Kevin Rudd hits back at election blame game

The former Labor leader told ABC’s 7.30 he had seen a lot of commentary about the election loss, including about “quexit” to cut Queensland lose from the rest of Australia, but said it was a “whole load of baloney”.

Mr Rudd, whose own former electorate was located in the Sunshine State, pointed out there had been a state Labor government in power in Queensland for about 25 of the last 30 years.

“So the idea that this place is unwelcoming of centre-left progressive governments is a nonsense,” he said.

When it came to Labor’s loss, Mr Rudd said he thought there had been some national factors that contributed as well as those specific to Queensland.

Mr Rudd said for the Labor Party to succeed at a national level, it had to address two fundamental issues: fairness for working families but also a future for aspirational Australians who want to build their own businesses.

When it comes to Queensland-centric factors, Mr Rudd pointed to it being a big state that was deeply decentralised so the role of government was important.

“It’s also a mining state where people who support the mining industry are not bad people,” he said. “It’s a question of managing carbon transition over time.”

Small business must also be catered to, he said.

“If we as the Labor Party and alternative government of Australia don’t have a strong message for those aspiring to build their own businesses, then it won’t resonate,” he said.

Kevin Rudd on 7.30.Source:Supplied

Religion was another factor that was “part and parcel” of the fabric in the state.

“We in the centre-left have to understand that in what we say and how we conduct ourselves and the policies we bring to bear, that this community of faith is out there as well,” he said.

As the Coalition gets on with the job of governing, Mr Rudd said he believes an economic downturn is a “real and growing risk”.

One of the risks for Australia is the US-China trade war.

“Having spent two or three weeks in Beijing myself, I’ve never seen that US-China relationship in such disarray as it currently is,” Mr Rudd said.

“The geopolitical factors are bearing down big time on both the trade relationship, investment relationship and technology relationship and it’s, for me, quite uncertain where this is going to unfold to, other than it could spell significant downside risks for Australia into 2020.”

Asked about Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s comments that China was a “customer” of Australia, Mr Rudd said it was “wrong”.

“I was in China for the last few weeks of the election campaign here in Australia and I think even Mr Morrison would now conclude (that) that was probably an ill-advised choice of words.

“To juxtapose the relationship as being America ‘friend’, China being ‘customer’, is frankly quite wrong.”

Mr Rudd mentioned the relationships that companies and individuals have with China and that there were “friendships of great depth” with Chinese political leaders as well.

“I’m sure China will never be our ally, the United States will be our ally. So I think we need to be choosing our words very carefully into the future.

“I would wish Mr Morrison well in that because he’s been re-elected, I congratulate him for that. Given he’s our new Prime Minister, this period ahead, the next frankly 12 months, would be one of profound significance for whether we in Australia get the balance right in our relationship with China and the United States.

“It’s going to require skill and diplomacy. It’s going to require discipline and language and it’s going to require thinking through very carefully our own policy line as well, rather than shooting from the hip.”