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My name is Kevin Rudd and IamA former Australian Prime Minister. AMA!
I have just launched volume 1 of my autobiography, Not for the Faint-hearted. Ask me anything!
edit: more proof
Edit 2: Hey folks I'm about to go and launch my book here in Brisbane. I'll be back on later tonight and tomorrow to answer some more questions.
Edit 3: OK folks it's late. It's heading to midnight in the people's republic of Queensland and I am buggered just having launched my book 'Not for the Faint-hearted' here in Brissie tonight. So I will resume tomorrow.
Edit 4: About to catch a plane to Melbourne. Will be back a bit later.
Edit 5: Speaking on the Rise of China at a LaTrobe Uni event. Thanks for all the questions. Will be back for more in a few hours.
Edit 6: Hi folks. Got another book launch and I think we have to leave it there. So thanks for all the great questions. Be good. Til next time.
MrKevinRudd3857 karma
Yes. Abbott and Turnbull have so far got away with blue murder on this. The cost to the taxpayer as a result has been beyond belief.
hiddenpunkess2921490 karma
I still have my Kevin 07 tshirt. Can we be real life best friends?
MrKevinRudd3182 karma
As I said just before, I'd be less trusting of some of the folks I worked with.
MrMysterious_1187 karma
Hi Kevin, In your opinion, what's the best decision you made as PM?
MrKevinRudd3762 karma
To intervene radically in 2008 to stop Australia from falling into a deep economic recession.
Maeror_Meror1029 karma
Kevin, What's your favourite flavour of meat pie? Love you heaps
- Andy
Kano555930 karma
Hi Mr Rudd,
Are you as disappointed with the state of current politics as we are? Where constant blame games are played instead of actual problem solving? Where each side picks on each other instead of focusing on policies? Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us btw!
MrKevinRudd1849 karma
Yes. But the Murdoch media don't provide a fair platform for a policy debate on the future. Their interest is to conduct personal campaigns against individual labor politicians.
hansl0l867 karma
Hi Kevin, what suprised you most about life as PM and the roles it entailed?
963479847 karma
Nearly ten years on from your Sorry speech, what do you feel has changed for Indigenous Australians over that time? How do we get to constitutional recognition?
MrKevinRudd1121 karma
Aboriginal education has improved in many areas, and we now have many young Aboriginal kids at our universities.
_Rowdy771 karma
Mr Rudd,
How deep does the rabbit hole go in terms of media moguls influencing policy?
Is there a reasonable solution to get the NBN back to a standard that Labor proposed and started, or are we going to be held back for another 10 years+?
MrKevinRudd2269 karma
Murdoch's fox news network in the United States is one of the biggest reason for the emergence of Trump. Murdoch also campaigned in support of Brexit in Britain. Murdoch's control of 70% of the Newspapers in Australia is a major problem for us all.
WhoFramedBobbyTables566 karma
Why do you think the NBN, a $50B nation wide project, has barely been covered or properly discussed in the media?
MrKevinRudd728 karma
Please read the transcript of my interview with Leigh Sales on Monday night.
oblong_cheese550 karma
Kevin, why did you wait until your autobiography was being released before telling us what you really think about Murdoch's involvement with the LNP in ruining the NBN?
MrKevinRudd1756 karma
I have said this many times before publicly. It's just, surprise surprise, the Murdoch media weren't keen on printing it.
MrKevinRudd936 karma
Not only do I visit for a kebab when I'm in town my son Marcus has been one of their biggest customers in history.
hjmckenzie374 karma
KRudd, big fan of your cats Mei Mei and Qing Qing on instagram. What do you say to all those cat haters out there who think dogs are the superior pet?
MrKevinRudd1052 karma
The truth is we have almost always had dogs and cats together, and if they can get on together, surely cat lovers and dog lovers can get on together.
dothehustle07365 karma
Hi Kevin,
What made you change your stance on marriage equality to a yes? How did it come about and who/what made the realisation real for you?
MrKevinRudd730 karma
If you go to my website you will see a 3000+ word essay written in 2013 well before I returned to the Prime Ministership on why I had changed my position.
DworkinClassHero347 karma
Neoliberalism is looking increasingly out of favour in many parts of the world, and both the UK and New Zealand labour parties have recently become much more critical of capitalism.
Do you think the Australian Labor Party should join them?
MrKevinRudd404 karma
Read the article I wrote on this in the monthly over one decade ago. My views on this have not changed.
willng324 karma
Kevin,
Do you feel that covert Chinese intervention through its citizen's in Australia, prominently through curricular groups within our Unis is a legitimate concern? And is it emblematic of the broader approach that the Chinese take to foreign affairs? Is China utterly uncompromising or do you think we can establish a truly effective and productive working relationship?
MrKevinRudd1027 karma
Not really. But we should ban all foreign donations to political parties like I tried to do in 2009. The Libs opposed.
Asheroo_Asheroo277 karma
What do you think is the way forward for the ALP and central-left politics in Australia and other western nations?
