Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Australian Aborigines

2012-09-19T14:53:03Z

TonyABC: /* Aborigines in the media */

'''Aborigines''' are the main group of [[indigenous Australians]]. Aborigines currently make up only 2.4% of [[Australia]]'s population.

Aborigines were greatly affected by [[English]] settlement, which began in 1788. They have faced issues similar to those facing [[Native Americans]].

==History==
The Aborigines came over the sea from Indonesia; however, long boat voyages were nearly impossible. Instead, they took advantage of lower sea levels and migrated short distances between islands. These "boats" could have been little more than well-made rafts. The people weren't completely isolated, as they had contact with sailers from the north for thousands of years.

Before British settlement of Australia, the distribution of the Aboriginal population was much the same as the modern population distribution, but at a much lower level. Today, the fertile regions with a temperate climate are dominated by the white Australian community. In most southern and eastern areas, Aborigines have either assimilated, died out, or been pushed out. Only in the central and northern parts of the country are there significant communities of Aborigines living on and in control of their traditional lands.

Most traditional Aborigines were nomadic over the range of their clan, however there are also several archaeological sites of permanent settlements in [[Victoria]]. Many of the modern Aboriginal communities in outback Australia are on the sites of Christian missions set up in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Aborigines had no written language before contact with Europeans, but have a rich oral history. Their traditional creation stories are based on "The Dreamtime".

==Modern customs==
Since the 1980s indigenous Australians have been differentiated as “Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders” and more recently the acknowledgment of local tribal groups and [[language]]s has become normal. It has become customary for important public meetings and gatherings to begin by acknowledging “the customary owners of this land, the NAME people” where the local tribal name is given.

==Stolen Generation==
From the late 1800s through to the mid-1900s, many Aboriginal children were taken from their homes and placed in foster care arrangements, typically on [[Christian]] missions or state Government homes.
In the early 1990s Australians came to see this as being racist.

A prevailing view held that there was a hierarchy of human [[race]]s. This notion supposed that Northern Europeans were superior in civilisation and that Aborigines were inferior. According to this view, the increasing numbers of mixed-descent children in Australia, labelled as 'half-castes' (or alternatively 'crossbreeds', 'quadroons' and 'octoroons'), were seen by many to be a threat to racial purity. Many believe that in the first half of the twentieth century, this led to policies and legislation that resulted in the removal of children from their parents. The stated aim was to culturally assimilate mixed-descent people into contemporary Australian society. These children came to be called the Stolen Generation.

A [[Royal Commission]] was instituted by the Government of Australia under the auspices of the (Australian) Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, headed by Sir [[Ronald Wilson]], a former Judge of the [[High Court of Australia]] and former President of the [[liberal]] [[Uniting Church in Australia]]. The commission took public testimony from around Australia, including visits to tribal lands, and its 1997 report ’’Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families’’ has been seen to have re-shaped Australia’s internal race relations. The report suggested that considerable human rights abuses occurred as a result of the policies that led to the Stolen Generation, although responses of respective state and federal governments to the report's findings and recommendations have varied.

However, some people, including [[conservative]] columnist [[Andrew Bolt]], challenge the existence of the Stolen Generation. Bolt demanded that [[Robert Manne]], an outspoken advocate of the existence of the Stolen Generation, produce the names of ten children taken from their parents simply because they were Aboriginal or part Aboriginal. When Manne did produce a list, Bolt showed that the children were actually taken for the sake of their welfare. Bolt has further condemned the Stolen Generation concept for actually causing harm to Aboriginal children. He says that welfare officials are now too scared of being branded racist to take children who are in danger.

