Coup in Australia: first ever female PM?

[longfingernails]

Kevin Rudd is toast. Julia Gillard (born in Wales!) of the Labor party looks like she will become the first ever female Aussie PM.

It's a shame in a way, because she hasn't ever faced the electorate as leader (like Gordon Brown). But still historic.

And surely her Welsh background means she will be good for UK-Aus relations!

Here is a useful Aussie newspaper site

www.theaustralian.com.au/

PITA actually. But whatever - will see what comes of it later today. There isn't anything wrong with UK/Australian relations as it is, so can't see that being any kind of issue, tbh.

UK/AUS relations? was there something wrong with this before?

No, of course there was nothing wrong before - sorry if I implied that. Just that having a "native" as PM of another country can't hurt!

Well being born somewhere does not mean she will feel anything for the country did she also grow up in Wales?

No, her parents migrated when she was 5

She won, landslide.

They reckon she would have taken over at some point after the next election, but at least when we vote she will be in the office already so we will know what we have got / are in for.

Seems many people are against this - not voted in by the public etc (sound familiar?).

I can't stand Krudd so I am biased - first female PM, and she will be sworn in by our first female GG!

Roll on the election...

hmm. Not sure where I stand on this, tbh. Am always worried by the fact she has no lips. And the memory of Thatcher of course. Well, we'll see - so long as she doesn't do a U-turn on the parental leave situation (not that it actually affects me atm but hey) then I don't suppose I'm going to notice too much.
The mining tax is a bit of a minefield (no pun intended) so we'll see what happens.

She didn't win, K Rudd stepped down.

I think she's awful, and I think its a shame to get our first female in this underhanded grabby way too

It makes Australia look shabby and backward.
And I don't like the way everyone is dying to bash KRudd now, after all he (and the party of course) did to keep Australia from the GFC.

And breathe.

SMH

Have come back to correct myself to say that she was unopposed.

I don't like either of them.

Don't forget the previous Liberal govt ran surpluses for many years which the Labour govt was able to raid....but yes many people were kept in jobs which they may otherwise have lost.

I have also just seen his speech and it was very emotional, very dignified...

Roll on the election...

I can't stand her voice! She is on now...

Kevin Rudd the fall guy for fall of carbon emissions scheme and the resource tax.

Apparently this leadership change will secure the party's win in the upcoming elections and is also a major move to the left.

She will probably water down the resource tax. Question is, are the unions back in power??

it was more than that. There was always talk of her talking over from when Krudd won the election. I think is it more than carbon emissions, mining tax, asylum seekers, afghanistan etc.

I think she did have the backing of the unions.

He stepped aside for a number of reaons. I think she is more of a brawler to match Tony Abbot than Krudd ever was. I think there was big concern about the backlash against Labor from states as well as federally.

She makes very little deal about her welsh background. Actually - who cares about the UK. We need to be making so much more of our Aus/Asian relations than Aus UK.

Well I think it's brilliant. She is intelligent, hard working, can really hold her own against that twat Abbot. I'm not a Labour (or Liberal) supporter, but I think she is really great.

It doesn't actually matter what she looks like, whether she has nice lips or not in my opinion.

And we will have an election later this year or early next so it isn't like the UK where they hung on with Brown for years before turfing him out.

I am not familiar with her/ local politics for that matter since I am based in the UK However i am all for women holding positions of power!

What surprises me is how did Kevin Rudd lose so much support in such a short space of time? only a year ago he seemed unassailable!

Kevin was not popular with the unions and he really did not come from a traditional labor background. he also carried himself as superior to the stalwarts of the labor party and did not do a lot of consulting. He seemed to be a lot more dictatorial in his working methods.

Good on Wayne Swan -not - rat and sinking ship come to mind.

just saw his leaving speech. can't help but feel very sorry for him

eids has it exactly right - Rudd didn't build the support of the party and unions so when he started looking unpopular (largely built by the media) he had no ground support to back him up.

I'm amazed he can go from hero to zero in less than 3 years though.

I think too a lot of the victory in 2007 was based on huge scare tactics regarding work choices and so some ppl voted less for KR as opposed to not voting for the coalition iyswim.

I need to understand workchoices more. I emigrated here in 2007 so it was before my time.

Is it basically; Liberals (workchoices) let companies do whatever they wanted in terms of hiring and firing, whilst no workchoices meant more rights for the workers?

So businesses like workchoices, but individuals like no workchoices?

From what I can work out, you have it about right there, Ozziegirly.

FTR, the reason I don't like her having no lips is nothing to do with her actual looks, more that it is (in folklore) meant to be a sign of meanness. And having a mean PM isn't necessarily a good thing (I don't mean tight-mean, I mean nasty-mean)

Yes, sorry I was snippy about the comment - it's just on the radio the (male) DJ was going on about her bloody outfit and how she needed a makeover and then there was something else about her hair and I just thought "FFS" and raged a bit.

Agree re not wanting a meany in charge.

Well I can't say I am pleased with the result. I guess all we can do is wait and see what she does.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorkChoices