Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has branded radio shock jock Alan Jones “comrade” as the natural enemies found common ground on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night.

“Alan and I have been searching for common ground for almost a decade now,” Mr Rudd said, chortling with the 2GB host.

The panellists bonded over their opposition to the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, after Jones suggested it enjoyed bipartisan support thanks to political donations.

“There’s something very smelly about this,” Jones said.

He questioned why the ban on political donations from developers wasn’t extended to mining magnates and the Indian-owned Adani.

“Presumably developers are crook, and knocking on doors seeking all sorts of advantages. How come mining money’s okay?”

Rudd said his Labor government attempted to legislate a ban on all foreign donations to political parties, but that it was voted down twice by the Coalition.

The former PM then said his opposition to the mine was based on environmental concerns and climate change.

Rudd said he would not touch Adani “with a barge pole”.

“That’s two things we agree on now.”

“Be careful,” Jones joked, before Rudd cut in: “Comrade.”

Later in the program, Jones commended Rudd on “getting to the top of the hill”, from growing up on a dairy farm to prime minister.

Could the Qld government replace Adani with investment in renewables? @AlanJones & @MrKRudd respond #QandA pic.twitter.com/2o8dOmjcZf

— QandA (@QandA) October 30, 2017

“I think the great lesson from Kevin Rudd – you’ve got to forget whether you agree with policy, whether you’re Labor or whatever you are – it’s a wonderful statement in Australian life that you came off a dairy farm, I came off a dairy farm,” he said.

“You battle and you struggle, but you have risen to become the prime minister of your country. That is a significant triumph.

“For young people who most probably never experienced all this, there is a tendency today to believe that everything we want will be available to us. Well, another thing that I think Kevin and I have in common is that wasn’t the case.”

He said young people in Australia have the ability to overcome struggles.

“The issue is, I don’t think that any hill is too high to climb. I think that’s what you [Rudd] established fairly early on, and it’s to your great credit you got to the top of that hill.”

Host Tony Jones then finished: “Before we break into Sound Of Music I will end the program.”

Did your difficult childhood contribute to your ultimate success? @MrKRudd & @AlanJones respond #QandA pic.twitter.com/SUycUQLVSz

— QandA (@QandA) October 30, 2017