==Government apology==

On 13th of February, 2008 the [[Australia|Australian Government]] formally apologized to the Aboriginal People, and specifically to the Stolen Generation, for the actions of previous governments. The text of the apology, read by Prime Minister [[Kevin Rudd]], follows:

<blockquote>
Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

</blockquote>

==Aborigines in the media==
Various Australian films have significantly changed perceptions of Aborigines.
* ''Jedda'' (1955) by the Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel. The film is most notable for being the first to star two Aboriginal actors (Robert Tudawali and Ngarla Kunoth) in the leading roles, and also to be the first Australian film shot in color.
* ''Storm Boy'' (1976) which tells of the interaction between an Anglo boy and a local Aborigine.
* ''BabaKiueria'' (1985) is a satirical role reversal that sees Aborigines landing in boats in a white settled area and taking over. The title of the film comes from the opening scene where, when asked what place this is, a white man explains that it is a "barbecue area". The film won a UN Peace award
* ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002) is an Australian film based on the book ''Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence'' by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It concerns the author's mother, and two other young mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from a residential school that is located in Moore River Native Settlement, north of [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]], in which they were placed in 1931, in order to return to their Aboriginal families. The film follows the girls as they trek/walk for nine weeks along 2,400km (1,500 miles) of the Australian [[rabbit]]-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong.
* ''Ten Canoes'' (2006) by Rolf de Heer. The film is narrated in English by David Gulpilil; all protagonists speak in indigenous languages, with English subtitles.

David Gulpilil is recognized as a very important Australian Aboriginal actor, whose work has changed perceptions of Aborigines. His films have been:

* ''Walkabout'' (1971)
* ''Storm Boy'' (1976)
* ''The Last Wave'' (1977)
* ''The Right Stuff'' (1983)
* ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'' (1986)
* ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002)
* ''The Tracker'' (2002)
* ''The Proposition'' (2005)
* ''Ten Canoes'' (2006)

Stan Grant is an Aboriginal television personality who had international recognition as a presenter for [[CNN]] in [[Bejing]], [[China]] in the mid-2000s.

== External links ==

* [http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/bth_report/index.html Bringing them home: The 'Stolen Children' report (1997)], Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/stolen_generations_my_writers_festival_speech/ Stolen generations: My Melbourne Writers’ Festival speech], 5th September, 2006.
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/fisking_mannes_column/ Fisking Manne’s column], 9th December, 2006 (reply to ''The Cruelty of Denial'')
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/another_stolen_life/ Another stolen life], 19th September, 2006 (Bolt claims as a case of an aboriginal child in danger and ''not'' removed by authorities because of concerns over racism)
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/column_truth_is_what_was_stolen/ Truth is what was stolen], ''Herald Sun'', 8th February, 2008.
* Manne, Robert, [http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/manne1.pdf Stolen Generations Debate, with Andrew Bolt], 3rd September, 2006.
* Manne, Robert, [http://www.theage.com.au/news/robert-manne/the-cruelty-of-denial/2006/09/08/1157222325367.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 The Cruelty of Denial], The Age, 9th December, 2006.

== See also ==
* [[Great Flood]] (which mentions some aboriginal flood stories)
[[Category:Australia]]

Australian Aborigines

2012-09-19T14:51:53Z

TonyABC: /* Aborigines in the media */

'''Aborigines''' are the main group of [[indigenous Australians]]. Aborigines currently make up only 2.4% of [[Australia]]'s population.

Aborigines were greatly affected by [[English]] settlement, which began in 1788. They have faced issues similar to those facing [[Native Americans]].

==History==
The Aborigines came over the sea from Indonesia; however, long boat voyages were nearly impossible. Instead, they took advantage of lower sea levels and migrated short distances between islands. These "boats" could have been little more than well-made rafts. The people weren't completely isolated, as they had contact with sailers from the north for thousands of years.

Before British settlement of Australia, the distribution of the Aboriginal population was much the same as the modern population distribution, but at a much lower level. Today, the fertile regions with a temperate climate are dominated by the white Australian community. In most southern and eastern areas, Aborigines have either assimilated, died out, or been pushed out. Only in the central and northern parts of the country are there significant communities of Aborigines living on and in control of their traditional lands.

Most traditional Aborigines were nomadic over the range of their clan, however there are also several archaeological sites of permanent settlements in [[Victoria]]. Many of the modern Aboriginal communities in outback Australia are on the sites of Christian missions set up in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Aborigines had no written language before contact with Europeans, but have a rich oral history. Their traditional creation stories are based on "The Dreamtime".

==Modern customs==
Since the 1980s indigenous Australians have been differentiated as “Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders” and more recently the acknowledgment of local tribal groups and [[language]]s has become normal. It has become customary for important public meetings and gatherings to begin by acknowledging “the customary owners of this land, the NAME people” where the local tribal name is given.

