Australian PM Julia Gillard's Shock Pick to Replace Kevin Rudd
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, has stunned colleagues by plucking a high-profile former state leader, Bob Carr, from retirement to replace Kevin Rudd as foreign minister.

After a tumultuous week in which she won a crushing victory against Mr Rudd in a bitter leadership challenge, Ms Gillard today unveiled her new cabinet.

The most dramatic surprise was the appearance of Mr Carr, the bush-walking author, arts aficionado and former Premier of New South Wales who led the state for a decade and oversaw the 2000 Olympics despite a barely-hidden disinterest in sport.

Several senior ministers had tried to prevent the recruitment of Mr Carr, including the defence minister, Stephen Smith, who reportedly wanted the position of foreign minister. Mr Smith held the role until Ms Gillard handed it to Mr Rudd after she ousted him as prime minister in 2010 but then needed his support during the subsequent election campaign. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Friday, March 02, 2012

Julia Gillard Defeats Kevin Rudd in Labor Leadership Ballot
THE GUARDIAN: Gillard remains as Australian prime minister after seeing off party room challenge by 71 votes to 31

Julia Gillard will remain as Australia's prime minister after winning the resounding backing of her Labor party colleagues in a leadership ballot against Kevin Rudd.

The Labor party room voted 71 to 31 to retain Gillard as its leader and therefore as prime minister. It ends a week of vicious bloodletting by Labor parliamentarians, brought to a head with Kevin Rudd's resignation as foreign minister so he could mount a challenge.

"I can assure you that this political drama is over," Gillard told a news conference.

She said the Labor party would now unite and focus on winning the next general election, due in 2013.

"I absolutely believe that united we can win the next election," she said, adding she was impatient to get on with the job.

Gillard's leadership vote was the best result of any Labor leader in a challenge in 30 years. » | Alison Rourke in Sydney | Sunday, February 26, 2012

Play video of Julia Gillard’s speech here

Julia Gillard Says No to Gay Marriage

Kevin Rudd Announces Lead[er]ship Challenge against Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kevin Rudd has declared he will challenge Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard as leader of the Labor party on Monday, saying he wants to "finish the job" he began before she ousted him.

Mr Rudd, dumped as leader in 2010, attacked Ms Gillard as treacherous and untrustworthy and insisted she would not be able to win the next election.

“I want to finish the job the Australian people elected me to do,” he said.

"Rightly or wrongly Julia has lost the trust of the Australian people, and starting on Monday I want to start restoring that trust.”

Mr Rudd, who has higher approval ratings than Ms Gillard, targeted his pitch carefully at his fellow party members, saying that the Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, was “beatable”.

“If we don't change the Labor Party is going to end up in opposition. We will all end up on the backbench. It is time for a reality check for everybody.” » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Friday, February 24, 2012

Kevin Rudd May Be Loathed by Colleagues, But Australians Love Him
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's leadership crisis has exposed a paralysing dilemma that the ruling Labour party has never been able to resolve: its path to success lies with a leader, Kevin Rudd, who is deeply loathed by his colleagues.


For all his jarring quirks and transparently feigned "blokey-ness", Mr Rudd appears to have connected with the Australian public, while Julia Gillard – with her workaday manner – has not.

For most of his time as prime minister, Mr Rudd enjoyed soaring public approval ratings which kept at bay his party colleagues, who largely regarded him as a selfish and egotistical autocrat. When his polls finally dipped, the party swooped – and Ms Gillard deposed of him in a sudden coup in 2010.

The caucus virtually unanimously backed Ms Gillard – prompting Mr Rudd to resign rather than face the ignominy of a ballot – and seemed to believe it had shaken off a tyrant. The public, however, was surprised to discover that a small group of little-known power brokers had orchestrated the demise of a prime minister they had elected in a landslide. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Rude Kevin Rudd Video Makes Challenge to Gillard a Racing Certainty
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Julia Gillard is poised to face a leadership challenge from the man she ousted as Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, as a feud erupted over the leak of a video recording of him swearing profusely.

Leadership tensions in the ruling Labor party appeared to be nearing their inevitable conclusion on the weekend, with reports that a challenge is likely within two weeks.

The ongoing tussle was exacerbated by the appearance of a leaked video on Youtube showing Mr Rudd swearing profusely in his office while filming a public message as prime minister.

The two-minute video was posted by a user called "HappyVegemiteKR" - a reference to Mr Rudd's repeated claim if asked whether he intends to challenge Ms Gillard, that he is a "happy little vegemite".

But the video triggered a new round of internal ructions, with Mr Rudd accusing Ms Gillard's office of leaking the video – a claim she strenuously denied.

