Kevin Rudd supporters claim they do not know if he will challenge Julia Gillard Cabinet ministers have dared Kevin Rudd to challenge as Parliament enters its last sitting week before the election. Picture: Renee Nowytarger Source: News Limited SOME of Kevin Rudd's closest supporters say they have no idea if he will launch a challenge to Julia Gillard in a bid to win back the job as Prime Minister that was snatched from him exactly three years ago. Cabinet ministers dared Mr Rudd to challenge as Federal Parliament begins its last sitting week before the September 14 election. Mr Rudd's backers have said he might only return to the top job if he was drafted to lead a united party with senior ministers asking Ms Gillard to stand down. Crean rules out instigating challenge Defence Minister Stephen Smith revealed he had spoken with other ministers and there was no desire to ask Ms Gillard to quit. "None of the Cabinet colleagues I've spoken to are proposing to seek to tap her on the shoulder and ask her to stop doing the job she's doing in tough and difficult circumstances," he told Channel 10's Meet the Press program. The Prime Minister is not going away. If someone wants to disturb the current arrangements, they need to do something about it, if they want to. In Kevin's case, and I take what Kevin says at face value, he said repeatedly he's not proposing to challenge. Communications Minister and Senate leader Stephen Conroy said he believed Ms Gillard had majority support in caucus. I don't believe she'll be stepping down. And if it's to be brought to a head, well Kevin Rudd will have to decide to challenge," he told Sky News Australian Agenda program. He hit out at the "constant undermining" against Ms Gillard and said in the unlikely event Mr Rudd became leader he would not serve on the frontbench. Senator Conroy also said he believed Cabinet colleague Bill Shorten would stay loyal to Ms Gillard. I've know him since before his 21st birthday, and I've had a very strong working relationship with him for all of that period. And Bill says he's going to support Julia to the election, and that's what I believe he'll do. Senator Conroy said if Labor keeps talking about itself "our primary vote will continue to stay as low as it is" but it would go up if the focus was on the policy differences between the government and the Opposition. Mr Smith said Labor needed to focus on tackling the challenges faced by the country. "And if we don't communicate that to the Australian people, then it'll be no surprise if you continue to see bad polling results and potentially, ultimately, a bad outcome at the election," he said. Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said it was time for Labor to unite behind Ms Gillard. "There is the status quo, if people want to challenge that then that's I suppose up to them, otherwise really they have to, we have to, unite," he told ABC TV's Insiders program. Some Labor MPs believe there will be a leadership showdown on Wednesday or Thursday. Some of Mr Rudd's critics say he does not have the guts to challenge and his real aim is revenge to cause trouble and wreck Ms Gillard's chances. Mr Rudd's supporters say Ms Gillard's own failures are responsible for Labor being on track for an election wipeout.