ALP's 2013 election review blames former prime minister Kevin Rudd, advisers for campaign mistakes

Updated

Kevin Rudd and his advisers are to blame for many of Labor's tactical mistakes and the mismanagement of staff during the 2013 federal election campaign, a party review concludes.

The review also hits out at the "heinous", "unforgivable" and "malicious leaking" of Labor's internal polling which it says was used to advance the cause of "particular individuals" rather than the movement.

It describes the election loss as a "tragedy" for the party, "largely because it was self-inflicted".

But it reveals the party was facing electoral doom under the leadership of Julia Gillard, with expected swings against it of 18 per cent which could have left the Opposition with as few as 40 seats.

Labor ended up holding 55 seats following the last-minute switch to Mr Rudd.

The review, conducted by former Queensland ALP secretary Milton Dick and Victorian Labor MP Jane Garrett, describes last year's election loss as "one of the most disappointing" in Labor's election history.

It confirms asylum seeker boats, the carbon tax and government debt eroded Labor's support at the ballot box, but argues the "single biggest reason" voters turned away from the party was the leadership drama.

The review says it is the responsibility of the Federal Caucus to ensure the "acrimony and infighting" is never repeated and it lashes out at those who leaked the party's internal polling and focus group research.

"This leaking has been motivated, not by a desire to advance the party as a whole, but rather to advance the political interests of particular individuals," it said.

The review's authors say leaks against the party, which compromised its ability to represent the community is the "most heinous" behaviour an ALP member can engage in and say it "should be dealt with firmly and thoroughly".

But the report also praises Mr Rudd's changes to the way the Labor leader is elected, saying it has created a "real sense of excitement" in the party by allowing members some say in the outcome.

Campaign HQ feared being overruled by 'travelling party'

However, the review homes in on the "serious difficulties" in managing the "liaison" between the travelling party and campaign headquarters.

It says those at the party's base in Melbourne feared being overruled by those on the road, which included Mr Rudd's chief strategist, Bruce Hawker.

"Unit directors within campaign headquarters did not feel confident that decisions they made within their area of responsibility would not be overturned by the travelling party," it said.

"It is clear on any assessment that campaign decision-making processes in the 2013 campaign were poor.

"The travelling party's focus on low-level campaign decisions at the expense of more significant decisions ... were subsequently left too long to be resolved."

It says the late leadership change derailed "important policy" work which would is critical is minimising the risk of "poorly considered announcements."

Mr Rudd's surprise decision to announce the relocation of Sydney's Garden Island naval base to Brisbane was met with a poor reception both internally and by the Defence Force.

His proposal to tax companies based in northern Australia at a lower rate also came as a shock to many in the party, some of whom had previously rubbished the suggestion when it was proposed by their political opponents.

The review recommends against the hiring of overseas consultants and says the Prime Minister's Office's decision to involve them at a late stage created "significant disruptions, confusion and inefficiencies within the campaign".

It also says Labor needs to better craft localised campaigns for seats in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

A spokesman for Mr Rudd says the former prime minister is focused on his work on US-China relations and will not comment at this stage.

Topics: federal-elections, government-and-politics, elections, alp, rudd-kevin, australia

First posted