Kevin Rudd

His Excellency The Honourable Kevin Rudd AC
Official portrait, 2007
23rd Ambassador of Australia to the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 March 2023
Prime Minister	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Arthur Sinodinos
26th Prime Minister of Australia
In office 27 June 2013 – 18 September 2013
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Quentin Bryce
Deputy	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Julia Gillard
Succeeded by	Tony Abbott
In office 3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governors General	Michael Jeffery Quentin Bryce
Deputy	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	John Howard
Succeeded by	Julia Gillard
18th Leader of the Labor Party
In office 26 June 2013 – 13 September 2013
Deputy	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Julia Gillard
Succeeded by	Bill Shorten
In office 4 December 2006 – 24 June 2010
Deputy	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Kim Beazley
Succeeded by	Julia Gillard
Leader of the Opposition
In office 4 December 2006 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Deputy	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Kim Beazley
Succeeded by	Brendan Nelson
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 14 September 2010 – 22 February 2012
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Stephen Smith
Succeeded by	Bob Carr
Member of the Australian Parliament for Griffith
In office 3 October 1998 – 22 November 2013
Preceded by	Graeme McDougall
Succeeded by	Terri Butler
Personal details
Born	Kevin Michael Rudd (1957-09-21) 21 September 1957 (age 67) Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Thérèse Rein ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	3
Profession	Politician diplomat
Signature
Website	Official website
Nickname	Kevin 07[1]
Academic background
Education	Marist College Ashgrove Nambour State High School
Alma mater	Australian National University (BA) Jesus College, Oxford (DPhil)
Thesis	China’s New Marxist Nationalism: Defining Xi Jinping’s Ideological Worldview (2022)
Doctoral advisor	Paul Irwin Crookes
Kevin Rudd's voice Rudd speaking about his government's economic plan Recorded 27 August 2013

This article is part of a series about Kevin Rudd
Early life Diplomatic career Goss government Member for Griffith (1998–2013) Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Shadow Minister for Trade 2006 Labor Party leadership spill Prime Minister of Australia First term of government (2007–2010) Apology to the Stolen Generations Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Immigration policies Australia 2020 Summit GFC stimulus Home Insulation Program Royal Commission OzCar affair Resource Super Profits Tax National Broadband Network 2010 Labor Party leadership spill Minister for Foreign Affairs 2012 Labor Party leadership spill 2013 Labor Party leadership spill Second term of government (2013) Papua New Guinea Solution Ministries First Ministry Second Ministry Elections 2007 2013
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Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) 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) for the Queensland division of Griffith from 1998 to 2013. Since 2023, Rudd has been the 23rd ambassador of Australia to the United States.^[2]

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 (MP) for Griffith. Promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2001 as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, he 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 2007–2008 financial crisis, 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, 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 the 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 DPhil 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.