89][90][91] Means-testing was applied to the federal subsidy for domestic solar panels, so that the $8,000 rebate became available only to households with an annual income below $100,000. Solar panels are used to gather Solar energy from The sun. Solar panels help maintain a clean and sustainable environment using solar panels to gather the sunlight is This policy had an almost immediate dampening effect on the demand for solar panels^[92].

In May 2008, Rudd was drawn into the controversy over photographic artist Bill Henson and his work depicting adolescents as part of a show due to open at an inner-city gallery in Sydney. Bill Henson (b 1955 is an Australian contemporary art photographer In a televised interview, Rudd stated that he found the images "absolutely revolting"^[93][94][95] and that they had "no artistic merit"^[96]. These views swiftly drew censure from members of the 'creative stream' who attended the recent 2020 Summit convened by Rudd, led by actor Cate Blanchett^[97]. The Australia 2020 Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held on 19 - 20 April 2008 Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969 is an Academy Award -winning Australian Actress and Stage director.

Rudd's views on balancing work and family life came in for criticism at the end of May 2008 when he rebuked the federal public service for complaining about the long hours he was asking them to work^[98].

Political views

Economics

In his first speech to parliament, Rudd stated that:

Competitive markets are massive and generally efficient generators of economic wealth. They must therefore have a central place in the management of the economy. But markets sometimes fail, requiring direct government intervention through instruments such as industry policy. There are also areas where the public good dictates that there should be no market at all.

We are not afraid of a vision in the Labor Party, but nor are we afraid of doing the hard policy yards necessary to turn that vision into reality. Parties of the Centre Left around the world are wrestling with a similar challenge—the creation of a competitive economy while advancing the overriding imperative of a just society. The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think Some call this the `third way'. The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies The nomenclature is unimportant. What is important is that it is a repudiation of Thatcherism and its Australian derivatives represented opposite. It is in fact a new formulation of the nation's economic and social imperatives. ^[99]

Rudd is critical of free market economists such as Friedrich Hayek,^[100] although Rudd describes himself as "basically a conservative when it comes to questions of public financial management", pointing to his slashing of public service jobs as a Queensland governmental advisor. Friedrich August von Hayek CH ( May 8, 1899 March 23, 1992) was an Austrian British Economist ^[101] In The Longest Decade by George Megalogenis, Rudd reflected on his views of economic reform undertaken in the past couple of decades:

The Hawke and Keating governments delivered a massive program of economic reform, and they didn't shy away from taking on their own political base when they knew it was in the national interest. George Megalogenis is an Australian journalist political commentator and author Think tariffs. Think cuts to the marginal tax rate. Think enterprise bargaining. Think how unpopular all of those were with the trade union movement of Australia. Mr Howard, on the other hand, never took on his own political base in the prosecution of any significant economic reform. His reform agenda never moved out of the ideological straitjacket of the 1970s and 1980s. Think industrial relations. Think consumption tax. And think also of the explosion in untargeted welfare. . . When the economic circumstances change, and the demands of a competitive economy change, Mr Howard never adjusted and never took the lead when it came to new ideas. Look at climate change. Look at infrastructure policy. Look at education policy. Look at early childhood education. There's a mountain of economic evidence about the importance of those policy domains to Australia's future. ^[102]

Foreign policy

As shadow foreign minister, Rudd reformulated Labor's foreign policy in terms of "Three Pillars": engagement with the UN, engagement with Asia, and the US alliance. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. ^[103]

Although disagreeing with the original commitment to the Iraq War, Rudd supports the continued deployment of Australian troops in Iraq, but not the continued deployment of combat troops. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Rudd, in his role as shadow foreign minister had written a letter in November 2003 to Prime Minister John Howard offering policy ideas after the fall of Baghdad. Among his recommendations were a deployment of trainers for the New Iraqi army, and using the Australian Electoral Commission to help Iraq stage elections. The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums ^[104] However, Labor pledged in 2007 to replace 550 existing combat troops with new troops serving training and border security roles (possibly stationed in other countries around the Middle East), with a continued presence of over 1,000 Australian troops stationed in Iraq (in 2007, there were 1,575 Australian military personnel operating within Iraq). The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. ^[105] Rudd is also in favour of Australia's military presence in Afghanistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, ^[106]

Rudd backs the road map for peace plan and defended Israel's actions during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, condemning Hezbollah and Hamas for violating Israeli territory. The "road map" for peace is a Plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict proposed by a " quartet " of international entities the Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon ^[107]

The Prime Minister also pledged support for East Timor stating that Australian troops will remain in East Timor for as long as East Timor's government wants them to. The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the Military of East Timor over discrimination within the military and expanded to general violence throughout East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. ^[108]

Rudd also gave his support for the independence of Kosovo from Serbia,^[109] before Australia officially recognised the republic. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country ^[110]

Industrial relations

Rudd opposed certain aspects of the Howard government's WorkChoices industrial relations legislation, but indicated, during the 2007 election campaign, plans to retain other parts of it (including illegality of secondary boycotts, the right of employers to lock workers out, restriction of union right of entry to workplaces, and restrictions on workers' right to strike). The Workplace Relations Act 1996 as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, or WorkChoices, which came into effect in March 2006, was the most Rudd's policy included the phasing out of Australian Workplace Agreements over a period of up to five years, the establishment of a simpler awards system as a safety net, the restoration of unfair dismissal laws for companies with under 100 employees (probation period of 12 months for companies with less than 15 employees), and the retention of the Australian Building and Construction Commission until 2010. An Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA was an individual written agreement on terms and conditions of employment between an Employer and Employee in Australia ^[111] Rudd also outlined the establishment of a single industrial relations bureaucracy called Fair Work Australia. ^[112]

Environment

On 3 December 2007, hours after being sworn in, Rudd signed the Kyoto Protocol. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort ^[113] Rudd stated that:

Australia's official declaration today that we will become a member of the Kyoto Protocol is a significant step forward in our country's efforts to fight climate change domestically - and with the international community.

