Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s leadership came under mounting pressure from within Labor ranks this week, with Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten being urged to ask her to quit in favour of Kevin Rudd, to lessen the potential decimation at the coming election. Gillard dismissed the speculation as “wasted breath”, saying she is “energised”, before reigniting the gender war over abortion, presumably trying to pick the only subject that Kevin Rudd might choose not to add his two cents to.

Just when Opposition Leader Tony Abbott thought all he had to do for the top job was stay quiet, opposition communications spokesman Minister Turnbull threw doubt on the Coalition’s ability to turn back the boats on ABC TV’s Q&A; Abbott pledged he could stop the boats in his first term, to the chagrin of colleagues who suggest he need promise nothing at this stage of the game. Regardless, he won’t mind falling to third on our list as the ALP leadership soap opera rolls on.

To that end, Trade Minister Craig Emerson suggested leadership speculation was just corridor talk, while others suggested sections of the press gallery were baying for Labor’s blood and that this election is the poorest yet in terms of serious media policy analysis. Although the PM’s supporters might not like the reality that almost all the news in the past three months has been related to policy (Gonski, national disability insurance scheme, budget etc), and it hasn’t helped the polls one iota.

Leadership aside, big movers this week include Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare over the latest asylum seeker boat tragedy, Foreign Minister Bob Carr mentioned as holding a key to Gillard’s fortunes and Senator Nick Xenophon speculating that Rudd might be better than Gillard. Outside the federal spectrum, SA Premier and Treasurer Jay Weatherill makes our list, having delivered a record $1.3 billion budget deficit for the southern state.

Crikey Political Index: June 5-12

Independent Tony Windsor was a talkback favourite this week, warning his deal with Gillard’s ALP was off the table if the Labor leadership changed hands.

Talkback top five

K-Rudd would be thrilled, a chart in which he is the clear leader, not only due to his own prolific input into the social conversation, but also as the subject of thousands of mentions.

Social media top five

The Socceroos captain led his team to a resounding victory over Jordanm leaving a World Cup spot just a win away.

Comparisons on media mentions