Kevin Rudd, Australia's 26th prime minister, held office from 3 December 2007 to 24 June 2010, and for 11 weeks from 27 June to 18 September 2013.

In 2001, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for international security added in 2003, and trade in 2005. Rudd became the 19th Leader of the Australian Labor Party in 2006, before becoming Prime Minister in 2007.

On 24 June 2010, he became one of the few leaders to be removed by their own party in their first term as prime minister. On 27 June 2013, the Governor-General again swore in Rudd as Prime Minister after he was voted Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party. Following Labor's defeat in the September 2013 federal election, Rudd resigned from Parliament on 22 November 2013.

Rudd was federal member for Griffith (Queensland), and first entered Parliament in 1998.

Did you know?

Kevin Rudd:

• and Robert Menzies were the only first-term prime ministers to be removed by their own party
• was one of the 16 prime ministers in office for less than 3 years
• was the fourth prime minister from Queensland, and the first in 6 decades – see Andrew Fisher, Arthur Fadden and Frank Forde
• at 50, was the 5th youngest Australian prime minister
• was the first prime minister with a female deputy (Julia Gillard)
• was dubbed ‘Kevin ‘07’ in his election campaign – and ‘Kevin 747’ after leaving office
• is married to Thérèse Rein: one of only 4 prime ministerial spouses with a university degree, the others being Bettina Gordon, Margaret Whitlam and Lucy Turnbull.