Tanya Plibersek rules out ever running for party leader

Tanya Plibersek has declared she has no ambition ever to become the leader of her party.

Tanya Plibersek has ruled out ever taking the Labor leadership. Picture: Kym Smith.

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has declared today she has no ambition ever to become the leader of her party, exactly one month on from the opposition’s shock election loss.

As Anthony Albanese faces multiple problems with a union movement divided over controversial CFMEU boss John Setka and an upcoming review on how Labor lost last month, Ms Plibersek has given the Opposition Leader her full backing and ruled out any potential for a challenge.

Ms Plibersek was preparing to launch a leadership bid after Labor’s loss at the May 18 federal election and had the backing of both then-leader Bill Shorten and former prime minister Julia Gillard, but later announced she would not for family reasons and stated “now is not my time.”

When asked if it will ever be her time to be leader, Ms Plibersek replied: “No.”

“I’m absolutely determined to make sure Anthony Albanese becomes the prime minister of Australia and that he stays the prime minister of Australia for a good long time,” she told ABC radio.

“What I wouldn’t want people to take from this is the idea that a career is politics is incompatible with family life.”

Ms Plibersek, who has three children, would have been deputy prime minister if Mr Shorten had won the last election. She stood aside as Labor deputy leader for Victorian MP Richard Marles after the loss.

As Labor prepares for a formal review, she would not point to any particular policies which contributed to the shock defeat.

“The last thing that Australians want from Labor is navel gazing about the campaign,” she told ABC radio.

“We have to take a sober, methodical look at it and not jump at any one of the dozen answers that have been offered to me.

“I don’t think $60m or $80m, however much (mining magnate) Clive Palmer spent had no impact … but I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole.”