Kevin Rudd is no L-plate Opposition leader

This will be an important job for new deputy Opposition leader and shadow minister for industrial relations, Julia Gillard. The Opposition also need to focus on policies such as introducing publicly subsidised paid parental leave (as I have discussed in another previous article in On Line Opinion), substantially increasing public investment in childcare and early childhood education and making bulk-billed doctors and dental care more accessible.

Undoubtedly, Kevin Rudd and his new team will be working hard to develop the policies that will transform Labor into a party that listens to families. The process won’t be easy, as economic management will still be a major issue in the next election as it is also vitally important to the interest of Australian families: and that is an area where Labor has traditionally been perceived as weak. This was exploited in the 2004 election, but such a strategy isn’t likely to be effective in next time.

That’s because Kevin Rudd is no Mark Latham, he is no L-plate Opposition leader. He was former Queensland Premier Wayne Goss’ chief of staff and then director-general of the Queensland Cabinet Office. He helped transform a state ruined by more than two decades of mismanagement at the hands of the conservative Bjelke-Petersen government.

His record will help improve Labor’s credibility when it comes to economic management, and this will make the job of redefining Labor’s brand as the party for the family much easier.

Of course, only time will tell how Kevin Rudd and Labor performs. But what is sure is that Labor now has an unprecedented opportunity to transform its brand, and deliver a real alternative at the next election.