==Stolen Generation==
From the late 1800s through to the mid-1900s, many Aboriginal children were taken from their homes and placed in foster care arrangements, typically on [[Christian]] missions or state Government homes.
In the early 1990s Australians came to see this as being racist.

A prevailing view held that there was a hierarchy of human [[race]]s. This notion supposed that Northern Europeans were superior in civilisation and that Aborigines were inferior. According to this view, the increasing numbers of mixed-descent children in Australia, labelled as 'half-castes' (or alternatively 'crossbreeds', 'quadroons' and 'octoroons'), were seen by many to be a threat to racial purity. Many believe that in the first half of the twentieth century, this led to policies and legislation that resulted in the removal of children from their parents. The stated aim was to culturally assimilate mixed-descent people into contemporary Australian society. These children came to be called the Stolen Generation.

A [[Royal Commission]] was instituted by the Government of Australia under the auspices of the (Australian) Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, headed by Sir [[Ronald Wilson]], a former Judge of the [[High Court of Australia]] and former President of the [[liberal]] [[Uniting Church in Australia]]. The commission took public testimony from around Australia, including visits to tribal lands, and its 1997 report ’’Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families’’ has been seen to have re-shaped Australia’s internal race relations. The report suggested that considerable human rights abuses occurred as a result of the policies that led to the Stolen Generation, although responses of respective state and federal governments to the report's findings and recommendations have varied.

However, some people, including [[conservative]] columnist [[Andrew Bolt]], challenge the existence of the Stolen Generation. Bolt demanded that [[Robert Manne]], an outspoken advocate of the existence of the Stolen Generation, produce the names of ten children taken from their parents simply because they were Aboriginal or part Aboriginal. When Manne did produce a list, Bolt showed that the children were actually taken for the sake of their welfare. Bolt has further condemned the Stolen Generation concept for actually causing harm to Aboriginal children. He says that welfare officials are now too scared of being branded racist to take children who are in danger.

==Government apology==

On 13th of February, 2008 the [[Australia|Australian Government]] formally apologized to the Aboriginal People, and specifically to the Stolen Generation, for the actions of previous governments. The text of the apology, read by Prime Minister [[Kevin Rudd]], follows:

<blockquote>
Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

</blockquote>

==Aborigines in the media==
Various Australian films have significantly changed perceptions of Aborigines.
* ''Jedda'' (1955) by the Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel. The film is most notable for being the first to star two Aboriginal actors (Robert Tudawali and Ngarla Kunoth) in the leading roles, and also to be the first Australian film shot in color.
* ''Storm Boy'' (1976) which tells of the interaction between an Anglo boy and a local Aborigine.
* ''BabaKiueria'' (1985) is a satirical role reversal that sees Aborigines landing in boats in a white settled area and taking over. The title of the film comes from the opening scene where, when asked what place this is, a white man explains that it is a "barbecue area". The film won a Nobel Peace award
* ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002) is an Australian film based on the book ''Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence'' by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It concerns the author's mother, and two other young mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from a residential school that is located in Moore River Native Settlement, north of [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]], in which they were placed in 1931, in order to return to their Aboriginal families. The film follows the girls as they trek/walk for nine weeks along 2,400km (1,500 miles) of the Australian [[rabbit]]-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong.
* ''Ten Canoes'' (2006) by Rolf de Heer. The film is narrated in English by David Gulpilil; all protagonists speak in indigenous languages, with English subtitles.

David Gulpilil is recognized as a very important Australian Aboriginal actor, whose work has changed perceptions of Aborigines. His films have been:

* ''Walkabout'' (1971)
* ''Storm Boy'' (1976)
* ''The Last Wave'' (1977)
* ''The Right Stuff'' (1983)
* ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'' (1986)
* ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002)
* ''The Tracker'' (2002)
* ''The Proposition'' (2005)
* ''Ten Canoes'' (2006)

Stan Grant is an Aboriginal television personality who had international recognition as a presenter for [[CNN]] in [[Bejing]], [[China]] in the mid-2000s.

