Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

That was a fine speech by the member for Calwell, and I think she encapsulated exactly what we all think about the member for Griffith, Kevin Rudd, in that he had so much to offer and yet—and this is such a shame—that potential was perhaps never fully realised. He was a self-confessed 'policy wonk', and the member for Calwell spoke about his infectious enthusiasm—and the Australian public's infectious enthusiasm, at times, for Kevin. I know that when he came to Wagga Wagga one day, unannounced, he was treated like an absolute rock star.

In 2007, when Kevin Rudd swept to power and swept John Howard out of office, I was the campaign director for Kay Hull, a very popular member for Riverina—and I will come back to Kay in a moment. I had been Kay's campaign director at the previous election in 2004. My seat is not a Labor stronghold, and in 2004 Kay was enormously popular. We got out there and we campaigned, as we always do, as the National Party, and won the seat very, very well. It was a different story in 2007. The whole Labor movement was engaged. They had their Kevin Rudd corflutes up many, many hours before the National Party had got to the polling booths—and, let me tell you, that is a feat in itself, because we always get out there if not the night before then very early in the morning. But when we got there every polling booth—and there are more than 100 in the Riverina at any given election—was just plastered with 'Kevin'. You did not see the local candidate; it was just all about Kevin. And I think that probably pretty much sums up his prime ministership as well, in some ways—and I mean that nicely, but it was all about Kevin.

For someone who had the love and the admiration of the Australian public, it was such a shame, in one sense, that he did not realise his full potential. It is unfortunate that factionalism also cost him dearly. I am glad that I belong to a party which does not have factions, because it must be so difficult to achieve and fulfil—

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