In October, the then Prime Minister John Howard said that Labor's policy on climate change negotiations had no significant differences to the Liberals' policy. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March ^[114] The Liberal policy is a 15 percent cut in emissions by 2020, whilst the Labor policy plans to cut 20 percent in emissions by 2020.

Rudd supports the construction of the Bell Bay Pulp Mill in the Tamar Valley, Tasmania, and has pledged not to protect old growth forests from further logging. The Bell Bay Pulp Mill, also known as the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill, is a proposed $2 billion Pulp mill which Gunns Limited is planning to build in the The Tamar Valley is a picturesque valley in Tasmania. It runs north-west from the northern city of Launceston to the coast either side of the Tamar River Ancient Woodland Old growth forest, (also termed primary forest, ancient forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, frontier ^[115]

Religious views

Rudd and his family attend the Anglican church of St John the Baptist in Bulimba in his electorate. Bulimba is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is 4 kilometres (direct distance north-east of the CBD Although raised a Roman Catholic, Rudd began attending Anglican services in the 1980s with his wife. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs ^[4] Like John Howard, Rudd has addressed congregations of the Hillsong Church. Hillsong Church (formerly Hills Christian Life Centre) is a Pentecostal Christian church affiliated with Australian Christian Churches,

Rudd is the mainstay of the parliamentary prayer group in Parliament House, Canberra. Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia. ^[116] He is vocal about his Christianity and has given a number of prominent interviews to the Australian religious press on the topic. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[117] Rudd has defended church representatives engaging with policy debates, particularly with respect to WorkChoices legislation, climate change, global poverty, therapeutic cloning and asylum seekers. The Workplace Relations Act 1996 as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, or WorkChoices, which came into effect in March 2006, was the most Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and Genetics and Developmental biology, somatic cell nuclear transfer ( SCNT) is a Laboratory technique for creating an Ovum with a donor According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race ^[118] In an essay in The Monthly, Rudd writes:

A Christian perspective on contemporary policy debates may not prevail. The Monthly is an Australian national magazine of Politics, Society and The arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly It must nonetheless be argued. And once heard, it must be weighed, together with other arguments from different philosophical traditions, in a fully contestable secular polity. A Christian perspective, informed by a social gospel or Christian socialist tradition, should not be rejected contemptuously by secular politicians as if these views are an unwelcome intrusion into the political sphere. If the churches are barred from participating in the great debates about the values that ultimately underpin our society, our economy and our polity, then we have reached a very strange place indeed. ^[119]

He cites Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a personal inspiration in this regard. Dietrich Bonhoeffer ˈdiːtrɪç ˈboːnhøfɐ ( February 4, 1906 &ndash April 9, 1945) was a German Lutheran ^[120]

In late January 2007, Tony Abbott - a former seminarian and federal minister for health under the coalition government - criticised Rudd's use of Christianity in Australian politics,^[121] contrasting Rudd's public appeal to Christian values with his voting record on issues such as the introduction of the abortion-inducing drug RU486. Anthony John "Tony" Abbott (born 4 November 1957 Australian politician is the current Shadow Minister for Families Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in the A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is a specialized and often live-in Higher education institution for the purpose of instructing students An abortifacient is a substance that induces Abortion. Abortifacients for Animals that have mated undesirably are known as Mismating shots Mifepristone is a synthetic Steroid compound used as a pharmaceutical. ^[122]

Rudd is opposed to same-sex marriage:

I have a pretty basic view on this, as reflected in the position adopted by our party, and that is, that marriage is between a man and a woman. ^[123]

Honours

Five months after being elected, Kevin Rudd made Time magazine's "100 most influential people". Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and ^[124]

See also

• First Rudd Ministry
• Next Australian federal election
• List of Prime Ministers of Queen Elizabeth II

References

External links

• Prime Minister of Australia's website
• Official Parliamentary homepage for Kevin Rudd
• Official ALP homepage for Kevin Rudd
• BBC Profile - Kevin Rudd
• "Kevin Rudd: The early years | Daily Telegraph" - Images
• Kevin Rudd at MySpace

Political offices
Preceded by Kim Beazley	Leader of the Opposition 2006 – 2007	Succeeded by Brendan Nelson
Preceded by John Howard	Prime Minister of Australia 2007 – present	Incumbent
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Graeme McDougall	Member for Griffith 1998 – present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Kim Beazley	Leader of the Australian Labor Party 2006 – present	Incumbent

MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. This is a List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition, who in Australian Federal Politics is a Member of Parliament in the Brendan John Nelson, MP (born 19 August 1958 is an Australian politician and former Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia, as leader See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government of Australia. Graeme Robert McDougall (born 21 November 1946) Australian politician is the former Liberal Party of Australia member of the House of Representatives The Division of Griffith is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley.

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