Pointed finger at Bob Carr: Kim Carr. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The government has entered a new crisis, with four ministers quitting over their roles in the botched move against the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
Senior ministers Martin Ferguson and Chris Bowen headed to the backbench but not before warning Labor was on track to an election wipeout and must abandon the politics of ''class war'' if it is to survive.
Ms Gillard will spend the weekend working out a plan to rebuild her ministry after Human Services Minister Kim Carr, followed Tertiary Education Minister Mr Bowen and Resources and Energy Minister Mr Ferguson in announcing his resignation on Friday.
Govern for all Australians: Chris Bowen. Photo: Andrew Meares
They will join former Labor leader Simon Crean, the man who incited the move against Ms Gillard, on what will be an extremely experienced government backbench.
Resignations numbered eight by Friday night. Three parliamentary whips, Joel Fitzgibbon, Ed Husic and Janelle Saffin have quit. Richard Marles, the parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs resigned after calling on colleagues to rally behind Mr Rudd in the frantic hours before the averted ballot was due to take place.
Anthony Albanese, the Leader of the House, appears to have clung to his spot in cabinet despite being part of the Rudd inner-circle and present in his office when the spill motion was on.
Warns of looming rout: Martin Ferguson. Photo: Andrew Meares
Foreign Minister Bob Carr was fighting to save his position in cabinet, having been identified as one of the Rudd plotters. Speaking in Washington, DC, senator Carr said the averted spill had ''reaffirmed and renewed'' Ms Gillard's leadership. ''The Prime Minister has reaffirmed her leadership and I am looking forward to travelling with her to China in April,'' he said.
In Canberra, Kim Carr indicated strongly that Senator Carr was in the Rudd camp, saying: ''He made his position clear.''
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said if Ms Gillard had a ''shred of authority'' she would sack Senator Carr.
Mr Ferguson and Mr Bowen - who is tipped by some as a future Labor Prime Minister - said it was in the interests of the government and the ''honourable thing'' to quit cabinet.
Mr Ferguson, who entered Parliament in 1996, warned the looming rout at the ballot box in September could be similar to 1996 when John Howard's coalition reduced Labor to a rump of 49 MPs.
Acknowledged as one of just a few Labor ministers to retain the trust of business, he took a thinly veiled swipe at Treasurer Wayne Swan, saying the Labor Party must ''reclaim the mantle of the Hawke and Keating governments, govern for all Australians''.
''The class war rhetoric that started the mining dispute of 2010 must cease. It is doing the Labor Party no good and we must reclaim the legacy of Hawke and Keating,'' he said.
Mr Swan has repeatedly taken aim at the mining billionaires Gina Rinehart, Andrew Forrest and Clive Palmer.
Mr Bowen said a strong Labor Party was vital to the future of Australia.
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