Rupert Murdoch’s and Kevin Rudd’s names appear hundreds of times in the Epstein files, and what influence Jeffrey Epstein had on them and others and potentially the Australian government should be investigated, say The Greens.

That should not surprise anyone given 2 of Kevin Rudd’s good friends and fellow Epstein associates, Terje Rod-Larsen and Thorbjørn Jagland, are facing criminal investigations and criminal charges in Norway for their relationships with Jeffrey Epstein.

In one email, as per below, Jeffrey Epstein sent to Terje Rod-Larsen on the 27th of June 2013, when Kevin Rudd was Australian Prime Minister, Epstein said, “Rudd will only be in power a few months, do not wait.”

Other countries such as the US, France and the UK are also investigating numerous people and their associations with Epstein, and some people have already been charged with crimes and corruption, such as Ghislaine Maxwell in the US and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formally Prince Andrew) who is under investigation in the UK.

Below is a letter by Senator David Shoebridge on behalf of The Greens:

DAVID SHOEBRIDGE
Senator for New South Wales

The Epstein Files raise questions Australia cannot ignore

24 February 2026

The Epstein files have named a number of prominent Australians, including politicians and business leaders, in connection with a convicted sex offender. Appearing in these documents does not make someone guilty, but it does make independent scrutiny necessary.

Having worked with survivors of sexual abuse, I understand how painful and retraumatising this moment is for many people. I acknowledge their courage, and am guided by their demand for accountability and justice.

An independent review is needed to determine whether any conduct in the files breaks Australian law, including laws covering child sexual abuse and trafficking where universal jurisdiction applies. This review needs to have the trust of the Australian people who have been shocked by the way men, mostly men, in positions of authority and power have so blatantly abused that power.

I am also deeply concerned by the inclusion of senior American political and business figures, especially from the AI and tech industries, in the files. People compromised by criminal exposure or the threat of blackmail cannot be considered reliable partners in sensitive intelligence arrangements. Australia’s commitments to share critical national security information under AUKUS and Five Eyes relies on the integrity of the US Government and its senior officials. That integrity, both personal and institutional, is seriously in question.

We are calling on the Government to direct a comprehensive review of the files for any offences involving Australians and report their findings to Parliament, and to assess what the reach of the Epstein network into leadership globally means for our national security arrangements.

Where crimes have been committed, where trust has been breached, the law must apply equally regardless of the wealth, influence or connections of the perpetrators. (Click here to see the original letter)

While David Shoebridge’s letter above does not expressly name Kevin Rudd and Rupert Murdoch, that is who he means, as they are the main 2 Australians extensively named in the Epstein files with a direct and indirect connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

It should also be noted that former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating is mentioned a lot in the files, but that is almost exclusively because his daughter Katherine Keating dropped his name in her extensive communication with Epstein.

While other Australian politicians are named in the Epstein files, the source is mainly one person in Adelaide who makes certain allegations but provides no evidence. (Click here to read more)

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Jeffrey Epstein connection

Kevin Rudd’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein is via his friendships with Terje Rod-Larsen and Thorbjørn Jagland and Rudd’s role at the International Peace Institute (IPI) from 2014 until 2022.

Kevin Rudd’s connection with Epstein first hit Australian media in 2020 because he was Chair of the International Peace Institute (IPI), and the then IPI CEO Terje Rod-Larsen was exposed for taking a personal loan from Epstein, which forced Rod-Larsen’s resignation.

At the same time, it was exposed that Jeffrey Epstein was a large donor to the International Peace Institute (IPI) while Rudd was a Director and Chair.

When Kevin Rudd was asked questions by the Australian media, he was exposed trying to deflect by lying and blaming Murdoch for the media attention.

A quick summary of Rudd’s suspect actions includes, but is not limited to:

1. Rudd lies to Australian media, blaming Murdoch.

2. Rudd refusing to answer Norwegian media questions for over 12 months about Epstein and Terje Rod-Larsen.

3. Rudd’s name is all over the Epstein files including meetings and visits to Epstein’s house. But Rudd says he knows nothing and has never spoken to or met Epstein.

4. Rudd is spending big dollars paying lawyers to send defamation legal threats to Google and YouTube regarding my videos and articles and possibly to others. But Rudd’s lawyers won’t even talk to me or answer my emails nor have they sent me any legal threats.

5. Kevin Rudd is paying YouTuber Friendlyjordies to run a protection and a cover-up racket .

And you add all that to Kevin Rudd’s friendships with Terje Rod-Larsen and Thorbjørn Jagland, then there are clearly serious questions for Rudd to answer, and you have the making of a novel.

Just for the record, Thorbjørn Jagland, who is a former Prime Minister of Norway and in 2016 sent Epstein an email that said, “Kevin Rudd, a friend of both of us just left house“, was charged in February 2026 with “gross corruption” over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Also in February 2026, it was reported that Norwegian diplomats Terje Rod-Larsen and his wife Mona Juul “are under investigation by Norwegian authorities in connection with their relationship to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein” for gross corruption.

Kevin Rudd announced on the 12th of January, 2026, that he would resign early as Australia’s Ambassador to the US and finish in March, 2026.

Rudd gave no reason for his early resignation, but Rudd, Thorbjørn Jagland and Terje Rod-Larsen would all have known they were in the Epstein files and that they were all in a lot of trouble when more files were released.

So, it’s not too hard to work out why Rudd resigned early as Australia’s Ambassador to the US.

When the latest batch of Epstein files were released on the 31st of January 2026, it was only a matter of weeks before Thorbjørn Jagland was charged and it was announced Terje Rod-Larsen and his wife Mona Juul were under investigation.

Rudd might have dodged a bullet, but there are still serious questions he needs to answer.

It’s worth noting the former UK Ambassador to the US, Lord Peter Mandelson, who was sacked in September 2025 because of his Epstein links, is giving the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a lot of grief at the moment because of his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Rupert Murdoch and his Jeffrey Epstein connection

It has been known for a long time that Rupert Murdoch’s phone numbers were in Epstein’s black book, but Murdoch has never commented on it.

And then there is the picture of Rupert Murdoch and Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell after Epstein had been jailed and released for being a paedophile in 2008.

There are at least 3 million more Epstein files in the hands of the FBI, and it could be a few more years before they are released, and when they are, I think Kevin Rudd will be in a lot of trouble.

Given Rudd’s connections to Thorbjørn Jagland and Terje Rod-Larsen, he might even get grilled by authorities about those relationships.

Rudd previously avoided media questions about Terje Rod-Larsen and Epstein, but it is harder to avoid questions when authorities ask.

I agree that the Australian government should have an inquiry into Epstein and his Australian connections given Terje Rod-Larsen and Epstein implied in an email, as per above, they would be asking Rudd for a favour when he was Australian Prime Minister in 2013.

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