Anthony Albanese a Kevin Rudd man - always

ANTHONY Albanese, Labor leadership contender, was a Rudd man as far back as 2005. Yet he survived without the stain of betrayal.

ALP Caucus meeting

AS Labor MPs headed to their electorates for the summer break at the end of last year, Kevin Rudd travelled to Melbourne to meet Simon Crean.

Rudd's burning ambition to reclaim the prime ministership was moving into full campaign mode. He thought Julia Gillard was vulnerable. The polls showed Labor was headed for electoral annihilation. Rudd wanted to be drafted into the leadership.

"You've got to show you're different," Crean told him. "You've got to demonstrate a different leadership style. You've got to be a new Kevin."

Crean was eyeing the deputy leadership in a Rudd restoration. He saw a Rudd-Crean duo as proof that Rudd had changed. But Rudd already had his deputy sorted. He wanted Leader of the House Anthony Albanese. Albanese didn't need persuading. By late last year, he was already talking to Rudd's chief lieutenants - known as "the cardinals" - about a leadership change. He told Rudd he would serve as his deputy. "Albo" had already defected. He was a Rudd man in Gillard's inner-circle. And he had been a Rudd man for a long time. As early as 2005, when Rudd was preparing to strike at Kim Beazley's leadership, Rudd told Albanese he wanted him to serve as his deputy. But Rudd needed Gillard's numbers to topple Beazley. Albanese had to wait.

Albanese opposed Gillard's coup against Rudd in 2010. When Rudd challenged in February last year, Albanese told Gillard that he would vote for Rudd. But Gillard crushed Rudd, 71 votes to 31.

Rudd and Crean met again at the start of this year. Crean still wanted to be his deputy.

"We've lost the Hawke-Keating legacy," Crean said. "We've lost that commitment of a constructive role of the trade union movement, our difficulties have been because you've got new leaders who haven't got experience. In many ways, I tick all those boxes."

Rudd was unmoved. He was locked into Albanese. "Well, I'm already committed to Albo," came the reply.

Crean tried to change his mind. "I just want you to rethink that, Kevin," he said. "Because you've got to ask yourself, what's in the best interests of the party? Not what you prefer. But what's in the best interests of the party? This is going to be the real test."

Crean had more discussions with Rudd over this period. He also talked to the cardinals about the deputy leadership.

Chris Bowen and Joel Fitzgibbon went to Rudd in February seeking his support to put a proposition to Crean. If Crean could deliver support for Rudd, they would facilitate a ballot for deputy and swing the support of the Right behind him. Rudd agreed, but would personally vote for Albanese.

Bowen and Fitzgibbon also discussed the deputy leadership with Albanese. He said he was available to serve with Rudd if the position became vacant. Albanese would not challenge Wayne Swan for the position.

The cardinals, however, were considering other candidates for deputy leader. Bowen was on the list. Greg Combet and Tanya Plibersek were also considered. In the end, Bowen wasn't interested and Plibersek remained firmly in the Gillard camp. Combet talked to Rudd about becoming treasurer but nothing was agreed.

"It was always understood that Kevin wanted Albo to be his deputy," says one Rudd supporter. "That commitment, made well before this year, was sealed in concrete."

Among Gillard's inner circle - Swan, Stephen Smith, Craig Emerson and Stephen Conroy - Albanese was invaluable as Leader of the House. His commitment to the survival of the minority government was unquestioned. But as Albanese was also a Rudd man, he was excluded from discussions about how to deal with him.

In the last week before parliament broke for Easter, Crean went to Gillard to voice his concern at the direction of the government. When they talked on March 20, Gillard confronted Crean about rumours he was working with the Rudd camp.

"The story going around is that you're standing on a ticket with Rudd," Gillard said to Crean.

"You've got this all wrong, Julia," Crean replied. "I am prepared to put my name forward for deputy leader, but not on a ticket with Rudd. If you want to know who's on the ticket, it's Albo, and what are you doing about him? It's all very well for you to have this view about me, but I've been honest with you, but what are you going to do about Albo."

"Nothing," was Gillard's reply.

On March 21, Crean called for a leadership ballot, backed Rudd and said he would stand for deputy. After Crean refused to resign, Gillard moved swiftly to have him sacked from the ministry.

The putsch failed when Rudd refused to stand. The cardinals say Crean did not deliver the numbers he promised. Gillard survived. Rudd regrouped. Crean was the biggest casualty.

"It's pretty amazing that Albo got off scot-free," says a key Rudd backer. "He was up to his neck in it all, as much as Bowen and Fitzgibbon were. So was Mark Butler, who was firmly in our camp by then too. But Gillard was too scared to lose Albo."

Albanese, however, did not publicly call for Gillard to stand aside for Rudd, or for a leadership ballot to be held, or say he would run for deputy.

When the second leadership putsch took place on June 26, Crean believed he had the same understanding with the cardinals that the right would support him for deputy leader. He was mistaken. After Rudd defeated Gillard 57-45 for leader, the caucus voted for deputy leader. Swan resigned and did not recontest. Albanese stood. So did Crean. Albanese won 61-38.

Crean says he was betrayed. He believes the commitment from the cardinals to support him should have stuck through to the second leadership showdown.

The cardinals disagree. "I have the highest regard for Simon," Fitzgibbon said. "And I've never welshed on an agreement in my life."

"My understanding is very different," Bowen says. "The first I knew Simon was going to run for deputy in June was at the caucus meeting. He never revisited our earlier discussions in March, not even on the day of the leadership change, when we met face to face."

And Albanese? "As a former leader, Simon's contribution to the labour movement - political and industrial - should be respected," he says.

Within days of the leadership change, Crean announced his resignation from parliament.