== External links ==

* [http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/bth_report/index.html Bringing them home: The 'Stolen Children' report (1997)], Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/stolen_generations_my_writers_festival_speech/ Stolen generations: My Melbourne Writers’ Festival speech], 5th September, 2006.
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/fisking_mannes_column/ Fisking Manne’s column], 9th December, 2006 (reply to ''The Cruelty of Denial'')
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/another_stolen_life/ Another stolen life], 19th September, 2006 (Bolt claims as a case of an aboriginal child in danger and ''not'' removed by authorities because of concerns over racism)
* Bolt, Andrew, [http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/column_truth_is_what_was_stolen/ Truth is what was stolen], ''Herald Sun'', 8th February, 2008.
* Manne, Robert, [http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/manne1.pdf Stolen Generations Debate, with Andrew Bolt], 3rd September, 2006.
* Manne, Robert, [http://www.theage.com.au/news/robert-manne/the-cruelty-of-denial/2006/09/08/1157222325367.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 The Cruelty of Denial], The Age, 9th December, 2006.

== See also ==
* [[Great Flood]] (which mentions some aboriginal flood stories)
[[Category:Australia]]

Julia Gillard

2012-09-19T14:42:13Z

TonyABC:

{{PM
|name=Julia Eileen Gillard
|image=
|partner=Tim Mathieson
|party=Australian Labor Party
|dob=29 September
|yob=1961
|age={{age|1961|9|29}}
|birthplace=Barry, Wales
|succ={{Succession
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|start-date=23 June
|start-year=2010
|end-date=
|end-year=
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}}{{Succession
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'''Julia Gillard''' is the 27th [[Prime Minister]] of [[Australia]] and parliamentary leader of the [[Australian Labor Party]], having succeeded [[Kevin Rudd]] upon his resignation on June 24, 2010. She previously served as deputy prime minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in Rudd's cabinet.

Gillard called a Federal election for 21st August 2010 to try and achieve a mandate in her own right. The election was much closer than expected and almost resulted in a hung parlaiment. After three weeks of negotiations she was able to form a government with a majority of 2 seats, making her the first elected female Australian Prime Minister.

Her government is formed in the House of Representative of the Parliament of Australia as a coalition of seventy-two members of the [[Australian Labour Party]], one [[Green Party]] member and three independants (a total of 76 seats), while the opposition is a coalition of the [[Liberal Party of Australia]] (44 seats), Liberal-National Queensland (21), the [[National Party]] (7), one Country Liberal and one independant.

Gillard's [[liberal]] Labour Party Government is the most unpopular for 15 years, largely due to her misguided attempt at a [[carbon]] tax to combat "[[climate change]]".<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8458215/Julia-Gillards-Labor-government-most-unpopular-for-15-years.html</ref> Labour popularity slipped as since slipped even further since theirs change in stance to support [[gay marriage]] and other agendas. Gillard is herself a rumored lesbian, having never married nor had children and being currently attached to a male hairdresser.<ref>http://corpau.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/julia-gillard-australias-first-lesbian.html?m=1</ref>

==Professional training and public life==
Gillard is a [[lawyer]] by profession, and served as a lawyer for a [[trade union]] before entering politics.

She won the Federal parlamentary seat for the Division of Lalor (in south-western suburban [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria]]) on 3 October 1998, and has served (in [[Opposition]]) as:
* Shadow Minister for Population and Immigration: 2001–2003
* Shadow Minister for Health: 2003–06
* Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1 December 2006
then, in government, as:
* Deputy Prime Minister: 2007–10
* Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
* Prime Minister from 24 June 2010

===2010 leadership grab===
On 23 June 2010, Prime Minister [[Kevin Rudd]] called a press conference announcing that a leadership ballot of the [[Australian Labor Party]] would occur on the morning of 24 June 2010, with the candidates being himself and Deputy Prime Minister [[Julia Gillard]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By James Grubel, ABC Online News |url=http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/30275/20100623/australia-pm-rudd-calls-leadership-ballot.htm |title=Australia PM Rudd calls leadership ballot |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=23 June 2010 |accessdate=28 December 2010}}</ref> This followed weeks of speculation that senior members of the ALP were beginning to lose confidence in Rudd and would back Gillard in replacing him if necessary. By the eve of the election, it was obvious that Rudd didn't have enough support to remain ALP leader and Prime Minister. After personal discussions between Gillard and Rudd later in the evening, Gillard returned with an ultimatum. After this late-night meeting, Rudd withdrew his candidacy and resigned as party leader, leaving Gillard to take the leadership unopposed. Gillard was then sworn in as Australia's 27th Prime Minister by Governor-General [[Quentin Bryce]] and became Australia's first female Prime Minister on 24 June 2010, with Treasurer [[Wayne Swan]] being appointed Deputy Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite web|author=By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm |title=Gillard ousts Rudd in Bloodless coup |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=24 June 2010 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> This set the scene for fluctuating polling figures and a gradual decline in Gillard's relative popularity compared to both Rudd and the Leader of the Opposition, [[Tony Abbott]].<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-24/gillard-and-rudd-rivalry-history/3847676 Gillard and Rudd: How it came to this], [[ABC Online]], 24 February 2012</ref>

