Kevin Rudd

Rudd's government ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, reversing the Howard government's refusal. This committed Australia to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, though targets were later criticized as insufficient.

Rudd's government implemented a $42 billion stimulus package in response to the Global Financial Crisis, including cash payments to households and infrastructure spending. Australia avoided recession, but the package increased national debt.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal apology in Parliament to Indigenous Australians affected by the forced removal of children, known as the Stolen Generations. The apology was a landmark moment in reconciliation, though it did not include compensation.

Rudd's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a cap-and-trade system, was rejected by the Senate twice. The failure to pass climate legislation damaged his political standing and contributed to his removal as Labor leader in 2010.