The Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd

Since appearing on Rove last year on the eve of the election, Kevin Rudd has been sworn in as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia.

Born in the country town of Nambour in Queensland in 1957, he joined the Australian Labor Party when he was 15.

After gaining his Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) degree with First Class Honours, Mr Rudd was appointed to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and served in the Australian embassy in Stockholm and later in Beijing.

Elected to the Parliament of Australia in 1998, he was immediately elected Chair of the Parliamentary Labor Party’s Committee on National Security and Trade, and served on a variety of parliamentary committees and taskforces. Following the 2001 election, Mr Rudd was appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, subsequently adding responsibilities for International Security in 2003 and Trade in 2005. On 4th December 2006 Mr Rudd was elected as the 19th leader of the ALP.

Fluent in Mandarin, Mr Rudd has written extensively on Chinese politics, Chinese foreign policy, Australia-Asia relations and globalisation.

Mr Rudd and his wife Therese married in 1981 and have three children.