Kevin Rudd won't take the leadership unless it is handed to him, but the Gillard camp says it has the numbers.
You've gotta want me (Oz): KEVIN Rudd has flatly ruled out a challenge to Julia Gillard's leadership, insisting he will consider a move only if a broad cross-factional delegation asks the Prime Minister to resign.
What have we here? (Daily Tele): CRITICAL internal Labor polling - taken on the eve of Kevin Rudd's political assassination - revealed a rebound in popularity for the PM and suggested Labor could still have won an election in 2010 under his leadership.
All sizzle (AFR): Julia Gillard's supporters hit the phones to rally support from Labor MPs as the government's media package hung in the balance and Kevin Rudd's backers worked to trigger a leadership contest as early as Thursday.
Looking safe (The West Oz): Julia Gillard is being assured she has the numbers to resist any push from Kevin Rudd but the likely failure of the more contentious media bills looms as another pressure point for the Prime Minister.
But anything could happen (SMH): Kevin Rudd's supporters were last night considering a high-stakes tilt at the Labor leadership, with supporters on both sides seeking to lock in crucial votes before the final sitting day of Parliament.
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Front row seats: Parliament was full of onlookers yesterday for the show that never started. Twiggy Forrest was here with adviser (and former Rudd press sec) Ranya Alkadamani and Warren Mundine. Qantas' Alan Joyce and Olivia Wirth were prowling the corridors, and there was a slew of gas and superannuation people trying to lobby preoccupied MPs. Their presence just fuelled the rumour mill, with talk of an alleged 4pm caucus meeting continuing to spread long after it had been refuted.
Raconteur: One person who wasn't here, despite rumours to the contrary, was Rudd confidant and children's book co-author Rhys Muldoon. If he turns up today, things could get interesting.
History: Amid the latest struggle over the Labor leadership, a small but significant anniversary has arrived. Today it is 50 years since the original was taken at 2am outside Canberra's Kingston Hotel. Commissioned by The Daily Telegraph's Alan Reid, the 1963 picture showed then-Labor leader Arthur Calwell and his deputy Gough Whitlam waiting outside under a streetlight as "36 faceless men" met to determine a key item of ALP policy. The Liberal Party later produced a leaflet headed: "Mr Calwell and the Faceless Men", that was credited with helping Menzies win that year's election with an increased majority.
Attack ads: Today's Liberal adverts are also pretty compelling. The party yesterday released an updated version of its "Kevin-o-Lemon" ad, featuring Julia Gillard in her new glasses. "The faceless men are at it again, and it looks like Kevin-o-Lemon is coming back," it says.
Wedding bells: Spare a thought for Gillard press secretary Laura Anderson, who is getting married this weekend to former Swan chief-of-staff Jim Chalmers. She's looking pretty calm, all things considered.
'Mister Government': We loved this classic line from Bob Katter yesterday. "What we are saying is, 'If you are fair dinkum, Mr Government, about stopping concentration of power, and you weren't just using it for some instrument to bash up the media for your own political purposes, for vindictiveness, you would naturally go for these proposals."
Good times: Ten's Paul Bongiorno celebrated 25 years in the Press Gallery last night. Julia Gillard couldn't make it to the festivities but invited Bonge and his wife to her office for a glass of champagne. The PM marked the occasion by posting her first "selfie" on Twitter, with Bonge in the frame.
Shemozzle: There were farcical scenes in the Senate last night when Labor sought to guillotine its media bills but forgot to insert the required lines into the motion to give themselves a dinner break. Realising the error, they tried to amend the motion, but Coalition MPs apparently weren't hungry. Eric Abetz spoke at length about the government's contempt for the chamber, running down the clock so the dinner break was reduced to just three minutes. Labor Senator Gavin Marshall's stomach was rumbling as Abetz made his point. "I want you to sit down so I can go and have dinner," Marshall said.
