Australia`s Rudd quits, Gillard is 1st first female prime minister

SYDNEY, June 24 Kyodo -
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stepped down Thursday and deputy leader
Julia Gillard took over as Australia's first female prime minister the same
day.
Late Wednesday Rudd called a leadership vote for Thursday morning, however he
stepped aside at the last minute and Gillard was elected by the Labor Party
unopposed.
Treasurer Wayne Swan was also elected unopposed as deputy prime minister and
will retain his portfolio.
Gillard said she felt ''truly honored'' to become Australia's first female
prime minister.
''It's with the greatest, humility, resolve and enthusiasm that I sought the
endorsement of my colleagues to be the Labor leader and to be the prime
minister for this country,'' she said at her first press conference.
She paid tribute to Rudd, whom she described as a man of ''remarkable
achievement '' who steered the country through the global financial crisis.
''(He was) the leader who turned his intelligence and determination to health
reform, combating homelessness and closing the gap for indigenous
Australians,'' she added.
Gillard said she decided to challenge Rudd's leadership ''because I believed
that a good government was losing its way.''
With support for Rudd fading in recent weeks over a series of policy backflips,
key powerbrokers in the Labor Party feared Rudd was incapable of winning the
general election expected to be held later this year.
Gillard feared health, education services and fair workplace treatment were at
risk if the opposition were to win the next election.
She also confirmed that she would call a general election in ''the coming
months.''
Rudd saw voter dissatisfaction soar to record levels, with a poll Monday
showing 55 percent of voters were unhappy with him.
His decision to scrap Australia's emissions trading scheme is seen as one of
the major areas of voter discontent.
If elected at the general election, Gillard said she would ''re-prosecute the
case for a carbon price at home and abroad.''
''In the future we will need (a price on carbon),'' she said. ''But first we
will need to establish a community consensus for action.''
A failure to stop spiraling numbers of asylum seekers arriving on Australia's
shores, and the introduction of a steep tax on mining companies were other
issues concerning voters.
Gillard, 49, a former lawyer, was elected to Parliament in 1998, and held a
number of important shadow portfolios, including immigration, health and
industrial relations.
During her time as deputy prime minister, Gillard has been one of the Labor
Party's star performers and has taken the reins on several occasions while Rudd
was overseas.
Gillard's management style is expected to be more consultative than Rudd's
autocratic approach to leadership.
Born in Wales, she lives in Victoria with her long-term partner Tim Mathieson,
a hairdresser.
Gillard and Swan were formally sworn in by Australia's governor general
Thursday afternoon.
At his final press conference as prime minister earlier Thursday, Rudd said he
was proud of his achievements in office.
''I was elected by the Australian people as prime minister of this country to
bring back a fair go for all Australians and I have given my absolute best to
do that, I've given it my absolute all,'' an emotional Rudd said.
He said he was most proud of his apology to the ''stolen generation'' of
Aborigines who were taken from their homes under government assimilation
policies up until the 1970s.
But Rudd also earned the unfortunate title of being the first Labor prime
minister to be kicked out of office before serving a full three-year term.
He confirmed he will contest the next election and ''will be dedicating my
every effort to assure the reelection of this Labor government.''
Opposition leader Tony Abbott described the Gillard-led government as a
''different salesman, same dud product.''
==Kyodo