George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, just another lie. He went on:

Every one of them, every one of them.

They were Mr Rudd’s very words in the first blush of electoral success, five months after he was voted into office. A few months later, he addressed the National Press Club and, reflecting on the government’s first year, he said:

When we formed government, I said I had no intention of recycling the absolute cynicism of previous governments—making a swag of pre-election commitments then reneging on them ...

That is what he said then. As late as year, Mr Rudd seemed to continue to command the confidence of the Australian people, if the opinion polls are any guide. But you know, Mr Acting Deputy President Marshall, as every senator in this chamber knows, that there has been a significant change of sentiment across this nation over the Easter recess. What those of us who know Kevin Rudd well knew would happen—particularly those of us who have known him from the Queensland days, the bad old days even before he was a member of parliament—has happened: the people have found him out.