Public disunity continues to trouble the Labor Party.

At a lecture in Melbourne, Senior Labor MP Nicola Roxon lashed out at two time Prime Minister Kevin Rudd calling him a bastard.

Bernie Thompson reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Nicola Roxon didn’t hold back when she stepped onto the podium to deliver the John Button Memorial Lecture.

And the former attorney-general had one target in mind.

Nicola Roxon, Former Attorney General: “Removing Kevin was an act of political bastardry to be sure, but this act of political bastardry was only made possible because Kevin had been such a bastard to so many people already.”

Roxon said Rudd had called former New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally “Bambi,” treating his staff badly and accusing him of constantly leaking against Julia Gillard.

Nicola Roxon, Former Attorney General: “For the good of the Federal Labor Party and the movement as a whole, Kevin Rudd should leave the parliament.”

Some of the party faithful are calling for unity.

Ed Husic, Labor MP: “And I don’t see how it helps, I think people are sick to the back teeth of that type of commentary.”

But it’s easy ammunition for the opposition.

Kelly O’Dwyer, Liberal MP: “They’re not a united team, they’re hugely disfunctional, they still are, nothing changed.”

Kevin Rudd hasn’t made any comment.

Bernard Thompson, QUT News.