Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian diplomat and former politician who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and June to September 2013. He held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP) and was the member of parliament (MP) the Queensland division of Griffith from 1998 to 2013. Since 2023, Rudd has been the 23rd ambassador of Australia to the United States. Born in Nambour, Queensland, Rudd graduated from the Australian National University with honours in Chinese studies, and is fluent in Mandarin. Before politics, he worked as a diplomat and public servant for the Queensland state government of Wayne Goss. Rudd was elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 1998 federal election, as a member of parliament (MP) for Griffith. Promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2001 as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, and assumed leadership of the Labor Party in December 2006 by defeating Kim Beazley in a leadership spill, becoming leader of the opposition. Rudd led Labor to a landslide victory at the 2007 election; his government's earliest acts included ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and delivering the first national apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples for the Stolen Generations. His government responded to the financial crisis of 2007–2008, implementing economic stimulus packages that resulted in Australia becoming one of the only developed countries to avoid the Great Recession. Rudd's government also oversaw the establishment of the National Broadband Network (NBN), the launch of the Digital Education Revolution and Building the Education Revolution programs, the dismantling WorkChoices, and withdrew Australian troops from the Iraq War. By 2010, Rudd's leadership had faltered due to a loss of support among the Labor caucus and failure to pass key legislation like Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. He resigned as prime minister in June 2010 after his deputy Julia Gillard challenged him in a leadership spill. He was replaced by Gillard as prime minister, who later appointed him as Minister for Foreign Affairs in her government. Leadership tensions between Rudd and Gillard continued, leading to Rudd resigning as Foreign Minister in February 2012 to unsuccessfully challenge her for the leadership of the party. After further leadership speculation, Rudd defeated Gillard in a final leadership ballot in June 2013, becoming prime minister for the second time. However, Labor were defeated in the 2013 election, ending his second term after only two months. Rudd retired from parliament following the election, but has stayed active in political discourse and academia, completing a Ph.D. at Jesus College, Oxford, in 2022. He has been involved in a number of international organizations, advocating for issues such as China-United States relations and Australian media diversity. He was appointed as Australia's Ambassador to the U.S. by the Albanese government in March 2023.
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