Mr Rudd, now the foreign minister, was ousted in 2010 by Ms Gillard who was forced to form a minority government at the subsequent election.

At the time, Mr Rudd was widely loathed in the party but he is now believed to have support of about a third of MPs who believe Ms Gillard has little chance of winning the next election, due in 2013. » | Jonathan Pearlman, in Sydney | Sunday, February 19, 2012

Julia Gillard 'Gags Australian Cabinet'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Friday did not deny a report that she has ordered cabinet ministers not to talk to major newspaper editors in a bid to stamp out leadership speculation.

Ms Gillard heads a fragile Labour coalition government after the party failed to win a majority in the August 2010 election and there is mounting speculation that Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister who is now foreign minister, could challenge her for the top job.

The prime minister removed Mr Rudd in a brutal Labour Party showdown in mid-2010 and the Sydney Daily Telegraph said a gagging order was issued at a cabinet meeting last week to try and hose down further leadership speculation.

The newspaper said ministers must now seek permission from the prime minister's office before any meeting or private talks with senior newspaper figures. » | Friday, February 10, 2012

Julia Gillard's Shoe Held to Ransom by Aborigine Protesters
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Aborigine protesters have brandished the shoe lost by Julia Gillard as she was rescued from a violent rally, claiming they want it to be the symbol of a move to "give us back our country".

The shoe - a dark blue, size 36 Midas pump - has been handed to an Aboriginal elder, Pat Eatock, who says Ms Gillard should collect it within a week or it will be sold on ebay.
A shoe purported to be Ms Gillard's fetched bids of £1400 today before it was removed from sale.

"I see it sitting like Cinderella's shoe in a glass case in a museum 10 years from now as this is part of the history of race relations in Australia," said Ms Eatock, 75, who was the first Aboriginal woman to seek election to Parliament.

The ugly scenes in Canberra yesterday have caused a furore in Australia, prompting widespread media coverage, inflaming racial tensions and leading to the sacking of one of the prime minister's aides.

Protesters calling for Aboriginal sovereignty today burnt an Australian flag outside Parliament House, as indigenous leaders called for calm and some dismissed the recent violence as a disgrace. » | Jonathan Pearlman, in Sydney | Friday, January 27, 2012

Related video »

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The spear of confrontation pays nation another visit: IN 1790, Bennelong, the Sydney-born Aboriginal friend to the colonisers, was present when Governor Arthur Phillip was speared at Manly Cove, demonstrating how much relations between the two peoples had soured. » | Debra Jopson | ANALYSIS | Saturday, January 28, 2012

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: PM accused of protest cover-up » | Dylan Welch | Saturday, January 28, 2012

Julia Gillard Attacked in Riot
Prime Minister Australia Julia Gillard is attacked by Aboriginal Protestors on Australia Day.

Australia Reacts to Bin Laden Death

'Foreign Spies' Hack into Australian PM's Computer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chinese hackers seeking information on commercial secrets are suspected of having broken into a computer used by Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister.

Miss Gillard's parliamentary computer was among 10 machines used by senior government ministers which were compromised by the hackers, Australian intelligence officials have said.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported that American intelligence officials alerted their Australian counterparts to the security issue, warning that thousands of emails could have been stolen by the hackers.

"Four separate government sources confirmed that they had been told Chinese intelligence agencies were among a list of foreign hackers that are under suspicion," the paper said. Read on and comment » | Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Vegemite on Agenda for Gillard and Obama
Mar 8 - Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and President Obama discuss the pros and cons of vegemite [sic] during a visit to a Virginia high school. Lindsey Parietti reports

Gillard Arrives in US for Obama Talks

Interview: Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard
March 3, 2011: In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks about Australia's place on the world stage ahead of her visit to the U.S. and her address to congress

Julia Gillard Wants Australia to Become a Republic at End of Queen’s Reign
THE TELEGRAPH: Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, has said Australia should cut its ties with Britain and become a republic when the Queen dies or abdicates.

Ms Gillard, who was born in Wales and moved to Australia with her parents aged five, acknowledged that many Australians had “deep affection” for the Queen, but said that the status quo could not remain.

“What I would like to see as prime minister is that we work our way through to an agreement on a model for the republic,” she said during an election campaign stop in Queensland.

“I think the appropriate time for this nation to move to be a republic is when we see the monarch change.

“Obviously I’m hoping for Queen Elizabeth that she lives a long and happy life, and having watched her mother I think there’s every chance that she will.”

