Australia PM seeks to rebuild party image after vote farce

SYDNEY (AFP): Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Friday set about rebuilding her labour party’s shattered image after a botched leadership coup dealt a huge blow to its already slim election prospects.

Gillard called a shock vote for the ruling party’s leadership Thursday after senior minister Simon Crean openly urged a ballot to end rampant speculation that he said was ‘killing’ the party.

But she was re-elected unopposed after her top rival, former leader Kevin Rudd who Gillard ruthlessly ousted in mid-2010, realised he would fall short of the numbers required and opted out just minutes before the vote was held.

Rudd’s office issued a statement Friday ruling out the prospect of him ever being labour leader again. “Rudd wishes to make 100% clear to all members of the parliamentary labour party, that there are no circumstances under which he will return to the labour party leadership in the future,” it said.

So far seven politicians who sided with him have been sacked or resigned, with more expected to go in a purge ahead of a cabinet reshuffle just six months out from national elections.

The highest-profile casualties, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and another cabinet member Chris Bowen, fell on their swords Friday while Crean was fired in the aftermath of the farcical day of political games.

With the conservative opposition vowing to put a motion of no confidence in the Government at the next sitting of Parliament on 14 May to try to force early polls, Gillard took to the airwaves in an attempt to calm nerves.

She said the message from the failed ballot was that the leadership issue was ‘over, it’s clearly over’. “There was an opportunity, the opportunity wasn’t used,” she told national radio.

“I think political watchers will know that for some period of time there’s been an undercurrent in our party and it was dealt with yesterday and brought to an end.”

The most recent polls showed labour would be crushed by the conservative opposition led by Tony Abbott if an election was held now, and that it stood a much better chance of victory under Rudd.

While Gillard scored a tactical victory, Australian media said the bitter in-fighting was a disaster for the party which has drawn flak for weak leadership and policy U-turns that have seen the premier dubbed ‘Ju-liar’.