ALP review prompts Rudd broadside at factions
Updated 21 minutes ago


Reform call: Kevin Rudd (AAP: Alan Porritt)
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has called on the ALP to publicly release its full election review, including the currently secret chapters about his fall from grace.

The review of Labor's election performance, carried out by a panel consisting of former state premiers Steve Bracks and Bob Carr as well as Senator John Faulkner, was handed down on Friday.

It includes public recommendations on party reform but large parts of the review are being kept secret.

Backing the report's calls for party reform, Mr Rudd said it was in the wider interests of the community to make all parts of the review public, and fired a salvo at the factional leaders responsible for his downfall.

"Frankly I think it's in the wider interests of the party and the broader community if at an appropriate time they're made available for full and informed public discussion," he said.

"It's important that we see reform of this party of which I've been a member now for 30 years.

"To remain a viable party of the people we do need to undertake fundamental reforms, not least of which is the elimination of the power of factional leaders and factions in general."

The report's most contentious recommendation is a call for the party to adopt US-style primaries to give the public a say in the preselection of Labor candidates.

Mr Rudd expressed his strong support for the proposal.

"I think there's nothing for any political party to fear from allowing the people who make up its vast membership to have their direct voice," he said.

"The only people who stand in fear of that are those who actually exercise direct factional power. And I think when we're talking about this party's future that is a baseline reform. These are the reforms which our rank and file would want to see."

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i'm actually enjoying it a lot, lol

could kevin rudd be behaving a little.. alpha?

i know it's incomprehensible but could it be so?