Everyone stop what you’re doing! Australia’s prime minister-in-exile has an announcement:

“I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same-s-x marriage.”

Having not heard his name in a few days, and with Julia Gillard’s personal approval ticking up ever-so-slightly in the polls yesterday, Kevin Rudd just wanted you all to know he’d changed his mind on something.

A 2163-word essay on his personal journey to supporting marriage equality — tweeted to his 1.2 million followers last night — was followed by a nationally televised press conference this morning.

“For the record,” Kevin16 wrote, “I will not be taking any leadership role on this issue nationally.” Certainly looks that way, Kev.

His case for change is a genuine and compelling one, particularly for those with religious-based objections to same-s-x unions. It will no doubt change minds in the electorate and, perhaps more importantly, change votes in the caucus ahead of another conscience vote.

But as one of his commenters says on his blog:

“the only problem i have here Kev is why it took you so long to form such an obvious opinion? here i was thinking you were a clever man, yet when it comes to basic rights for a portion of our society you hesitated.”

Hesitated until it was too late to matter.