Australia's two major newspaper groups are reporting that Prime
Minister Julia Gillard's leadership position is again under threat.
Fairfax
and News Limited say that government whip Joel Fitzgibbon is
canvassing for votes to return Kevin Rudd to the leadership.
Fairfax
says that 'some who favour a switch do not want it to happen until the
last day of parliamentary sittings in June, when a new leader would
have the long winter break to reorganise government and tweak
policies.'
News Limited says that Fitzgibbon's move is extraordinary, as the whip traditionally guards against instability.
The
latest reports of dissatisfaction with Gillard's leadership come in
the wake of a controversial decision to import 1700 foreign workers to
Gina Rinehart's Pilbara iron ore mine - a decision that has not exactly
received unanimous support from within the party and the union
movement.
We really wonder how long Ms Gillard's position will remain tenable. The Australian Parliament is essentially hung, and the sniping from within the Labor caucus continues. The polls are dreadful for Labor, and an absolute spanking beckons at the next election.
And just when one would think that things couldn't get any worse for Julia Gillard, there are suggestions that one of Labor's whips, Joel Fitzgerald has been canvassing his fellow MP's about another leadership challenge by Kevin Rudd. Notwithstanding the fact that Ms Gillard beat Rudd decisively in the last leadership spill, things look pretty glum for her right now.
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