Australian Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, recently claimed Prime Ministerial victory over a humiliated John Howard whom after eleven long years suffered a mighty twin blow; not only a party defeat but more impressively, the loss of his local seat of Bennelong to first-timer, Maxine McKew.

But who is Kevin Rudd? Where on earth did he come from? And what can the international community expect from this new leadership?

According to critics, not much.

Rudd, originally from rural Queensland, was left penniless and fatherless at the age of eleven. His previous hardships reflect only slightly in his policies which have been likened to those of Tony Blair; although promises for social reform and inclusion are made, deconstruction of the conservative sociopolitical frameworks erected by Margaret Thatcher - or in this case, over a decade of Liberal domination - are cautiously avoided.

Let me elaborate.

Despite ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, Rudd recently attended the Bali climate change conference only to mimic the commitment-phobia Howard displayed when it came to reduction targets, refusing to bind any of them.

The new PM is leaving mostly intact the controversial (and rather excessive) federal military intervention into Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, originally on the basis of claims of high levels of sexual assault and rape amongst indigenous communities.

Despite claiming on his campaign website kevin07.com that he will phase out troops in Afghanistan, other sources such as The Australian newspaper report that Rudd has otherwise committed to stay in battle, and that he has also suggested remaining in Iraq for training purposes.

Rudd, like Howard and Bush, makes no mystery of his religious orientation or his desire to connect with the supposedly growing trend of Christian fundamentalism in Australia. He commented on Australian in-depth news program, Compass on May 8, 2007;

‘...there is plainly also a trend towards more fundamentalist forms of Christian expression in Australia. You don’t have to be a Rhode Scholar to drive through the suburbs of outer metro Australia anywhere to see that those churches which are growing rapidly are charismatic and fundamentalist churches.’

It is therefore not unreasonable to assume that the rights of same-sex couples will continue to stagnate under Rudd’s leadership as they did under Howard’s.

Additionally, Rudd proudly assures that Australia’s alliance with the United States will remain as strong as ever (despite polls indicating a growing animosity amongst Australian people toward President Bush and his numerous crusades).

Considering Rudd was elected into parliament in 1998, it is fair to say he has come a long way - fast. It will be interesting to see if he can take Australia just as far, or as critics fear, keep us stuck in this neo-liberal mud.

The Age: 20 things you need to know about Kevin Rudd
The Australian: In praise of Kevin Rudd’s cautious conservatism
The Independent: The big question: Who is Kevin Rudd and is Australia about to vote him their new PM?
Compass: Kevin Rudd: The God factor