Australian opposition party elects new leader

[ianwood]

Monday, December 4, 2006 (Canberra):

Australia's main opposition party on Monday elected its new leader, a former diplomat to Beijing who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, in a bid to end Prime Minister John Howard's 11-year winning streak.

Kevin Rudd, a 49-year-old China expert who entered the parliament in 1998, defeated incumbent Labor Party leader Kim Beazley by 49 votes to 39.
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Australian+opposition+party+elects+leader&id=97378

[Ken Burch]

1. Good for them. I don't even know why Beazley was still leader anyway.

Hadn't he already lost TWO elections to Howard's coalition?

[Matilda]

2. He did, and was certain to lose the third.

Polling has lately been showing that Labor is the preferred party, but Kim Beazley was trailing
John Howard and Kevin Rudd as preferred leader. In other words, people are saying they are prepared
to change their vote, but not with Beazley leading Labor. At least there's a feeling now that Labor
just might get over the line - Howard's up to his ears in corruption and deceit, and if Rudd can take
the attack to him in a way Beazley was never able to, it may be the end for little Johnny.

Rudd isn't an exciting personality, but he's highly intelligent, and never goes into debate without
having all the facts at his fingertips. Howard won't find it easy to bamboozle him with double-talk - his brain is too quick.

The new Deputy Leader, Julia Gillard, is also an interesting personality. Her rise in a Party that
treats women as tokens, has been quick. She's a woman to watch.