As the sun sank slowly into the parched red dust of Western Australia, little could it know it would rise on a radically changed nation.

After March 2 1996, few expected John Winston Howard to last for longer than a couple of years.  Here was a man with the stench of defeat and an automatic distaste for and from our vital Asian neighbours.

But somehow he survived – thanks in no small part to resource booms and the occasional illegal immigration.

After more than eleven years in power, however, the people have voiced their dissatisfaction and the rabbits have stopped flowing.

Kevin Rudd has arrived.

“Today Australia has looked to the future,” came Rudd’s first words to an expectant nation.

“Tomorrow, and I say this to the team, we roll up our sleeves.  We’re ready for hard work.  We’re ready for the long haul,” he said, beaming down from his pedestal to a tired crowd.

“It’s time friends for us to together as nation, to bind together to write this new page in our great nation’s history.  I thank the nation,” as he ended on that powerful note, the high-vault roof of the Suncorp Stadium function room came to the verge of collapse.

Attendance:

The throng in attendance on Saturday night were an interesting selection of party faithful.  From hot young things in ‘Kevin ‘07’ t-shirts, to older unionists – in ‘Kevin ‘07’ t-shirts, the people had come from far and wide to see and be seen at a key moment in history.

The journalists had flown in from WA and Sydney, some had even been welcomed from the People’s Republic of China – friendly people who were very surprised when told they couldn’t take images from websites for free.

A group of politicians from Indonesia sauntered through the crowd, trying in vain to hold a place near the stage – an impossible task once photographers get their signals and begin the elbow action that pays their wages.

One such politician was happy to confirm what Paul Keating had said all along.  John Howard was not a friend of Asia or Indonesia and Labor under Rudd was going to reach new peaks in international relations.

As babies were hoisted above trade-unionists and the red balloons swayed left to right, ‘4X’ beer flowed forth from the bar like golden nectar, fuelling the people’s joviality.  There was to be no “Don’s Party” here.

Kerry O’Brien gritted his teeth against a hidden smirk.  Media advisors who’d been stony all week were grinning from ear to ear, putting Cheshire cats and watermelon-quarters to shame.  The tide was strong and the smell was glorious – sweat from the brows of journalists and steam from the salty battered squid.

The sweet taste of inevitability danced from palate to palate as seat after domino seat dropped to the tune of ‘Kevin Oh Seven, Kevin Oh Seven!”

When it finally happened and Rudd walked out, now Prime Minister of Australia instead of the opposition leader, there was no holding back the screams, the tears and the woops of Suncorp.

They’d worked hard and toiled in booths, listened on about “Working Families” till their eats bled and ignored the jibes of, “We’re coming back!” being repeatedly blared by a foolish Coalition over the airwaves.

For one long year after another and despite constant disappointment, ups and downs, they’d stuck to their man and stored the knife in the cupboards instead of Rudd’s back.

And as he stood on the stage, “New Leadership” plastered behind him, a solid wall realisation hit home.  They’d done it.  They’d won.

Analysis:

Photo: Ed Giles

If you took politicians at their word sourced from brief media appearances, you could be forgiven for having hope in a new era of honest politics that was inclusive of all Australians.

But I’m a man of scepticism and evidence – and the latter is a rare commodity in the halls of Parliament House.

Kevin Rudd last night made a big show of togetherness in his acceptance speech.

“I say tonight to the nation; I will never take their sacred trust for granted,” he said as the building shook and rumbled.  “I say to each and every one of them (Labor voters), that I will be a prime minister for all Australians,” he said.

Unfortunately for me, however, I’ve travelled with his press pack for just over a week now.  In that briefest of time I’ve asked five questions with all but one being answered with little more than a policy quote.

And infuriating as it is to have a leader of the nation stand before you and offer no facts on crucial issues, the point that leaves a cold stone in my stomach is his ability to change at will.

Long have we existed in a modern society – one filled with digital news and constant surveillance.  The modern PM should be chameleonic, with flawless interpersonal skills and a morphing rapport with those around him.

And yet since Federation in 1901 we’ve never had such a man.  Until now.

Where John Howard had honed politics to an art form and infuriated many, Kevin Rudd is a master of “The Game”.  From jovial drinks with the boys in the Press Gallery on Sunday, to blocking questions and refusing access on Monday – he can then step lively down the road and chat with foreign dignitaries in Mandarin on a Tuesday.

Like a human statue or a naked pink mannequin, there’s something missing from that oh-so-smooth and all-too-perfect exterior.  Everything is scripted and nothing is left to chance.

Every step, every glance and every wink is a calculated move to gain, garner and enhance.

At this stage having already elected the Ruddinator, very little is known about the inner-Kevin.  When he says he wants the people with the greatest skills available, we shouldn’t mistrust him completely – most believe that he will truly attempt to form a cabinet based on merit.

But does an autocratic government run by a machine of a man truly stand a chance in a democratic Australia?  He claims to want increased accountability in government, yet he continuously refused to be interviewed by the toughies.  Hosts like Barry Cassidy from the hard-hitting ABC show Insiders have found Rudd impossible to nab.

Cassidy, a man who refuses to take non-answers from his guests, hoped that journos would ‘declare war’ on Mr. Rudd – but Rudd’s ability to answer without answers proved a hard nut to crack.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls.  With little to gain and a career to lose, I say this to you now.

We have just elected one of the most skilful politicians ever seen in Australian history.  But only time will tell if he’s the greatest PM Australia’s ever had, or the greatest mistake we’ve ever made.

Photo: Ed Giles