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Gillard takes power in bloodless coup (Australia to have a new Prime Minister - official)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation ^ | 24th June 2010 | Emma Rodgers

Posted on 06/23/2010 4:44:59 PM PDT by naturalman1975

Kevin Rudd has decided not to stand in this morning's ALP leadership ballot, relinquishing the Prime Ministership and handing power to his deputy Julia Gillard in a bloodless Parliament House coup.

Mr Rudd had called for a leadership ballot to be held at 9:00am AEST today but has decided not to contest the ballot after it became clear he would be soundly defeated.

Ms Gillard now has the task of leading a party traumatised and divided by the recent dramatic events to the federal election which could be held in a matter of weeks.

Treasurer Wayne Swan now steps up as Deputy Prime Minister. He was also elected unopposed.

Mr Rudd's sudden and spectacular downfall makes him the first Labor prime minister to be dumped from office before completing a first term.

The situation came to a head last night after senior factional powerbrokers from the right told Ms Gillard she had enough support to take the leadership.

The powerful Australian Workers Union and Health Services Union also quickly swung their support behind Ms Gillard as Mr Rudd's support base collapsed.

After hours of crisis meetings last night Mr Rudd emerged just after 10:00pm AEST to announce that Ms Gillard had challenged him to a ballot and that he would also stand.

For months Ms Gillard had said that she was not interested in challenging Mr Rudd but as events charged ahead last night it appeared she was left with no choice but to throw her hat in the ring.

As the numbers were crunched it became clearer that Ms Gillard was going to prevail, with supporters on both sides agreeing that she would win.

Mr Rudd's fall from the top has been swift, as his popularity among voters fell from stratospheric highs to disastrous lows in just a few months.

Voters lost faith in Mr Rudd after a series of bungles and backflips, including the shelving of the emissions trading scheme.

Last night he vowed to fight to remain in office saying the Australian people had elected him, not the Party's factional leaders.


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: australia; gillard; juliagillard; primeminister; rudd
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To: militanttoby
The conservatives (called the Liberal Party) are just as bad – they just proposed a Parental Leave policy of up to $75,000 (about $60,000 US) for 6 mths leave from work after having a baby, paid for by a 1.7% corporate tax on big businesses, redistributed by the government to individuals based on their earnings.

Is that to encourage people to have more children? Who was it who said "One for Mum, one for Dad, and one for Australia?"

BTW, I recently read the William Stuart Long series, The Australians - I got all twelve volumes at the Goodwill. Very cool.

41 posted on 06/24/2010 10:30:41 AM PDT by nina0113
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To: DTogo

Better looking than most salt water crocs, I must say. She’d actually be a hottie with long hair. But it’s a pity that she’s another leftist nut. Bob


42 posted on 06/24/2010 12:00:06 PM PDT by alstewartfan (Two broken Tigers on fire in the night, Flicker their souls to the wind." Al Stewart)
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To: AuH2ORepublican
A sheeler as Prime Minister? Who do they think they are

Yeah Mate...if the sheila can make the makins with one hand ...she'll be right.

(makins = paraphernalia to roll a cigarette...true Ausies can do this with one hand).

and two-up for the Olympics.

43 posted on 06/24/2010 12:22:06 PM PDT by spokeshave (From The One to zero in just 16 months – the myth has ended.)
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To: naturalman1975
Personally, I feel pretty comfortable within Australian limits.

The fewer limits and limitations (infringements) on gun ownership the better, IMHO.

44 posted on 06/24/2010 2:33:16 PM PDT by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: naturalman1975

all very interesting, we will see what happens come election time.

Thanks


45 posted on 06/24/2010 2:49:18 PM PDT by rotundusmaximus (1Kings19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baa)
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To: nina0113

No, it’s to win female votes.


46 posted on 06/24/2010 3:40:32 PM PDT by militanttoby
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To: militanttoby
When Margaret Thatcher came in to existence I was in awe (and supported some of her policies because felt they were necessary at the time in Britain, considering her immediate predecessor & the state of things in Britain at the time ...) - also, in a very male dominated British political arena, one needs to consider that, although not many did ...

Let's face it, the Queen (as a female & in the scheme of things) doesn't count, she is Not elected by the people. She mostly has to maintain a certain image.

Margaret Thatcher (Hilda as known to her own Tory Party) was quite unique to her “conservative/tory” British party, but as most know, she did not support her “gender” & mostly she could not - surprise, surprise!

Yep, Yup and Yes, this is going to be one heck of an public election in Australia. Doubt if females are going to be duped by a Gillard, Julia, Or females simply “voting” for Tony Abbott for some $$ for parental scheme - it certainly won't be for any one’s “looks”.

47 posted on 06/26/2010 7:43:03 AM PDT by odds
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To: naturalman1975

And two of them are British. If the GGs were always still British appointees we could have had another hat-trick going on there...


48 posted on 07/05/2010 1:46:33 PM PDT by sinsofsolarempirefan
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To: odds
"Margaret Thatcher (Hilda as known to her own Tory Party) was quite unique to her “conservative/tory” British party, but as most know, she did not support her “gender” & mostly she could not - surprise, surprise!"

Alpha-females generally don't like the competition from fellow members of their gender...

49 posted on 07/05/2010 1:48:53 PM PDT by sinsofsolarempirefan
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To: naturalman1975
Voters lost faith in Mr Rudd after a series of bungles and backflips, including the shelving of the emissions trading scheme.

LMAO!! Australians WANT higher energy costs and higher prices for everything they buy?
Well, it's nice to see that Australia's socialist propaganda machine (aka, the "mainstream" media) is as shameless as our own here in America. Hopefully, the newsrooms there are dying as quickly as they are here.

50 posted on 07/05/2010 1:55:16 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: x; ColdOne

My understanding is that Gillard is even more of a corrupt, lefty socialist scumbag than Rudd!
What Australia needs is a billboard campaign with pictures of a waving John Howard and the caption, “Miss me yet?”


51 posted on 07/05/2010 2:00:16 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard

It’s not about most Australians wanting the ETS - most do not.

However, they also do not respect a Prime Minister who claims that addressing climate change is the ‘greatest moral challenge’ of the modern world - and then who abandons his supposed efforts to address it as soon as it becomes politically difficult. If he’s not willing to fight for what he believes in, it’s impossible to trust him at all.


52 posted on 07/05/2010 4:49:02 PM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Lancey Howard
My understanding is that Gillard is even more of a corrupt, lefty socialist scumbag than Rudd! I was hoping that was not the case! :(
53 posted on 07/05/2010 6:30:29 PM PDT by ColdOne
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To: sinsofsolarempirefan

>>>>”Alpha-females generally don’t like the competition from fellow members of their gender...”

Interesting view or a theory about “Alpha-females”. I might even agree with it. But, how is that, in any detail, different to Alpha-males? I’m curious.

BTW, in previous post, I wasn’t referring to Margaret Thatcher’s competitive instincts, as a female, regarding Other females in politics. Only that her policies were not specifically, nor predominantly focused on, nor skewed towards the female (her own) gender.


54 posted on 07/06/2010 8:34:55 AM PDT by odds
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