Perth Now
Rudd win could mean early election
Thu February 23, 2012 12:40pm
VOTERS could be heading to the polls for an early election if Kevin Rudd becomes prime minister again with the independent MPs warning they would have to reconsider their deal with Labor.
ony Windsor - whose support, along with Rob Oakeshott's, delivered power to Labor - last night insisted "all bets are off" if Julia Gillard was ousted in a leadership contest, the Herald Sun reported.
"If there is a change, there is no agreement. If there is a change, there can't be an assumption that the current arrangements will hold," the NSW cross-bench MP said.
He warned a change in leadership was only likely to help Tony Abbott and the Coalition - who remain favourites to win the next election whenever it is held.
"I'm not going to place myself in the middle of some sort of ... game that's going on and expect to just keep endorsing people whoever the revolving door produces," Mr Windsor said.
"I did a deal with the current Prime Minister."
Mr Windsor said he wasn't sure Mr Rudd had the right temperament to lead a minority government.
"A hung Parliament is a fairly tenuous beast," he said.
Rudd holed up in luxury
Meanwhile Mr Rudd remains holed up in Washington's most opulent hotel address, The Willard, catching some sleep between receiving visits from US Ambassador, Kim Beazley, and his main advisor on foreign affairs, Philip Green.
Mr Rudd's staff is refusing to take calls from the media gathered in the foyer, but it is expected he will make an exit within a matter of hours to catch a flight home to Brisbane.
Mr Beazley entered The Willard at around 8.30am, US time, and spent an hour and a half with Mr Rudd. He emerged saying little about the meeting.