I'm the boss, says Gillard

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has indicated the man she deposed, Kevin Rudd, will not
run the show as foreign minister, declaring "ultimately, I'm the leader".
Mr Rudd is likely to be a hands-on foreign minister and may try to establish a power
base from his new portfolio.
But Ms Gillard on Sunday emphasised the role that cabinet - and herself - would play
in drafting foreign policy.
"Obviously it will be run by the government as a team," she told ABC TV.
"There will be involvement by the cabinet. Ultimately of course I'm the leader."
Mr Rudd was appointed foreign minister in a ministerial reshuffle on Saturday. The
new team is likely to be sworn in on Tuesday.
The man the former prime minister replaced, Stephen Smith, said on Saturday there
should never be a "crack of light" between the leader and foreign minister.
Ms Gillard promised she and Mr Rudd "obviously will be working together in the
interests of the nation".
The prime minister also confirmed Mr Rudd would play a lead role in pushing for an
offshore regional centre for asylum seekers, which is not an approach he supported
as leader.
The night before he was deposed, Mr Rudd warned of a lurch to the right on asylum
seekers. Ms Gillard went on to propose asylum seekers be sent to East Timor.
On Sunday she said Mr Rudd and new immigration minister Chris Bowen would drive that
proposal.
"Look, I think Kevin Rudd, like me, understands that it is not in the interests of
asylum seekers to risk their lives at sea and get on a boat".
Ms Gillard appeared keen to emphasise her authority to all Labor MPs, not just Mr Rudd.
She said she would ask ministers to speak about their own portfolios and not stray
into other subjects, and would expect MPs not to raise issues publicly.
"Have your say in the room, not outside it," she counselled.
But there was good news for the wider cabinet: Ms Gillard said there would not be a
'gang of four', the Rudd-era grouping of four ministers which made some key
decisions.
Ms Gillard defended her ministerial reshuffle against accusations she had rewarded
the factional leaders who elevated her to the top job. Bill Shorten, Mark Arbib, Don
Farrell and David Feeney did well out of the reshuffle.
"I know focus has gone on Bill Shorten and Mark Arbib. Both of them deserve the jobs
they have," she said.
Opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said it was strange that Mr Rudd had been
executed because he was a "control freak" but now Ms Gillard was following suit.
"She's telling people that she'll be collaring her ministers ... and she'll keep
them under control," Mr Pyne told AAP.
He asked why Mr Rudd was given the task of implementing the East Timor solution, a
policy he had begged his party not to pursue.
"What that means of course is that Labor will never implement a regional processing
centre," he said.
Mr Pyne was also concerned that Ms Gillard has no education minister. Three
ministers are responsible for different areas within education.
"Nobody is really in charge," he said.
Meanwhile, government frontbencher Anthony Albanese is preparing people for Labor
failing to get some bills through the lower house. Labor needs to win over four
cross-bench MPs to pass any bill.
"When a vote is lost on the floor of the House of Representatives for the first time
there will be a bit of excitement but it's going to happen," Mr Albanese told
Network Ten.
However, he said that would not be a crisis and people needed to "take a bit of a
chill pill".



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