Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appeared on the ABC’s QandA tonight and commented on the politics surrounding his government’s decision last year to postpone introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Rudd said he made an “error of judgement” in pushing out the start date to 2013. He said others in the party wanted to abandon the ETS altogether, whilst others wanted to proceed straight ahead, even though the government lacked the numbers to pass the legislation in the Senate.
Rudd would not confirm whether Gillard and Swan were amongst those pushing for abandonment of the ETS, although his demeanour suggested they were.
Rudd also made some pointed remarks about the influence of factional leaders in the ALP and seemed to give endorsement to the reforms proposed by Faulkner, Carr and Bracks.
The comments ensure that Rudd and Gillard will be pursued by the media and the Opposition tomorrow.
- Listen to the relevant portion of QandA (22m)