New appointments to Julia Gillard's frontbench have been sworn in at Government House in Canberra
SENIOR Labor ministers are urging their party to make use of former leader Kevin Rudd's popularity, as Julia Gillard's fury at leaking Caucus members is interpreted as a lashing out at Rudd supporters.
Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean believes Mr Rudd should be considered an asset.
"He is an asset and we should use him, but it has to be a disciplined asset," he told ABC radio.
"If the combination of discipline plus the asset can be agreed upon, it would be a fantastic boost to our fortunes."
Labor minister Anthony Albanese agreed.
Kevin Rudd sawing up trees after Brisbane storms. Senior Labor figures want the party to make use of his campaigning skills. Picture: Annette Dew
Mr Rudd, who lost the leadership in June 2010, has maintained a high profile. He recently rejoined Seven's Sunrise political panel and continually attends fundraising events for Labor candidates.
The Prime Minister yesterday told a Caucus meeting of MPs they had to be unified and told them journalists had complained to her that when they returned from leave, they had messages waiting for them from MPs offering "negative assessments."
Newspoll has the coalition leading Labor by 56 per cent to 44 per cent in two-party terms, while News Ltd's Galaxy poll has the coalition ahead 54-46.
The NT Senate preselection intervention, the arrest of suspended Labor MP Craig Thomson and the resignations of senior ministers Chris Evans and Nicola Roxon had created an "unnecessarily terrible week" for the government, one Labor figure said.
Ms Gillard told MPs the leaks would only damage colleagues in marginal seats.
Mr Rudd was missing from the Caucus room and was only due to arrive in Canberra for the first parliamentary sitting week of the year last night.He was battling illness yesterday and spent the morning at the doctor in Brisbane with his youngest son Marcus, who was also unwell.
Ms Gillard also faced questioning from Senator Doug Cameron about how Trish Crossin was pushed aside to make way for Labor novice Nova Peris in the Senate.
She told colleagues it took ten years for her to get into parliament and that putting Ms Peris into the Senate as Labor's first indigenous representative was the right thing to do.
Five days after announcing an election date eight months out, Ms Gillard told MPs the campaign was yet to start and that she had only fixed the government's term.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott fronted his own senior colleagues yesterday, urging Shadow Cabinet members to start behaving like an "alternative government" and to not take anything for granted.
He told MPs he believed Australians had wanted the Coalition to "hold the Government to account"
"But I think what people are now looking for is for a little bit more from us. They want us not so much to be an Opposition but to be an alternative government," he said.
A Coalition frontbencher said Mr Rudd's supporters were "circling" Ms Gillard.
But political consultant and Rudd confidant Bruce Hawker said the former leader was behind Ms Gillard.
"He is backing her in," Mr Hawker told AAP.
"It's all hands to the pump. They need their most talented people to campaign rigorously."
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