Kevin Rudd blames Tony Abbott and the media for Australia’s nasty political low

KEVIN Rudd has gone on a rant, savaging Australian politics and labelling it a vicious and unstable landscape.

Clearly still nursing bitterness over his own shafting from Federal politics, the former prime minister has personally singled out and attacked Tony Abbott.

He says Abbott has brought a “unique negativity, toxicity and hatred” to national politics over the past decade.

Like many Australians reflecting on the tumultuous events played out in government over the past week, Mr Rudd has taken aim at a politcial environment that has brought the country to a new low.

“The uncomfortable truth is since the coup of June 2010 (when Julia Gillard replaced him), Australian politics has become vicious, toxic and unstable,” he wrote in an opinion piece for Fairfax.

Mr Rudd accused politicians — who live in permanent fear of losing their jobs if they act on long-term policy — of pandering to the “cult of opinion polls”.

Among them are the younger Liberal and Labor Party members who he said had been so consumed by politics they only saw it as a game of shafting people.

Mr Rudd’s was concerned at the ease in which political coups can be launched at the drop of a hat.

But the former Labor Party leader, who was successfully challenged by Julia Gillard in 2010 for his leadership position, said among all the issues were the problems surrounding Mr Abbott, “John Howard’s political disciple”.

This is despite Mr Rudd rechallenged Ms Gillard in 2013 after she called a leadership spill which saw her lose the ballot and forced her to resign.

“Abbott has never cared about policy,” he said.

“He has only cared about politics and winning at any cost. I cannot remember a single positive policy initiative that Abbott has championed and then implemented. Not one.

“As a result, unconstrained by policy, the entire energy of this giant wrecking ball of Australian politics has been focused on destroying his opponents — within the Labor Party and the Liberal Party.

“His singular, destructive impact on national politics cannot be underestimated.”

Mr Rudd also criticised News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch (the publisher of news.com.au) for the influential part he claims he plays in Australian and world politics.

This comes after supporters of Mr Turnbull suggested last week’s coup was actively supported by News Corp newspapers, its pay-TV station Sky News and prominent media commentators such as 2GB’s Ray Hadley and Alan Jones. 2GB is not owned by News Corp.

Mr Rudd complained about Mr Murdoch’s ownership of print media which regularly set the day’s news agenda.

Channel 9’s chief political correspondent Chris Uhlmann last week accused radio hosts Alan Jones and Ray Hadley, and Sky News presenters such as Peta Credlin, Mr Abbott’s former chief of staff, of being “players in the game” oust Mr Turnbull.

Mr Rudd was prime minister from December 2007 to June 2010 and again from June to September 2013 and sparked what has become a political civil war.

Australia has changed prime ministers seven times since the Howard government.