Division and dysfunction continues at heart of Government

12/12/11

The dysfunctional relationship between the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister will continue to poison the heart of the government and impact negatively the effectiveness of Cabinet.

After weeks of open conflict and malicious tit-for-tat leaking against each other, the Prime Minister has revealed the weakness of her position by retaining Kevin Rudd as Foreign Minister in one of the government's most important portfolios.

It is vital that foreign policy is protected from the fallout of their increasingly poisonous relationship.

For the national interest to be protected, open lines of communication between the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister must be maintained at all times to avoid a repeat of past events including;

• The failure of the Prime Minister to consult the Foreign Minister before imposing a ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia;
• The split in their approaches to the UN vote on Palestinian statehood (Rudd advocated abstention, Gillard opposed);
• The split in their responses to developments in Libya, including whether to support the imposition of a no-fly zone (Rudd campaigned in favour, Gillard refused to support);

• The divide over the corrupted Australia Network tender process, now subject to police and Auditor General investigations; and

• The failure of the Prime Minister to consult the Foreign Minister before her decision to overturn Labor's ban on uranium sales to India.

Former Labor Foreign Minister and current Defence Minister Stephen Smith said in September 2010 that, “… you can never have a crack of light between a Foreign Minister and a Prime Minister.”

There is a now a yawning chasm between Prime Minister Gillard and Foreign Minister Rudd that is unlikely to ever be breached, and their feud will continue to harm Australia's interests.