Kevin Rudd: Australian Prime Minister

Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

Australian Labor politician who served as Prime Minister of Australia (2007–2010, 2013) and later as Australia's Ambassador to the United States from 2023.
Why was Kevin Rudd replaced as Prime Minister in 2010?
What is Rudd's current role?
What is Rudd known for in foreign policy circles?

Leaders & ThinkersUpdated June 22, 2026

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21 September 1957
Kevin Michael Rudd (born , Nambour, Queensland) is an Australian Labor Party politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from December 2007…
13 February 2008
The National Apology to the Stolen Generations, delivered in Parliament on , formally acknowledging past policies of forced removal of Indigenous Australian…

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In February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the National Apology to the Stolen Generations in the Australian Parliament.

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Timeline

21 September 1957

Kevin Michael Rudd (born , Nambour, Queensland) is an Australian Labor Party politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from December 2007…

13 February 2008

The National Apology to the Stolen Generations, delivered in Parliament on , formally acknowledging past policies of forced removal of Indigenous Australian…

Research it like a delegate

Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957, Nambour, Queensland) is an Australian Labor Party politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from December 2007 to June 2010, and again briefly from June to September 2013. A Mandarin-speaking former diplomat who served in the Australian embassy in Beijing in the 1980s, Rudd built his political identity around foreign policy expertise, particularly Asia-Pacific affairs.

His first term is most remembered for:

The National Apology to the Stolen Generations, delivered in Parliament on 13 February 2008, formally acknowledging past policies of forced removal of Indigenous Australian children.
Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol as one of his first acts in office in December 2007.
Australia's economic stimulus response to the Global Financial Crisis, widely credited with helping Australia avoid recession in 2008–09.
Proposing the creation of an Asia Pacific Community and championing the elevation of the G20 to leaders' level during the GFC.

Rudd was deposed as Labor leader by his deputy Julia Gillard in June 2010 amid declining poll numbers and disputes over the Resource Super Profits Tax. He subsequently served as Foreign Minister under Gillard (2010–2012) before reclaiming the prime ministership in a June 2013 leadership ballot. He lost the September 2013 federal election to Tony Abbott's Coalition and left Parliament shortly after.

Post-politics, Rudd has remained an influential voice in international affairs. He served as President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York from 2015, becoming President and CEO of the Asia Society in 2021. He has written extensively on US–China relations, including The Avoidable War (2022), arguing for "managed strategic competition" between Washington and Beijing. In March 2023 he was appointed Australian Ambassador to the United States, presenting credentials to President Biden and continuing in the role under subsequent administrations.

Frequently asked questions

Why was Kevin Rudd replaced as Prime Minister in 2010?

He was challenged by Deputy PM Julia Gillard in a Labor caucus ballot amid falling polls, internal party discontent, and controversy over the proposed Resource Super Profits Tax. Rudd stepped aside before the vote.

What is Rudd's current role?

Since March 2023 he has served as Australia's Ambassador to the United States, based in Washington, D.C.

What is Rudd known for in foreign policy circles?

His Mandarin fluency, advocacy for elevating the G20 to leaders' level during the 2008 financial crisis, and his writing on US–China strategic competition, including the 2022 book 'The Avoidable War.'