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 again from June to September 2013. He also served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012 and as the Australian Ambassador to the United States from 2023 to 2026.
Early Life and Education
Rudd was born in Nambour, Queensland, and grew up on a dairy farm in Eumundi. He contracted rheumatic fever at an early age, which damaged his heart valves. After his father died when Rudd was 11, the family faced financial hardship. He attended Marist College Ashgrove and Nambour State High School, where he was dux in 1974. He studied at the Australian National University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) with First-Class Honours, majoring in Chinese language and history. He is fluent in Mandarin and his Chinese name is Lù Kèwén (陆克文). In 2022, he completed a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) at Jesus College, Oxford, with a thesis on Xi Jinping's ideological worldview.
Political Career
Rudd joined the Australian Labor Party in 1972 at age 15. He worked as a diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs, with postings in Stockholm and Beijing, before serving as chief of staff to Queensland Premier Wayne Goss. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the division of Griffith in 1998.
Rudd became Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition in December 2006, defeating Kim Beazley. He led Labor to a landslide victory at the 2007 federal election, ending the 11-year government of John Howard.
First Term as Prime Minister (2007–2010)
Key achievements and events of Rudd's first term include:
- Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change
- Delivering a formal national apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples for the Stolen Generations (13 February 2008)
- Implementing economic stimulus packages in response to the 2008 global financial crisis, which helped Australia avoid the Great Recession
- Establishing the National Broadband Network (NBN)
- Withdrawing Australian combat troops from Iraq
- Introducing the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (an emissions trading scheme that was ultimately rejected by the Senate)
- Proposing a Resources Super Profits Tax on mining companies
Rudd's approval ratings, initially very high, declined significantly by 2010. On 24 June 2010, he resigned as prime minister after losing the support of the Labor caucus, and his deputy Julia Gillard succeeded him.
Foreign Minister (2010–2012)
Gillard appointed Rudd as Minister for Foreign Affairs in September 2010. He served in this role until February 2012, when he resigned following ongoing leadership tensions with Gillard.
Second Term as Prime Minister (2013)
Rudd successfully challenged Gillard for the Labor leadership in June 2013 and was sworn in as prime minister for a second time on 27 June 2013. However, Labor was defeated by the Coalition under Tony Abbott at the September 2013 federal election, ending Rudd's second term after approximately two months.
Post-Political Career
Rudd resigned from Parliament in November 2013. He subsequently held academic and policy positions, including as a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Chair of Sanitation and Water For All. He was appointed Australian Ambassador to the United States in March 2023, serving until March 2026.
Rudd has authored several books, including a two-volume autobiography (Not for the Faint-hearted, 2017; The PM Years, 2018), The Case for Courage (2021), The Avoidable War (2022), and On Xi Jinping (2024).
Personal Life
Rudd married Thérèse Rein in 1981; they have three children. He is a practicing Christian, attending Anglican services, and has written about the role of faith in politics. He has undergone two aortic valve replacement surgeries (1993 and 2011).
