After a tumultuous day in Canberra, Australia’s first female prime minister remains in the position after a failed spill initiated by Simon Crean.
Here’s a look back on the events as they unravelled yesterday in Women’s Agenda’s liveblog, which kicked off with Crean’s press conference where he called on Gillard to spill all Labor’s leadership positions.
For a look at how yesterday’s events have further damaged the ALP’s chances at the forthcoming election, read Women’s Agenda sister site Crikey’s Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane’s take here.
5:15pm: Prime Minister Julia Gillard addresses the media declaring the leadership issue has been settled. She says she’s grateful to her colleagues for their continuing support and accepts such support with a “sense of deep humility”. She does not take questions from the media.
4:45pm: Labor MP Chris Hayes addresses the media, says Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan elected unanimously and unopposed for the leader of the party and deputy leader.
4:40pm: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has entered the Caucus meeting, backed by a large group of Labor supporters. She’s expected to still be leader of the party once she exits the room.
4:30pm: A reminder of what ELSE happened in Canberra today – a national apology for those affected by Australia’s forced adoption practices.
4:20pm: Kevin Rudd said he will not challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership. He says the only circumstances under which he’d consider a return to leadership would be if there was an overwhelming majority of the party. He says he does not have that majority.
4:00pm: “Take your best shot”: Short, sharp clip of the Prime Minister announcing the leadership spill for 4:30 this afternoon just uploaded to YouTube. Check it out by clicking the picture above.
3.56pm: Latest from Sportsbet has a Kevin Rudd leadership win paying $1.28, Julia Gillard at $3.50 and any other at $15.
3:43pm: ABC’s Latika Bourke reporting Kevin Rudd has still not decided if he’ll run for leadership. There are 20 MPs is Kevin Rudd’s office calling for him to run.
3:40pm: In case you missed it earlier, here’s (now former) frontbencher Simon Crean telling the media he’s asked the Prime Minister to call a “spill of all leadership positions in the party”. He said it’s a regretful decision for him and that his relationship with the PM goes back a long time. He has put himself forward for deputy leader.
3:37pm: Fairfax’s Phillip Coorey and the ABC’s Chris Uhlmann note there will be just 100 members of caucus present at the vote this afternoon instead of 102, with Senator Bob Carr in the United States and Dick Adams “in the international lounge at Sydney airport.
3:03pm: Bernard Keane from Women’s Agenda sister publication Crikey writes:
Question Time has come and gone, with an attempt by the opposition to suspend standing orders to move a motion of no confidence failing. The motion was supported by independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie but failed to achieve the necessary absolute majority of the House.
A motion of no confidence — Tony Abbott’s first — may not have been particularly interesting given Gillard remains Prime Minister and thus her agreements with Oakeshott and Windsor remain in place. Wilkie has indicated he will only vote no confidence in the case of a major scandal. The Prime Minister’s speech in response to Tony Abbott’s motion to suspend remarks contain little of her usual back-against-the-wall fire, but relied on outlining her achievements and warning that she had more left to do.
Meantime the counting game is on in earnest, with attention focusing on how many numbers Simon Crean can bring over to the Rudd camp, estimated to be no more than 35-40 MPs. The problem for Gillard is that a victory will do nothing to address Simon Crean’s defection or the persistence of a core of Rudd supporters of around a third of the caucus.
2.45pm: Backbencher Kevin Rudd has still not confirmed whether he’ll run for the leadership. Simon Crean, who urged the Prime Minister to call the spill, will run for deputy leader.
2:43pm: Question Time ends as Tony Abbott’s ballot to move a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister fails to win a majority. He got 73 votes. He needed 76 votes.
2.30pm: Julia Gillard lists Labor achievements and talks current childcare initiative: “Why should women,” she says, “predominantly, who care for children, our most precious asset in the country not enjoy proper pay and conditions at work.” She asks why the leader of the Opposition cannot support it.
2:24pm: Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop says: “Irrespective of whoever wins the ballot at 4:30 today … There will be no stability with this government … There are irreconcilable splits between factions, between camp.” Repeatedly notes Gillard’s “bad political judgement”.
2:20pm: Tony Abbott says the Labor party’s been reduced to being a “political life support system for just one person, the current prime minister.” He tells the Prime Minister, multiple times, that for the sake of the Labor party and the country, “you should go”.
2.01pm: Prime Minister Julia Gillard tells question time there will be a ballot for the leadership at 4.30pm today.
1.45pm: Labor frontbencher and former leader Simon Crean has pulled the trigger on the Labor leadership crisis, calling for Prime Minister Julia Gillard to spill all leadership positions and backing Kevin Rudd with himself as deputy leader.
See Bernard Keane’s earlier coverage on the announcement from Women’s Agenda sister publication Crikey, published at lunchtime.
Labor frontbencher and former leader Simon Crean has pulled the trigger on the Labor leadership crisis, calling for Prime Minister Julia Gillard to spill all leadership positions and backing Kevin Rudd with himself as deputy leader.
The Prime Minister has agreed, declaring “There will be a ballot for the leadership and deputy leadership of the party at 4.30pm. Until then take your best shot.”
Crean’s intervention comes as the climax for an extended leadership dilemma for Labor, with Rudd’s camp unable to muster the numbers to defeat Gillard despite a dreadful start to the year in the polls.
However, there are important process issues to be addressed. Crean has indicated he doesn’t expect the Prime Minister to accept his plea to spill leadership positions, in which case it will be up to her opponents to muster the 35 votes to successfully call a spill in caucus via the caucus chairman before MPs leave tonight (prospects of Parliament sitting tomorrow have evaporated with the withdrawal of the media reform bills).
Crean, who has been a strong supporter of the Prime Minister, said he wanted a circuitbreaker for the continuing destabilisation and that Labor’s problems would not be solved by simply swapping leaders. Labor needed to demonstrate it believed in something, he said.
The move by the former leader (and persistent critic of Rudd) breaks the impasse Labor found itself in with the Rudd camp unable to muster anywhere near sufficient numbers to defeat Gillard and Rudd himself repeatedly, in private and in public, saying he would not challenge under any circumstances. With a leadership spill initiated by Crean, Rudd now has the chance to stand; indeed, there is no way Rudd can avoid standing.
Crean also portrayed himself as a deputy capable of ensuring Rudd, whose wretched management style was one of the key reasons for his downfall in June 2010, would be a more inclusive leader if he takes over again as prime minister. That has been a persistent problem for Rudd backers, with the memory of Rudd’s behaviour as leader still strong in many backbench minds, as well as being a reason why a number of cabinet ministers indicated either publicly or privately they could not work with him again.
Crean also ruled out seeking the treasurership, which has long been rumoured to be promised to the New South Wales Right’s Chris Bowen, who backed Rudd last February and is his highest-profile ministerial backer.
There are disputed media reports that the NSW Right will back Rudd, which combined with Crean’s support would make Rudd very difficult to stop in a leadership contest. Crean has said he wishes to retain his ministerial position pending the outcome of the current contest.