Rosanne Barrett and Christian Kerr From: The Australian
September 30, 2011 12:00AM
Kevin Rudd in his latest role, as an ambassador of reading. Picture: Jodie Richter Source: The Courier-Mail
Julia Gillard blows out candles on her 50th birthday cake yesterday at a community centre in Werribee, helped by Kyle Taliana, 8, left, and Luke Ward, 7. Picture: Jon Hargest Source: HWT Image Library
More voters prefer Rudd over Gillard [Watch the video]
A poll shows 60 per cent of voters prefer Kevin Rudd to lead Labor compared to Julia Gillard's 26 per cent. Sky News30 September 2011
FOR a moment yesterday it was as if nothing had changed: Kevin Rudd was talking about Jasper, the cat, to a room full of adoring toddlers as the cameras whirred and just about everyone hung off his every word.
Welcome to the charm offensive otherwise known as Kevin 11, the undeclared campaign by the Foreign Minister to recapture the magic of his former iteration as Kevin 07 - and just maybe his old job. As Julia Gillard celebrated the milestone of her 50th birthday in wintry Melbourne, Mr Rudd was revelling in the attention he has drummed up as Labor's fortunes in the polls plummet while his rise in equal measure.
Mr Rudd discussed the finer points of fowl colouring with a gaggle of three-year-olds - "anyone ever seen a duck that's green?" he asked - revelling in his new role as Queensland's ambassador for Dads reading. Children wandered, fidgeted and wailed but the Foreign Minister persevered, taking them through Some Dads and We Went Walking.
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But after wowing Mandarin-speaking Brisbane mum Danying Ren with his language skills, and counting to 10 in Japanese with one of his junior charges, Mr Rudd offered his congratulations to the woman who took his place in The Lodge 15 months ago.
"Turning the big five-o is a big milestone in anyone's life," he said. "I wish her a happy birthday."
Asked if Ms Gillard had wished him happy birthday for his 54th last week, he said he couldn't quite remember but he was sure the PM "had other things on her mind".
While Mr Rudd was being mobbed by toddlers, the Prime Minister was blowing out candles with a group of schoolchildren and being serenaded with Happy Birthday in her western Melbourne electorate. Sporting birthday jewellery courtesy of "first bloke" Tim Mathieson and his family, Ms Gillard declared that 50 felt fine. "I think any birthday with a zero at the end of it causes people to take stock and think about their life," she said, but that was all the birthday introspection she had to offer.
"I am living an amazing life, this is an incredible privilege to be Prime Minister, but of course my focus, whether it's my birthday or any other day, is making sure that we've got jobs for the future, jobs for the kids that I've met today, we've got prosperity and we've got that sense of fairness, that we're not leaving anybody behind.
"That's the great Labor tradition and that's what drives me. Thanks very much."
Transport Minister Anthony Albanese wished her the best but admitted he had forgotten a present. Greens leader Bob Brown sent a bunch of flowers.
A Galaxy poll last night showed 60 per cent of voters would prefer Mr Rudd to lead Labor, compared with 20 per cent for Ms Gillard.
Tony Abbott offered brickbats about Labor's lowly states in the polls.
"I wouldn't expect Julia to get me a present on my birthday, and I don't think she's too eager to get anything from me today," the Opposition Leader said.
"I wish her happy birthday. I'm not sure how many more she's going to have in The Lodge but I certainly wish her happy birthday for today."
Mr Albanese said he believed Ms Gillard would still be Prime Minister when her next birthday rolled around - despite speculation that an increasingly anxious Labor caucus is warming to Kevin 11 and the extraordinary prospect of replacing Ms Gillard with the man it dumped to elevate her.
"Julia Gillard is the Prime Minister. She retains the absolute support of the caucus," he said.
Mr Rudd is doing his utmost to live up to another former moniker, Kevin 747, with the frenetic pace he has set since returning to duty from heart surgery this month.
After returning from the US, he drove 500km to the western NSW town of Condobolin and then fulfilled yesterday's duties in Brisbane.
For the record, Jasper the cat, the subject of a children's book Mr Rudd wrote with children's television presenter Rhys Muldoon while prime minister, is purportedly happy as a vegemite.
Many happy returns. But whose, Julia Gillard's or Kevin Rudd's? | The Australian
