Labor whip Joel Fitzgibbon has questions to answer on Rudd leadership, says Combet

GREG Combet says Joel Fitzgibbon has questions to answer following reports the Labor whip has been openly campaigning for a return to Kevin Rudd.

Gillard

SENIOR Labor Minister Greg Combet says chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon has questions to answer following reports he has been openly campaigning for a return to Kevin Rudd.

Speaking this morning Mr Combet said he had spent all Friday with Mr Fitzgibbon and the question of a potential leadership change had not been raised.

"He's obviously not trying to recruit me," Mr Combet told the ABC's Insiders program.

"I think there are probably a few questions that might be directed to Joel and the nature of politics but I am a strong supporter of the Prime Minister and I think the government is doing a good job."

Mr Fitzgibbon this morning took to Twitter over the story, and failed to rule out reports he had begun gathering support for a future Rudd leadership tilt.

“I thank my colleagues for the publicity but no one does more to support the PM and the government than me,” he wrote.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said there was "no evidence" to suggest that Julia Gillard was not best placed to lead the Labor party.

Senator Carr also dismissed any speculation that he would be willing to take up the role of prime minister if asked.

"No I wouldn't," Senator Carr told Network Ten.

"Julia Gillard is the leader and she will remain as leader."

Rudd supporters have remained silent so far, but some who voted for Ms Gillard in the February leadership count are openly contemplating a switch to Mr Rudd.

Mr Combet said he considered it "unethical" for MPs to background journalists against their Labor colleagues or the party after it was reported today that Mr Fitzgibbon had been telling nervous MPs that the party should return Kevin Rudd to the leadership.

"I just don't like criticisms of my Labor colleagues publicly or privately," he said.

"I personally don't go around backgrounding journalists against my colleagues or the Labor party. I consider it to be unethical."

But Mr Combet said it was up to Ms Gillard to decide whether to take action against Mr Fitzgibbon.

"That's for the boss to determine," he said.

News Limited Sunday papers today reported that Mr Fitzgibbon last week told his colleagues that the hung parliament was "killing" the government. Mr Fitzgibbon has previously been a staunch Gillard supporter, but has reportedly switched camps and is now pushing for a return to Mr Rudd.

MPs said Mr Fitzgibbon, a former defence minister, told them: "We need to make the switch. This chaos is killing us."

He reportedly told his colleagues a return to Kevin Rudd, just three months after the former PM failed in a leadership tilt, would not necessarily lead to a snap election with the key independents reluctant to go to the polls.

Greens Leader Christine Milne said this morning if a leadership challenge did occur her party would maintain its support for Labor.

Speaking on Sky News's Australian Agenda program Senator Milne said she had a "good working relationship" with Ms Gillard and believed she would remain as Labor leader through to the next election.

But Senator Milne said if the Prime Minister was replaced, her party would continue its power-sharing deal with Labor.

"If Labor changes the leader we will continue to work with the Labor party," Senator Milne said.

"The greens have committed to stability. We've done that and we've been a force of stability."

Kevin Rudd resigned his post as Foreign Minister and moved to the backbench in February after he failed in a tilt to take back the Labor leadership.