Former Labor prime minister tells book launch Rupert Murdoch prosecuted a ‘direct agenda’ against him and Malcolm Turnbull

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Kevin Rudd has blamed Rupert Murdoch for prosecuting a “direct agenda” through his newspapers which he says toppled Rudd himself and then Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister.

Speaking at the launch of the second volume of his autobiography in Canberra, Rudd nominated Australia’s media concentration in Murdoch’s hands as one of the factors in its culture of deposing leaders, which he said had become “nationally embarrassing”.

The rise of political apparatchiks, factional barons, the “cult of the opinion poll” and the ease with which party rules allow their leaders to be replaced share the blame in Rudd’s view for Australia’s “coup culture”.

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Rudd used the launch to publicly ask the Liberal party to follow his lead and adopt a rule raising the threshold to depose a leader.

Rudd noted that 70% of Australia’s print circulation “is on one person’s hands”, citing “the power of the Murdoch media” as a cause of leadership instability.

“[Rupert] Murdoch – who I’ve met many times – is ideologically, deeply conservative, deeply protective of his corporation’s commercial interests and, therefore, prosecutes a direct agenda through his newspapers which I’ve been on the receiving end [of],” he said. “So, most recently, has Malcolm [Turnbull].”

In the final days before he lost the Liberal leadership and prime ministership in August, Turnbull blamed forces “outside the parliament” who he believed had helped to foment disunity and call for a change of leader.

Media mogul Kerry Stokes has previously denied reports that he warned Turnbull in a phonecall that Murdoch and his media company were intent on removing him from power.

Rudd said that his decision to require a super majority of at least 60% of caucus to depose the leader had “stabilised the Labor party in the last five years”.

“We’ve had one leader since me – and that’s provided Bill Shorten with an extraordinary opportunity to focus on policy and put his best foot forward in terms of taking a big, bold policy vision to the people.”

Rudd noted the Liberals had three prime ministers in that time, which was “bad for the country”.

“My request to the Libs would be do something similar … to create one giant speed bump to prevent midnight coups.”

Rudd suggested that the former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop – who attended the event, sitting between the former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and Labor’s infrastructure spokesman, Anthony Albanese – should propose the “Bishop rule” in the next Liberal party room meeting.

“You’re not being helpful, Kevin,” Bishop quipped from the audience to laughter.

Rudd said that Australians – including in the recent Wentworth byelection – were “enraged by politicians focusing on themselves and their own internals”.

Removing the focus on internal party dynamics would help create clear air for Australia to take international leadership on issues including climate change and refugee resettlement, he suggested.

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At a doorstop after the launch, Rudd attacked John Howard’s record as prime minister on the basis that he joined the “coalition of the willing”, which “blew apart the stability of the Middle East for 15 years” through the decision to invade Iraq.

Rudd said he regretted not calling an inquiry or royal commission into the Iraq war but that he was reluctant because the Australian bureaucracy was “traumatised” and would have ground to a halt if he tried.

He said there was still merit in a commission of inquiry to “get the principles right” about how governments decide to go to war, accusing the Howard government of an “abuse of intelligence” to justify Iraq.

Asked about Labor’s offer to support a ban on permanent migration of refugees from New Zealand to Australia to facilitate a regional resettlement, Rudd said he supported the move.

Rudd said the original deal he struck to set up offshore processing in Papua New Guinea was for 12 months and the “normal” processing time for refugees was supposed to be less than 12 months.

He accused the Abbott and Turnbull governments of announcing an intention to turn offshore detention into “gulags”, with “appalling” treatment of refugees and “virtually indefinite” detention.