Fed: Murdoch's support not assured for Rudd: MPs

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2007
Fed: Murdoch's support not assured for Rudd: MPs

By Jane Bunce

CANBERRA, April 22 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd
have both played down comments by media mogul Rupert Murdoch which seemingly endorsed
the Labor leader.

Mr Murdoch and Mr Rudd had a one-hour private meeting at News Corporation's New York
headquarters yesterday, followed by an impromptu dinner together.

When asked after the meeting if Mr Rudd would make a good prime minister, Mr Murdoch
replied, "Oh, I'm sure."

The comment was widely interpreted as the media baron giving his endorsement to the Labor leader.

But Mr Howard and Mr Rudd, along with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, today said
the News Corporation founder was just being polite.

"Look, I appreciate Mr Murdoch's polite remarks," Mr Rudd told journalists in New York today.

"I think Mr Murdoch's just being polite. I've got a long, long way to go in this race
and I think everyone knows that."

Mr Howard also played down the comment, saying Mr Murdoch had acted as would have been expected.

"He was standing next to him (Mr Rudd), I don't think he would have said anything else,"

Mr Howard told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Murdoch is known to publicly support world leaders, including Britain's former Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher and current leader Tony Blair and US President George W Bush.

He has also been an ongoing supporter of Mr Howard but would not say yesterday if he
thought the prime minister should step aside.

Mr Howard today said Mr Murdoch's support would be determined by whichever side of
politics he believed could guarantee Australia's future prosperity and jobs.

Industrial Relations Minister Joe Hockey also doubted the media baron would be a supporter
of Labor's plan to scrap Australian Workplace Agreements.

"I don't think he does (believe Mr Rudd is ready to be prime minister)," Mr Hockey
said of Mr Murdoch.

"We all know what Rupert Murdoch's view is on industrial relations... so I suspect
it was a vigorous conversation when it came to industrial relations."

Mr Hockey said the Labor leader's credentials as alternative prime minister would be
tested when he started releasing detailed policy - the point at which former leader Mark
Latham came undone.

He said the opposition leader should reveal the policies he planned to take to the
next election so they could be subjected to public scrutiny.

"It's not good enough for him to try and pretend he is a world leader already without
having delivered any policy that will get him the leadership at the end of the year,"

Mr Hockey told ABC television today.

Mr Downer also criticised Mr Rudd's behaviour on his US trip, saying his failure to
meet any political leaders showed misplaced priorities.

"We're familiar with Mr Rudd's obsession with the media ... but I would have thought
if you wanted to be prime minister of Australia you wouldn't just focus on the media,
you would be focusing on the political leaders," he said.

"You would be sitting down and getting to know (US House of Representatives Speaker)
Nancy Pelosi, you'd be getting to know (Democratic Party presidential candidates) Hillary
Clinton, Barack Obama, and may be some of the Republicans even, (Secretary of State) Condoleezza
Rice.

"For the leader of the opposition to travel 40,000km and meet none of those people
... reflects very badly on his sense of priorities."

Mr Rudd will return to Australia tomorrow from his first overseas visit as opposition leader.

AAP jb/srp/mn

KEYWORD: RUDD NIGHTLEAD

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