Rudd, Hockey leave the Sunrise Show

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey have split the Sunrise family, ending their long-running Friday morning chat segment on the Seven Network program.

The two men made the decision after a week of anger over Sunrise's plans to stage a fake Anzac Day dawn service in Vietnam so it could be broadcast live at peak viewing time.

A spokesman for Mr Rudd, who was scheduled to attend the service, said the Labor leader had spoken with Mr Hockey on Sunday night and again on Monday.

"Both Mr Hockey and Mr Rudd decided that in an election year, given their longstanding friendship and the senior positions they now hold, it was no longer possible to continue the segment," the spokesman said.

Mr Rudd and Mr Hockey have appeared together on the top rating breakfast program for the past five years, engaging in friendly political banter.

Both have described themselves as members of the Sunrise family.

The politicians were originally scheduled to travel to Vietnam for an Anzac dawn service at the site of the Battle of Long Tan, to be broadcast live by Sunrise.

Mr Hockey later withdrew, with Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop taking his place.

For the service to go out at peak Australian morning viewing time of 7.15am, it needed to be held an hour before dawn in Vietnam, prompting veterans to express their concerns.

When details of the stunt appeared in News Ltd newspapers, both Sunrise and Mr Rudd denied any such plans.

But News Ltd later published emails revealing that a member of Mr Rudd's staff was aware of this.

Prime Minister John Howard said Anzac Day was a sacred occasion and nobody should be trying to give it a political spin.

He said it was pretty obvious Mr Rudd's initial denials of any knowledge of a proposed fake dawn service in Vietnam were wrong.

"He apparently rang people and complained very heavily and issued all sorts of threats. And in the end he was found to be wrong and the newspaper was found to be correct. The facts speak for themselves," Mr Howard told Southern Cross radio in Brisbane.

"But I think it will leave a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of people."

Many politicians make regular scheduled appearances on particular programs.

Mr Howard makes just one regular media appearance - a half-hour interview every second Friday on Southern Cross Broadcasting in Melbourne. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks had a similar arrangement with the same program.

"That is a reasonable thing for somebody who is in office," Mr Howard said.

But Health Minister Tony Abbott and Deputy Opposition Leader Julia Gillard are unlikely to end their longstanding Friday morning appearances on the Nine Network's Today show.

"Kevin Rudd and Joe Hockey have decided not to continue with Sunrise because of the conflict of their senior positions and their friendship," Ms Gillard said.

"Tony Abbott and I are not in the same situation and therefore will continue to appear on Today."

Sunrise co-host David Koch thanked both Mr Rudd and Mr Hockey for their time on the show.

"Politics can sometimes be a pretty nasty game and it was never the intention of the segment to get bogged down in that," Mr Koch said.

Initially Mr Hockey defended Mr Rudd, saying his intentions were completely honourable.

But on Sunday, apparently under pressure from within his own party, he said Mr Rudd had to explain what he knew about plans for the service.

Seven Network news chief Peter Meakin said he had hoped the relationship would continue.

"I was hoping they'd stay with the show," he told reporters outside Manly Local Court, where he is defending a dangerous driving charge.

"Certainly, we didn't put any pressure on them to leave the program and it has been a great five years with them so I'm sorry they've gone."

The Anzac Day service was to be broadcast live at peak viewing time in Australia, meaning it needed to be held an hour before dawn in Vietnam.

The proposal sparked outrage among veterans.

But Mr Meakin said as far as he was concerned, there was no request for an early dawn service for broadcast purposes.

"There was a tribute, but the idea of having a dawn service in the dark was plainly ridiculous," he said.

On Sunrise's current plans for Anzac Day, Mr Meakinsaid: "We've got lots planned, standby and watch."

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