Standing in the members’ hall of Parliament House,Rudd described democracy as a “delicate flower” that must be carefully nurtured because raw politics “can devour all in its way unless we are careful”.
Rudd,who previouslycampaigned for a royal commission into the power of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp,said it was vital that voters were “drawing on a free flow of unbiased information,with facts separated from opinion,and where people can distil their own judgments about which course they want for the country’s future”.
“Nurturing all of that actively,not passively,is what we now must do because the democratic project around the world is under threat,it’s under challenge,” he said.
“And our global democratic project in so many countries is in regress,not progress.”
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After saying it was not his place to “wade into the politics” of the Voice to parliament referendum,Rudd said:“Fears were raised 15 years ago about why we should not do this thing called the apology. Other fears are being raised today. I would simply ask Australians to reflect on the fundamentals about whether those fears are well-founded or not.”
Rudd said doubters had warned the apology would “unleash this torrent of litigation from Indigenous communities across the country,that it would,in fact,set the process of reconciliation backwards,not forwards”.
“We proved them wrong,” he said.
Albanese made a similar point in his speech,noting that the apology had been the subject of intense debate before Rudd delivered his historic address.
“It was said that it would result in division,that it would result in reparations,that it would be a moment of division,” he said.
“Instead,what it was,was a moment of national unity.”
Rudd with his wife Thérèse Rein during the unveiling of his official portrait.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Describing Rudd as a close friend and confidant,Albanese said:“I say to Kevin,we are grateful for all of your service to Australia,we are grateful that your service continues and you can be proud that everyone who visits this building,including future generations,will be able to look at this portrait and your place in our nation’s history.”
Rudd said he had delayed posing for his official portrait for so long that the directors of the parliamentary art collection became exasperated and threatened to commission a “knock-up” portrait based on a photograph.
I don’t know much about art,but I know what I like!Credit:Illustration by Matt Golding
“And if you’ve seen my official photograph,that’s not something of which you’d be proud,” he said. “And so vanity ultimately prevailed and I decided to yield to having an official portrait done.”
Rudd is the 28th prime minister to have an official portrait painted,with Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard being the most recent former leaders to have their likenesses displayed in Parliament House.
Heimans said the portrait process began in 2019,before being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said,after much deliberation,he decided to portray Rudd as “a man who was in the process of still developing his legacy”.
“He’s continuously at work;I wanted it to be like you interrupted him at home,” Heimans said.
“There are many layers[to the portrait],as there are of Kevin.”
Adding that every detail in the painting was chosen for a reason,he said:“The secret to a great portrait is a sense of mystery.”
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