Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister, on December 3rd, 2007, by Governor-General Sir Michael Jeffery.
Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Prime Minister, on June 27th, 2013 by Governor-General Quentin Bryce
He was born in Queensland in 1957, and he joined the Australian Labor Party at the age of 15 in 1972.
Prior to joining Federal Politics, he worked as a senior official in the Queensland Government, as Chief of Staff to the Premier
Prior to his appointment in State Government, one of his diplomatic positions was as the First Secretary at the Australian embassy in Beijing, China.
The Positives:
The Negatives:
Kevin Rudd has stated both that : “I am not a socialist, I have never been a socialist and I never will be a socialist” and “I am a Christian socialist”, at times when the answer has been off benefit to him. A TRUE politician.
Part of a speech by Kevin Rudd in 2002 about the Iraqi situation:
Page 33 of: http://www.aph.gov.au/Hansard/reps/dailys/dr170902.pdf
Mr RUDD (Griffith) (4.28 p.m)
The matter before the UN today involves the dictatorial defiance by Saddam Hussein of multiple Security Council resolutions that go to the core of the security of the region.
Let us be plain about Saddam Hussein’s record:
he is a dictator, he is a mass murderer and he is a sponsor of international terrorism.
He has invaded his neighbours, in complete violation of international law, and he is in possession of weapons of mass destruction, which in the past he has used against his own people as well as against his neighbours.
None of these matters are the subject of dispute, although there may be some disagreement about what Australia and the international community should do about them.
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This party is proud of this country’s alliance with the United States of America.
We are proud of this alliance because we formed it in 1941 under Labor Prime Minister John Curtin.
We have supported it for 60 years since then, under successive Labor prime ministers.
We believe in this alliance because it is also our more fundamental belief that the United States is overwhelmingly a force for good in this world, not the reverse.