Rudd Gets Flak for Sparking Labor Leadership Rift

Speculations of a likely challenge coming from Rudd heightened over the weekend as a YouTube video of him emerged, revealing a side of him rarely seen by most Australians.

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Backers of Gillard, however, declared that what was seen was the true Rudd.

Such attitude, they added, were part of the reasons he was ousted as prime minister in 2010, an event that catapulted Gillard to the top post.

But Rudd has insisted that he is a changed man and wondered aloud, while on his out of the country for official functions abroad, why the short clip came out at a time that the poll numbers were favouring his return as prime minister.

His supporters suggested that the video could be accessed only by highly placed people in the government, indirectly pointing to Gillard's quarters as responsible for leaking the film, which should have been destroyed to begin with.

Yet Gillard is adamant that she nothing to do with the video and lamented that all the leadership speculations were distracting the government.

Meanwhile, senior Labor leaders have started expressing their support for Gillard, bolstering talk that the ALP will be dealing with the question soon, presumably when Rudd returns from his overseas trips.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten agreed with Gillard that Rudd's impending return serves as a distraction for the Labor-led government though he acknowledged that the former prime minister was doing great at his current post in the Foreign Ministry.

However, Shorten said his vote would go for Gillard, adding that she enjoys "the very clear majority of Government MPs."

"For the same reasons I supported her in June 2010 and now, she is the best person for the job ... she is the person who is strong. She's getting on with business," Shorten told ABC.