Labor stalemate must end, says Crean

Labor frontbencher Simon Crean says it's time for the federal leadership 'stalemate' to end. Source: AAP

SENIOR Labor frontbencher Simon Crean has called for the federal leadership "stalemate" to end.

Mr Crean's intervention came as speculation continues over the future of Prime Minister Julia Gillard as leader and a possible Kevin Rudd return.

Mr Crean said disunity within Labor was "killing" the party.

"This is a situation in which the party needs to get its act together," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"That is the truth. The stalemate has to end.

"We have to get the people who are destabilising to stop and the party has to focus on the future."

Mr Crean said Labor MPs should rally behind Ms Gillard.

"The party should unite behind her as the prime minister," he said.

Mr Crean told reporters it was frustrating to see the party torn from the inside on a "great day for the nation".

The prime minister shortly will issue an historic formal apology to forced adoptees in a speech at Parliament House.

"You stop the stalemate by getting people to pull back, understand it is in our interests to act in a more unified way and get on with the task in presenting ourselves as an united government with a pretty scary opposition," Mr Crean said.

He said he not spoken to Mr Rudd about pulling back his supporters.

"They have to unify because it is killing us, in my view, the disunity. It has never been a good thing," he said.

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