This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10393918.stm
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Australia has its first woman PM | Australia has its first woman PM |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Australia's Julia Gillard has become the country's first female prime minister after former PM Kevin Rudd stood aside from a party ballot. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | Ms Gillard's swearing in as prime minister will be a formality. |
| The tumble of events has been extraordinarily fast for at the start of this year the polls suggested that Kevin Rudd remained Australia's most popular prime minister in 30 years - since the days of Bob Hawke. | |
| But the pivotal moment came when he decided to shelve the centrepiece of his environmental strategy, an emissions trading scheme. Many thought it was an act of political cowardice - gutless was the oft-heard word. | |
| Since becoming leader of the Labor party in 2006, he had always been much more popular with the Australian people than with his colleagues in the Labor party. | |
| But after picking a fight with the resources sector over his plans for a super tax on their super profits, the polls slumped again. | |
| The party powerbrokers and factional leaders decided the government would fare better at the forthcoming federal election with Julia Gillard at its head. | |
| "I feel very honoured, I will be making a full statement very shortly," she told reporters after emerging from the party vote at Parliament House in Canberra. | "I feel very honoured, I will be making a full statement very shortly," she told reporters after emerging from the party vote at Parliament House in Canberra. |
| A party spokesman said Ms Gillard - who was born in Barry Island in Wales - had stood unopposed at a vote of the Labor Party's 112 members of parliament at a meeting on Thursday morning. | A party spokesman said Ms Gillard - who was born in Barry Island in Wales - had stood unopposed at a vote of the Labor Party's 112 members of parliament at a meeting on Thursday morning. |
| Finance minister Wayne Swan was elected deputy leader unopposed. | Finance minister Wayne Swan was elected deputy leader unopposed. |
| Mr Rudd had called a late-night news conference on Wednesday to announce the ballot after Ms Gillard said she would stand. | 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. | Commentators say she is unlikely to change Australia's key foreign policy positions such as its troop commitment to Afghanistan. |
| Mr Rudd, who led Labor to a landslide election victory against the Liberal government in 2007, blamed "a number of factional leaders" within the party for plotting against him. | Mr Rudd, who led Labor to a landslide election victory against the Liberal government in 2007, blamed "a number of factional leaders" within the party for plotting against him. |
| Announcing he would stand in the leadership ballot, a defiant Mr Rudd had said: "I was elected to do a job. I intend to continue doing that job. I believe there is a strong body of support for the continuation of my leadership." | Announcing he would stand in the leadership ballot, a defiant Mr Rudd had said: "I was elected to do a job. I intend to continue doing that job. I believe there is a strong body of support for the continuation of my leadership." |
| But the BBC's Nick Bryant in Australia said that by Thursday morning Mr Rudd could not even muster enough support to contend the ballot. | But the BBC's Nick Bryant in Australia said that by Thursday morning Mr Rudd could not even muster enough support to contend the ballot. |
| His popularity had plummeted following a number of policy setbacks, he adds. | His popularity had plummeted following a number of policy setbacks, he adds. |
| Having once described climate change as the greatest moral challenge of our time, he shelved the centrepiece of his environmental strategy, an Emissions Trading Scheme, which led to accusations of political cowardice. | Having once described climate change as the greatest moral challenge of our time, he shelved the centrepiece of his environmental strategy, an Emissions Trading Scheme, which led to accusations of political cowardice. |
| Support for Kevin Rudd within his party ebbed away | |
| Mr Rudd then entered into an angry fight with the country's powerful mining sector over his plans for a super tax on their "super profits", which again damaged his government, our correspondent says. | Mr Rudd then entered into an angry fight with the country's powerful mining sector over his plans for a super tax on their "super profits", which again damaged his government, our correspondent says. |
| Our correspondent adds that Mr Rudd has always been more popular with the public than with his colleagues - he is regarded as intellectually arrogant and aloof. | Our correspondent adds that Mr Rudd has always been more popular with the public than with his colleagues - he is regarded as intellectually arrogant and aloof. |
| So when his approval ratings started to slump, his critics within the Labor Party moved against him, Nick Bryant says. | So when his approval ratings started to slump, his critics within the Labor Party moved against him, Nick Bryant says. |
| Are you in Australia? What do you think of Australia having its first female prime minister? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in Australia? What do you think of Australia having its first female prime minister? Send us your comments using the form below. |