SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard insisted on Sunday she commanded support and was best qualified to lead the country, dismissing as ‘gossip’ talk of a leadership challenge from within her party after poor polls.
There have been repeated media reports Gillard may be challenged by the man she ousted as prime minister in an internal party coup in 2010, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.
Rudd has denied such any plans but Gillard backers have closed ranks around the prime minister, publicly saying she was a better prime minister. At the same time an embarrassing video showing Rudd losing his temper and swearing while prime minister was posted anonymously on YouTube.
Recent polls predicts a convincing victory by the conservative opposition in an election due by late 2013. One government member of parliament has publicly called on Gillard to step down amid reports of a potential backbench revolt.
Gillard spent the weekend meeting visiting East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and visiting Darwin for commemorations on Sunday of the 70th anniversary of the city’s bombing by the Japanese in World War II.
‘I have the strong confidence of my colleagues, their strong support and my focus is on getting on with my job as prime minister. We’re doing that on Sunday marking a very special and important event in Australia’s history, but we’re doing it every day,’ she told reporters in Darwin.
She condemned the Rudd video release and denied her office was involved.
In a television interview broadcast earlier, Gillard defended her record.
Asked if Rudd could win a possible challenge, she told Channel 7: ‘I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals. I must admit over the last few weeks I’ve been focussed on our economy and how we’re going to build that for the future.
Key independent Andrew Wilkie, whose recent withdrawal of support for the minority government has further weakened its tentative hold on power, has predicted a challenge by Rudd.
However, before leaving for Mexico for a G20 meeting, Rudd denied any such plans. Commenting on the YouTube video, the timing of which he said was ‘unusual’, Rudd said he was happy as foreign minister.
‘There’s no challenge, to use your term, on,’ he told Sky News. ‘We have a prime minister. I’m the foreign minister. I’m trying to get on with the job of doing Australia’s foreign policy.’
Online bookmaker Sportsbet (www.sportsbet.com.au) put the two politicians at equal favourites to lead the Labor party at the next election, both at A$2.35 to A$1.
The last election in 2010, called by Gillard shortly after she ousted Rudd, resulted in a hung parliament and her government survives only with the support of independents and one Green MP.
Attorney General Nicola Roxon said on Saturday that Gillard had ‘worked absolute miracles with the hand that she has been dealt’ while Rudd as prime minister had ‘left us with a lot of challenges’. (UNI)