Tag Archives: Kevin Rudd

Rudd has twice been the prime minister of Australia, most recently in 2013.

“Dear Joe, ‘Sank Like a Stone’ — that’s how same-sex marriage faired in Australia this past week. Australia held elections for Prime Minister the other day, but it was as much a referendum on whether the Aussies would redefine marriage or not. You may remember I had traveled to Australia in August for the World Congress of Families, and I …

“On national television on Monday 2 September, I asked a question of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about his sudden change to support homosexual marriage. Mr. Rudd, who claims to be a Christian, tried to dismiss the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:5 supporting man-woman marriage in the Bible. The YouTube clip of the 4-min incident went viral, as did an …

The same-sex marriage movement suffered a blow in Australia today when Tony Abbott was elected prime minister in a vote that news outlets are calling “decisive” and  “a landslide.” Abbott, a former boxer, Rhodes scholar and trainee priest, promised to restore political stability, cut taxes and crack down on asylum seekers arriving by boat. But it was frustration with Labor’s …

On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd drew international headlines for his smack-down of a local pastor and Christian radio host who attacked him during a public forum for Rudd’s support of same-sex marriage. Today that pastor, Matt Prater, who heads up some outfit called the Billion Souls Revival Prayer Team, is calling for a national day of fasting and …

The Guardian reports: Challenged by a pastor and Christian radio announcer on the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night as to why as a Christian he did not follow the teaching of the bible that marriage was between a man and a woman, Rudd replied: “Well, mate, if I was going to have that view, the bible also says that …

The Australian papers are mocking this, but I think it’s kinda cool. IF you thought this year was a particularly bad one for Australian politics, prepare to have it flash before your very eyes in a new music video. Canberra’s indie punk band Super Best Friends have rounded up the country’s leaders and press gangs to help them film their …

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

During all the hoopla this week, I didn’t get to mention that Australia had a change in power. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is back in charge after toppling Julia Gillard as leader of the Labor Party. One day after being re-sworn in and a month after writing a blog post announcing his reversal on marriage, yesterday Rudd used his …

“I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage. I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognise same sex marriage. I also believe that this change should legally exempt religious institutions from any requirement to change their historic position and practice that marriage …

The Labor Party of Australia is challenging its own Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to pass marriage equality legislation. Rudd has threatened to veto a recently approved law making same-sex marriage legal in the Australian Capitol Territory. The Australian Labor Party in the state of Victoria passed a resolution in support of marriage equality last weekend. It is supported by ministers …

Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is “pushing back” against a Labor Party call for the federal government to legalize same-sex marriage. Mr Rudd says he will not change the policy he took to the last election. “We went to the last election being very clear-cut about our position on marriage under the Marriage Act being between a man and a …

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government has formally rejected a call for civil unions for same-sex couples. The Government’s response equated the proposal with same-sex marriage equality, saying the no gay unions policy “reflects the widely held view in the community that marriage is between a man and a woman”. But the Government confirmed it still intends to recognise and …

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd read a 361-word apology to the aboriginal people of Australia today for his country’s history of forced assimilation, a policy which removed aborigine children from their homes and gave them to white parents. Based on the premise that “full-blood” Aborigines were a race headed for extinction, up to 100,000 mixed-race children were taken from their …

Newly elected Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said yesterday that his administration will not interfere with states or territories that move to legalize civil unions for gay couples. The state of Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory are both expected to pass civil union laws early next year. Previous attempts to pass such legislation were thwarted by previous Prime Minister …

Ha ha haHo ho ho And a couple of tra la la’s Australian Labor Party Prime Minister candidate Kevin Rudd has trounced anti-gay Bush lackey John Howard. Howard lost so badly, he no longer even has a seat in Parliament. Rudd’s historic win means that Labor now runs the government in every Australian state and territory. Also for the first …