Tipsters: This is a press gallery community service announcement from AFL tipping comp administrator Andrew Tillett. "Fellow reptiles of the press, there is one enduring tradition of the press gallery and that is the AFL tipping competition. So in between fighting off threats to free speech and trying to work out if the Lodge will get new occupants, surely you can spare five minutes to sign up for another season. Go here to join the comp. There is a $50 a week cash jackpot for tipping the round, plus a nice pot of money for the top tipsters at the end of the home and away season. (You've got a few weeks to pay, so don't let that be an excuse). Entry fee for press gallery members is $50. It's a chance to match your footy knowledge against your peers, staffers and spinners as well pollies like the PM and Tony Abbott, whose desperation to win votes in Western Sydney will see them tip the Giants every week. First game of the season is on Friday, so don't wait!! For entry details, contact
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Today: Julia Gillard is in Canberra for parliament. She will deliver a national apology to Australians subjected to forced adoptions about 11am.
Tony Abbott is in Canberra for parliament. he will follow the prime Minister in making a statement in parliament on forced adoptions.
The House of Representatives sits from 9am.
The Senate sits from 9.30am.
The forced adoption apology motion will be introduced in the House and Senate at 12.30.
Question time commences in both houses at 2pm.
Senator John Williams, Senator Claire Moore, Senator Lee Rhiannon, Senator Doug Cameron and the Australian Red Cross will hold a 9.40am press conference with Mohammad Sadeghpour from Iran4Democracy about Iranians inside Camp Liberty.
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Credibility blow: JULIA Gillard is heading for a bruising defeat on media policy after stepping in to rescue Labor's controversial reforms but failing to win over the key independents.
Reforms gone: The Daily Telegraph reports draconian media regulations proposed by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy were last night on the brink of collapse as Julia Gillard scrambled in a bid to salvage a new compromise deal with key independents.
Finger pointing: RECRIMINATIONS have begun within the Nationals over the botched recruitment of NSW independent MP Richard Torbay, which has ended in scandal after the party referred him to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Obeid web: The SMH reports dumped Nationals' candidate Richard Torbay has family and political links to the former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid and an extensive property portfolio, some of which does not appear on his pecuniary interest declarations to the NSW Parliament.
Friends: The AFR reports the night before Eddie Obeid helped topple NSW Premier Nathan Rees in December 2009, the Labor powerbroker had a catch-up scheduled with one of his unofficial allies, Richard Torbay.
Maroon pitch: LNP president Bruce McIver has intervened in a bid to stop senator Barnaby Joyce from running for a lower house seat in NSW.
Angry bureaucrats: The Canberra Times reports the public service union will convene a "council of war" in Canberra on Thursday to plan a high-profile election year campaign against Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's vow to cut public sector jobs.
My baby: COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy has batted away suggestions he has been shelved from negotiations to salvage the media reform package.
No perp: WHEN investigating a political murder it's standard practice to look for motive, means and opportunity. It also helps if you have a body that agrees to lie down and a suspect that agrees to stand up.
Compliance blow: AUSTRALIA'S biggest companies have warned that a key plank of Labor's plans to prop up the May budget pose a risk to the operating environment for business, could punch a hole in the capital available for crucial investments and burden companies with more red tape.
Probe: INVESTIGATORS with the new Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission are probing numerous alleged breaches, including serious fraud and misleading behaviour, in a historic clean-out of non-compliant charities.
Sorry: JULIA Gillard will today issue a national apology to mothers and children who suffered from forced adoption practices.
Shoppies push: THE nation's largest union will seek 10 per cent pay rises today for young adult retail workers.
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Dennis Shanahan writes: JULIA Gillard's strength is gone; she can no longer negotiate successfully with independent and Greens MPs to implement her government's policy and program.
Simon Benson writes: Kevin Rudd has told his numbers men to come back to him when they have something with a six in front of it.
Dennis Atkins writes: YESTERDAY was the sixth consecutive parliamentary sitting day when no one did anything about the Labor leadership. Today looks like being the seventh.
Niki Savva writes: The situation is both untenable and in many respects insoluble.
Brendan O'Neill writes: THE campaign against the press is an elitist underestimation of readers everywhere.
David Uren writes: TAKING from the rich to increase payments to the poor is not as smart as it seems.
Laura Tingle writes: What happens next largely depends on MPs contemplating what awaits them in the next few months.
Geoff Kitney writes: Swan has been privately haranguing those who have talked of looming defeat for Gillard, demanding loyalty for a leader he publicly described on Wednesday as being "as tough as they come".
Paul Sheehan writes: Barnaby Joyce would have to overcome the impression of a Queensland carpetbagger who had been parachuted into the seat.
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