Rudd steps down from media campaign

Kevin Rudd will step down as chair of the lobby group he founded because he views the position as ‘incompatible’ with his future role as Australia’s ambassador to the US.

Kevin Rudd. Picture: AAP

Kevin Rudd will step down as chair of the lobby group he founded – Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission – because he views the position as “incompatible” with his future role as Australia’s ambassador to the US.

The former prime minister in October 2020 established the group, which campaigned for a “news media free from commercial monopolies”. The group ­argues that “only a royal commission would have the powers and independence to investigate threats to media diversity, and recommend policies to ensure optimal diversity across all platforms to help guarantee our ­nation’s democratic future”.

Dr Rudd has been the public face of the campaign since its launch but on Friday The Australian revealed he was stepping down from the role. “Dr Rudd considers that (his role as chair) would be incompatible with his future role as ambassador,” a spokesman for the former prime minister said. “He is confident that Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission will thrive under a new chair as it continues the campaign against concentration of media ownership.”

News Corp is the publisher of The Weekend Australian.

Even though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly dismissed calls for the proposed inquiry, the campaign still has support within some quarters of the ALP. The Labor state conferences of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland have all passed resolutions urging federal Labor to implement the party’s Senate majority report for a judicial inquiry with the powers of a royal commission.