First family's sacrifice, struggle and strife

Australia has woken up to a new dawn with Kevin Rudd as PM.

THERESE Rein was 38,000 feet above the Indian Ocean on Wednesday morning when all hell broke loose in Canberra.

Australia's First Lady - for the second time - was monitoring Twitter on her mobile phone, thanks to the aircraft's onboard wi-fi.

First came the news of a petition doing the rounds of parliament, then Julia Gillard's announcement of a ballot for the leadership. She drew a breath, knowing that, within hours, her family's life could change dramatically. Again.

"When she called it, I was in the air," Therese Rein told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

"I was in the air watching it on Twitter. I left London on Tuesday night. I had wi-fi on the plane. Thank goodness for that - otherwise I would have been in a cone of silence.

"I was over the Indian Ocean watching it all.

"It was surreal."

Ms Rein then admitted she found out her husband was once again the Prime Minister via a tweet showing the ballot result - 57-45 - first revealed by The Daily Telegraph.

Jessica Rudd, Kevin Rudd, grand-daughter Josephine and Therese Rein at Parliament House CAnberra. Picture: Craig Greenhill

She tried to call him using the plane's airphone. It kept dropping out.

"I think I spoke to him for all of 12 seconds," she said.

"Then I'm watching the former prime minister's press conference, then Kevin's and Albo's press conference, all on Twitter. Then finally I felt I should go to sleep."

When she landed in Sydney, half an hour late, Qantas staff rushed her to a waiting domestic flight to Canberra.

"By the time I landed here it was 8.15am," she said.

"I went to the hotel to change clothes, got into the car. I still hadn't seen Kevin and I raced to Government House.

"It was amazing. I just wanted to give him a big hug and say 'Well done'."

Three years ago, then-outgoing prime minister Kevin Rudd was supported by his wife Therese Rein, son Marcus and daughter Jessica. Picture: AFP

Team Rudd had a sense that he would always be returned to The Lodge one day.

Privately Mr Rudd has admitted he always believed he would serve as the country's leader again.

But it is not something he or his family would admit to.

Mr Rudd, who is using the office of his new deputy Anthony Albanese as a temporary headquarters, said he bore no ill-will towards Ms Gillard for the events of June, 2010, or those of his colleagues who so savagely attacked him.

Is he a changed man for the experience?

"I think so. My values haven't changed but I think I discovered I was a really resilient person. That is a new strength," he said.

But a better person?

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd holding his grand daughter Josephine. Picture: Craig Greenhill

"That's for others to judge," he said.

"I learnt that it's much better to forgive than to become bitter and twisted.

"I'd simply say sometimes in national political life, we all say some pretty sharp things.

"The important thing is not to allow that sort of stuff to permanently destroy personal and professional relationships.

"You have a few brawls with people but, when you reflect, you realise the friendships and collegiality are more important."

He admits he may have tested his wife's patience, claiming she had come within a hair's breath of telling him to give up the dream: "That's when I knew it was time to go and cower in a corner."

But he firmly believes that he, above others, can reform the Labor Party.

Jessica Rudd holding her daughter Josephine. Picture: Craig Greenhill 

"Labor needs to democratise," he said.

"I believe, because I was elected in 2006 without any factional support and having been re-elected as leader with a large cross-section of support, I can speak with some experience that it is something that I have to do, to bring about a program of Labor Party reform.

"We have nothing to fear from throwing the doors of this party wide open."

So what would his wife say to Ms Gillard if she had the chance?

"Thank you for your service. It's such a big gig, it's such a big job," Ms Rein said.

"Bitterness and anger and resentment are exhausting. It exhausts people, life is short."

Daughter Jessica was sitting with her mother and 12-month daughter Josephine in an adjoining ministerial office while the madness of forming a national government buzzed around outside.

Across the corridor, in Wayne Swan's office, staff were hurling documents into a giant blue waste bin.

Jessica Rudd would not reveal whether she would join her father's campaign team, to counter Tony Abbott's three daughters.

"I don't know. It's just happened, I have no idea. I live in Beijing with a baby. Balancing all of that? Who knows. I'd love to," she said.

She was staunchly defensive of her father. But she was equally outraged by some of the treatment delivered to Ms Gillard by others.

"I think that the most recent example, which I don't want to draw any more publicity to, but you know what I'm talking about, was foul, it makes me feel sick that she had to go through that," she said.

"It is not OK. People in public life are human beings."

Speaking guardedly about his emotional rollercoaster over the past three years, Mr Rudd appears to have found a little more grace than he was remembered for during his first term - the first thing he did when he was declared the victor on Wednesday was to go up to Julia Gillard.

"I spoke to her very briefly in the caucus room and went up and shook her hand and said thank you," he said.

Jessica said she never told her father what to do but says she watched him over the past three years question his purpose in life.

"We are a family, we are not his advisors, but we certainly want the best for him.

"These are all hard decisions, they are not ones you take lightly.

"What he says to us, what mum says to us, is that in our careers we should find something you love doing and do it very well and do something in service of something bigger then yourselves

"And that is what he is doing

"He has grappled with that over the past three years, asking who am, what am I doing?

"I think, I can imagine all sorts of things for Dad, but for Dad this is what makes him tick. This is what excites him. It's about people."

Therese said the past three years had been hard to bear at times.

And she said the events since her husband had been removed by the faceless men had chipped away at people's respect for the office he now holds again.

"The person in the office of Prime Minister deserves dignity and respect boundaries have been trashed.

"It doesn't add to the discourse of the nation, and the things that are important."

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