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| Australia has its first woman PM | Australia has its first woman PM |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Julia Gillard will lead the Labor Party into October's national elections | |
| Australia's Julia Gillard has become the country's first female prime minister after former PM Kevin Rudd stood aside from a party ballot. | |
| The change in the leadership of the ruling Labor Party comes just months ahead of a general election. | |
| Correspondents say Mr Rudd did not stand in the vote, knowing he would suffer an embarrassing defeat. | |
| The Labor Party has suffered a sharp drop in support in recent opinion polls. | |
| Ms Gillard's swearing in as prime minister will be a formality. | |
| "I feel very honoured, I will be making a full statement very shortly," she told reporters after emerging from a party meeting at Parliament House in Canberra. | |
| A party spokesman said Ms Gillard had stood unopposed at a vote of the Labor Party's 112 members of parliament at a meeting on Thursday morning. | |
| Mr Rudd had called a late-night news conference on Wednesday to announce the ballot after Ms Gillard said she would stand. | |
| Commentators say she is unlikely to change Australia's key foreign policy positions such as its troop commitment to Afghanistan. | |
| Are you in Australia? What do you think of Australia having its first female prime minister? Send us your comments using the form below. |