Gillard tells ministers to stay on message

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended a move to "co-ordinate" ministers to sell the government's message on the economy and other policy.

Ms Gillard has reportedly ordered cabinet members to refrain from talking to the editors of major newspapers, in a bid to stamp out speculation about a leadership comeback by Kevin Rudd.

Ministers must now seek express permission from the prime minister's office before any meeting or private talks with senior editorial figures, the News Ltd report says.

Ms Gillard told reporters in Sydney on Friday she would not talk about cabinet matters, but confirmed she wanted her Labor team to be clearer in their communication.

"I am going to say this: as a government we are out and about every day explaining what we are doing for the Australian community and that is important," she said.

"And we co-ordinate the explanation of that message.

"We always have and we always will and there is nothing new in that."

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who was dumped in June 2010, was accused of gagging ministers from talking to the media and centralising control of the government in his office.

One senior Labor figure described him at the time as acting like "president of Australia".

Mr Rudd, who was hugged and congratulated at a function in Sydney to mark the fourth anniversary of the national apology to the Stolen Generations, told reporters later that communication was a "matter for the prime minister".

Asked if he wanted to be prime minister again, Mr Rudd said: "I'm a very, very happy little Vegemite and a content Vegemite being foreign minister of Australia."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said Ms Gillard had "lost control" of her cabinet.

"She has lost control of a divided and dysfunctional government," Mr Abbott told reporters in Melbourne.

Cabinet minister Anthony Albanese said it was common knowledge that ministers co-ordinated their media engagements.

However, he denied ministers had been gagged by Ms Gillard.

Meanwhile, Ms Gillard has done an interview for a Four Corners program to air on ABC television on Monday night entitled "The Comeback Kid", focusing on the future of the Labor leadership.

Mr Rudd has reportedly declined an interview.

Interviews were also conducted with key figures at the ALP national conference late last year.

According to its publicist, the program will examine "how the Labor Party went from the heights of popularity to the depths of political despair".

Government sources say Mr Rudd does not have enough numbers to win a challenge.