Rudd quits Australian government in PM bid
AUSTRALIA’S top job could be about to change hands, after foreign minister and one-time leader Kevin Rudd quit his government post yesterday, saying he could no longer work with current Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Gillard last night said her Labor Party will hold a vote on Monday to decide its leadership – though Rudd has not explicitly said whether or not he will stand.
Gillard’s government has sunk in popularity as she and Rudd, whom she ousted in 2010, have waged a personal feud that has split their Labor Party and alienated Australian voters.
Rudd had announced plans for a 40 per cent tax on miners’ profits, triggering huge protests from heavyweight companies including BHP Billiton and turning the levy into a political football.
But a compromise agreement negotiated by his successor Gillard has now reduced the rate to 30 per cent for coal and iron ore miners.
The deal was struck just a week after Gillard had swept to office.