While it has its own flag and national anthem, Australia currently operates as a constitutional monarchy, which means that the Queen, as head of state, has the same formal role as she does in Britain. Her representative, the governor-general, is in charge of the army, must give assent to all laws passed by parliament and has the power to dissolve both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The role of the Queen as Australia’s monarch was laid down at federation in 1901 and a complex system of constitutional ties would have to be unravelled for the nation to become a republic. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Sydney | Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Australiens Asylpolitik: Gillard verärgert die Nachbarn
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Nach nur zwei Wochen im Amt hat es die neue Premierministerin Gillard schon mit mehreren Unannehmlichkeiten zu tun. Vor allem ihre Initiative für ein „regionales Auffanglager“ für Flüchtlinge in Osttimor wird kritisiert.

An der Asylpolitik hat sich schon manche Regierung Australiens die Finger verbrannt. Die nächste könnte die der neuen Premierministerin Julia Gillard werden, deren Plan für ein „Regionales Abwicklungs-zentrum“ für Flüchtlinge diplomatisch ins Stocken und innenpolitisch in die Kritik geraten ist. >>> Von Jochen Buchsteiner, Jakarta | Samstag, 10. Juli 2010

Gillard Against Gay Marriage
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she does not support legalising gay marriage in Australia.

Labor policy on gay marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership, Ms Gillard told Austereo show today.

"We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples," Ms Gillard said.

Asked if that was also her personal view, Ms Gillard said it was. >>> AAP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

No God for Blod!
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard's honesty in not paying lip service to a belief in God could harm her at the ballot box, says a Christian lobby group.

The Prime Minister, who as a child won prizes for remembering Bible verses, said yesterday she did not believe in God and, therefore, would not go through the motions of religious rituals.

''I am not going to pretend a faith I don't feel. For people of faith I think the greatest compliment I could pay to them is to respect their genuinely held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine.''

Ms Gillard's position drew immediate praise from atheists, but a word of caution from the Australian Christian Lobby.

''I don't think it is a case of being disappointed,'' the lobby's chief-of-staff, Lyle Shelton, said. ''It is great that the Prime Minister is being so open and honest on such an important question in life, but I think it would be naive to think that it may not have some electoral implication.''

Only last week the group arranged for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, to address churches across the nation in a live webcast. PM nudged about wrath of God >>> Jacob Saulwick | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Shacking Up Is Hard to Do: Why Gillard May Be Leery of the Lodge
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard doesn't want to move into the Lodge until she gets a democratic tick of approval. Or so she says. Maybe the real reason she is stalling is to test the waters about public reaction to moving her first bloke in there with her.

Most media commentators are relaxed about a de facto first couple. Why not, they say, everyone's doing it. What's the big deal about living together?

They are right about the fact cohabitation - what some call ''marriage lite'' - is changing the social map. Census figures show the proportion of adults in de facto relationships more than doubled between 1986 and 2006. With other countries showing similar shifts, many social scientists studying this trend conclude marriage lite is not a change for the better.

It's fine for Gillard - a 48-year-old woman - to live with her bloke. Yet as a popular role model for women, her lifestyle choice may influence other women into making big mistakes about their lives.

Cohabitation produces two groups of losers among women and children. Most women want to have children - Gillard is an exception - and some miss out after wasting their primary reproductive years in a succession of live-in relationships which look hopeful but go nowhere, leaving them childless and partnerless as they hit 40. (+video) >>> Bettina Arndt | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

No Succour for Kevin from Bloodthirsty Blod
BRISBANE TIMES: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has left her predecessor Kevin Rudd out of her new cabinet but says she would be ''absolutely delighted'' to see him serve as a senior minister if the government is re-elected.

Ms Gillard unveiled her new cabinet in Canberra this afternoon, with few changes announced to the frontbench.

She said Mr Rudd would be accommodated as a senior minister if the Labor government won the next election.

''It is best to have as limited a reshuffle as possible to keep the maximum stability in the team,'' she added.

Instead, Ms Gillard has handed her own portfolios of education, employment, workplace relations and social inclusion to former Labor leader Simon Crean.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith will take on the added role of Mr Crean's portfolio of trade.

Ms Gillard said Mr Smith had been doing a ‘‘great job’’ as foreign minister.

Ms Gillard said she had spoken to Mr Rudd about his future and he had confirmed he would run for his seat at the next election.

‘‘Consequently what I have said to Kevin Rudd is I would be absolutely delighted to see him serve as a senior cabinet minister in the team if the government is re-elected,’’ she said. Gillard leaves Rudd out of reshuffled cabinet >>> Tim Lester and Phillip Coorey | Monday, June 28, 2010