THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, has stunned colleagues by plucking a high-profile former state leader, Bob Carr, from retirement to replace Kevin Rudd as foreign minister.
After a tumultuous week in which she won a crushing victory against Mr Rudd in a bitter leadership challenge, Ms Gillard today unveiled her new cabinet.
The most dramatic surprise was the appearance of Mr Carr, the bush-walking author, arts aficionado and former Premier of New South Wales who led the state for a decade and oversaw the 2000 Olympics despite a barely-hidden disinterest in sport.
Several senior ministers had tried to prevent the recruitment of Mr Carr, including the defence minister, Stephen Smith, who reportedly wanted the position of foreign minister. Mr Smith held the role until Ms Gillard handed it to Mr Rudd after she ousted him as prime minister in 2010 but then needed his support during the subsequent election campaign. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Friday, March 02, 2012