MrKevinRudd835 karma
The capitalist project has to be adjusted in order to provide a bigger slice of national income to lower and middle income Australians.
mmaattuu250 karma
Hi Kevin.
Has your perspective on Australian politics changed from your recent time in the United States?
PS miss you!
MrKevinRudd782 karma
Yes. What I see in the US, UK and Australia is the Murdoch empire harnessing the forces of the far right in every country. It is a national and international disgrace.
chasing-daylight237 karma
whaling. How come Austrailia does not pressure Japan about their illegal "research" whaling in the antarctic?
MrKevinRudd862 karma
Good question. I took them to court. We won the case in the international court of justice. Turnbull has done bugger all since.
stop_the_broats223 karma
You are a notable proponent of a Big Australia. What do you say to people who claim that extremely high population growth has lead to the housing affordability crisis and stagnant wages within a growing economy?
MrKevinRudd648 karma
Our government had a housing policy to reduce the cost of housing and to boost the supply of social housing. This government doesn't even have a housing minister.
Sugarless_Chunk163 karma
Adding to this: given that it seems a lot of damage has been done with the FTTN rollout, would it be possible (or worth it) to go back to the original FTTP model as soon as possible?
teachmesomething179 karma
Mr Rudd, how important is it we re-think our relationship with the US in its 'pivot towards Asia'? And should we be aiming to form an alliance with China at the expense of ours with the US?
MrKevinRudd746 karma
We need to wait out the Trump administration and see what the next administration does. This guy is right out there.
Mr_Mac171 karma
Much has been made of the alleged story of the NBN being dreamed up on the back of an envelope. How did Senator Conroy & others actually communicate the concept to yourself and have it signed off?
MrKevinRudd838 karma
The envelope story is bullshit. The NBN was the recommendation of a committee of senior Commonwealth Treasury officials after 6 months examining all the financial, economic and technical options.
Brizven149 karma
Hi Kevin,
During the Howard years, the ALP struggled quite awhile in opposition. What do you believe were the reasons the ALP weren't able to return to office sooner?
MrKevinRudd479 karma
As I mention in my book, "Not For the Faint-hearted", Howard was a master of the politics of fear - fear of refugees, fear of muslims, fear of deficit. We weren't able to counter those arguments effectively.
The-Jesus_Christ147 karma
Hi Kevin. Who's idea was the Kevin 07 campaign? It was absolutely brilliant in design!
MrKevinRudd225 karma
A combination of Tim Gartrell, the then national secretary of the ALP, and the late Neil Lawrence.
Mr_Mac145 karma
Why did you cop out of taking an ETS to a double dissolution election when you were killing it in the polls?
MrKevinRudd250 karma
We had already had our ETS legislation knocked over in the senate twice by then. By the time Gillard and Swan had conducted their coup in June 2010, there was still time to call a DD. Gillard had opposed one from the get go.
MrKevinRudd346 karma
Quite a lot. With no Chasers and the loss of John Clarke there's a big hole in Australian political satire.
papahypu99 karma
G'day kev, are you aware that in schools all around this great country of ours you are viewed as a handball god? How do you feel about this and do you have intentions to hit the squares again any time soon???
MrKevinRudd208 karma
Yes I know I am seen as the handball champ of the Southern Hemisphere. In fact I have challenged one of our local schools here in Brisbane to a match on Monday.
MrKevinRudd295 karma
Mid 2018. That's because the Liberals as a political beast do not have a history of being sentimental towards leaders about to take them over a cliff.
Lintar060 karma
Dear Mr. Rudd,
I admire you overall because you are one of the few Western leaders who can actually speak in fluent Mandarin and understand Chinese culture. I wanted to ask you: with the rise of China in the world stage, as well as the election of Donald Trump as President of the US, what can we expect in the next 10 years as China moves on to be more prominent?
MrKevinRudd86 karma
The Chinese president has said he wants to shape the new international system with much greater Chinese input. The key challenge for all of us, is to ensure we still have a global rules-based system. And we need America to re-engage the world.
MrKevinRudd139 karma
What I regret most is the greens siding with the libs to vote down the CPRS twice in the senate.
JayTrim43 karma
Do, aliens exist? I mean honestly, what's the harm. Less and less people are religious these days, you've got to know something. We all know that some debriefing said if you let the people know, that your secret service will make it very hard for you but seriously, we've got to know. lol
TheeGogglesDoNothing29 karma
Hey Kevin, what moment or achievement in your time as Prime Minister are you most proud of?
MrKevinRudd123 karma
Keep Australia out of recession during the GFC. The only major economy in the world to do so. Saving hundreds of thousands of jobs and small business's in the process.
cjc00723 karma
Kevin, I'm a member of the ALP, and want to enter politics (NSW). Any suggestions?
MrKevinRudd62 karma
My key piece of advice is, as I write in my book Not for the Faint-hearted, what the country needs is people of deep experience, professional knowledge and judgement before they stick their hand up to be an MP. All the best.
ahly962706 karma
Hi Mr Rudd,
Do you think there should be a Royal Commission into the NBN debacle to hold those accountable?
Cheers
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