Rudd shrugs off criticism

Kevin Rudd. Photo / Greg Bowker

SYDNEY - Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd has shrugged off claims he is an abrasive, impulsive "control freak", and has offered support to the founder of the website that leaked the comments by diplomats.

The criticism of the former Prime Minister came to light yesterday as details of cables sent by the US Embassy in Canberra to US Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton were published in Fairfax newspapers.

"Rudd ... undoubtedly believes that with his intellect, his six years as a diplomat in the 1980s and his five years as shadow foreign minister, he has the background and the ability to direct Australia's foreign policy," one leaked cable read.

"His performance so far, however, demonstrates that he does not have the staff or the experience to do the job properly."

The Sydney Morning Herald, which says it sourced the cables from WikiLeaks, says Rudd was also described as a control freak with abrasive and impulsive tendencies.

Rudd said yesterday that the criticism was like "water off a duck's back". "I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it," he told the Seven Network.

Rudd said the important thing was to get on with his job.

Rudd confirmed Australia was giving consular support to Julian Assange, the Australian-born founder of WikiLeaks who was arrested in Britain on Tuesday night over alleged sexual assaults committed in Sweden.

Consular officials attended Assange's appearance in a London court, Rudd said.

-AAP