Australia's ex-PM Kevin Rudd candidate for UN chief

Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister, at a press conference of "The Party and the World Dialogue 2015" event in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo by Wu Yan/Chinadaily.com.cn]

CANBERRA - Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is being considered for the role of secretary-general for the United Nations (UN), media reported.

Australian media reported on Friday that Rudd has been flagged as a potential replacement for outgoing secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who will finish his term at the end of this year. Ban Ki-moon was elected to the role in 2006.

Member countries of the UN, including Australia, the United States and France, are expected to announce their nominations for the position in coming weeks as the contest to select the new secretary-general gathers momentum.

This means Australia's federal government, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, must decide whether they will support Rudd in his quest to succeed Ban Ki-moon.

At the moment, he is not considered one of the favorites for the post.

Media reports said on Friday that the Turnbull government believes it would be able to avoid nominating any candidate if Rudd remained an outsider in the race.