Media Release

27 September 2007

Arrogant Labor Puts Diplomatic Achievements at Risk

The Labor Party’s hubris and contempt for voters continues unabated, with reports that yet another key job has been promised to a Labor mate should Kevin Rudd be elected Prime Minister.

Media reporting has indicated that Mr Rudd plans to resurrect the career of Richard Butler, following his spectacular resignation as Governor of Tasmania.

Mr Butler is apparently to be handed the important role of Australia’s Ambassador for the Environment – a job currently being successfully performed by a dedicated and very enthusiastic diplomat.

The plans to give Mr Butler a free ride back into public life come on the heels of reports on the weekend that Kim Beazley will be sent to Washington as Australia’s Ambassador, replacing another dedicated and very effective career public servant.

Labor’s arrogance is deeply concerning, as is its disregard for the rights of voters to have a say before they start dividing up the spoils among their mates.

What’s more concerning, however, is that Mr Rudd would treat this vital diplomatic position as nothing more than a reward to be handed out to those who have supported the Labor Party over the years.

Labor continues to show its utter lack of understanding of international climate change politics.  For Mr Rudd to believe that he can simply parachute a Labor mate into this key position and expect to continue with Australia’s recent diplomatic successes on climate change is naïve in the extreme.

I have said previously that climate change is too important to be left to the Labor Party.  It is certainly too important to be outsourced to the usual collective of Labor mates.

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