Former PMs bury the hatchet… but in whose back? Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard reunite to support Bill Shorten – after he betrayed them both in leadership spills
- Former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have been spotted together
- The pair appear to have put their differences aside to campaign with Bill Shorten
- Mr Shorten helped both leaders depose one another during their leadership
Former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have been spotted together for the first time since the leadership spills that saw them both ousted from the top job.
The pair appear to have put their differences aside to campaign alongside the party’s current leader, Bill Shorten, to help secure a Labor victory ahead of the May 18 federal election.
There have been rumours of animosity between the trio in the past, after Mr Shorten helped both leaders depose one another during various stages of their leadership.
But insiders say they have decided to put on a united front in order to further distance themselves from the current disputes within the Coalition, Australian Financial Review reported.
Former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have been spotted together for the first time since the leadership spills that saw them both ousted from the top job
Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard walked into a campaign launch in Brisbane side by side on Sunday with smiles plastered over their faces.
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating was also in attendance.
They proceeded to take their seats in the front row next to one another ahead of Bill Shorten’s opening speech.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is holidaying in New York, while Tony Abbott is campaigning to keep his seat in Warringah, leaving John Howard as the only former Liberal prime minister to help current leader Scott Morrison.
Ms Gillard is expected to release a series of promotional social media videos posts in an attempt to secure more female voters.
She will also campaign on the ground in Victoria – a state that is expected to win or lose the election.
Mr Rudd has been hard at work within the international community, putting his Mandarin speaking skills to the test in seats with a high proportion of Chinese-Australian voters.