===2012 leadership battle===
On 23 February 2012, she announced that she would declare vacant the position of party lerader at a meeting of the elected members on 27 February 2012, thus inviting other members to offer themselves for the office of Prime Minister. This followd the dramatic resignation earlier in the day (in Washingtom DC) by Kevin Rudd, who claimed that she was not backing him as Foreign Minister.

Gillard portrayed Rudd as “chaotic” and dysfunctional” as Prime Minister and implied that Rudd viewed the ballot process as "an episode of Celebrity Big Brother".<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/julia-gillard-calls-leadership-vote-as-kevin-rudd-states-his-case-for-a-return-as-pm/story-fnccyr6m-1226279143768 Julia Gillard calls leadership vote as Kevin Rudd states his case for a return as PM], Ben Packham and Lanai Vasek, [[The Australian]], 24 February 2012</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=February 24, 2012 9:23AM |url=http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/debate-about-leadership-not-an-episode-of-celebrity-big-brother-says-prime-minister/story-e6frfku0-1226280224436 |title=Debate about leadership 'not an episode of Celebrity Big Brother', says Prime Minister |publisher=News.com.au |date= |accessdate=2012-02-24}}</ref> Rudd called for "people power" to support his run for the prime ministership, and accused Gillard of betraying him in 2010, calling it a [[coup]], and questioned Gillard's trustworthiness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17150602 |title=Australia leadership: Rudd and Gillard set for showdown |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2010-06-24 |accessdate=2012-02-24}}</ref>

==Personal Life==
Gillard lives in the official residence of the Prime Minister, "The Lodge", with her partner, Tim Mathieson, a hairdresser by profession. They have lived together since 2006. She had previous relationships with several [[trade union]] officials and a fellow Federal Labor Member of Parliament. She has never married and has no children.

While Gillard was brought up in the Baptist tradition, she now professes to have not religious belief.

==References==
<references/>http://www.pm.gov.au/your-pm

[[Category:Australian Prime Ministers]]
[[Category:Australian Politicians]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillard, Julia}}

Julia Gillard

2012-09-19T14:39:21Z

TonyABC:

{{PM
|name=Julia Eileen Gillard
|image=
|partner=Tim Mathieson
|party=Australian Labor Party
|dob=29 September
|yob=1961
|age={{age|1961|9|29}}
|birthplace=Barry, Wales
|succ={{Succession
|hdg=Prime Minister
|start-date=23 June
|start-year=2010
|end-date=
|end-year=
|prev=Kevin Rudd
|next=
}}{{Succession
|hdg=Labor Party leader
|start-date=24 June
|start-year=2010
|end-date=
|end-year=
|prev=Kevin Rudd
|next=
}}
}}

'''Julia Gillard''' is the 27th [[Prime Minister]] of [[Australia]] and parliamentary leader of the [[Australian Labor Party]], having succeeded [[Kevin Rudd]] upon his resignation on June 24, 2010. She previously served as deputy prime minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in Rudd's cabinet.

Gillard called a Federal election for 21st August 2010 to try and achieve a mandate in her own right. The election was much closer than expected and almost resulted in a hung parlaiment. After three weeks of negotiations she was able to form a government with a majority of 2 seats, making her the first elected female Australian Prime Minister.

Her government is formed in the House of Representative of the Parliament of Australia as a coalition of seventy-two members of the [[Australian Labour Party]], one [[Green Party]] member and three independants (a total of 76 seats), while the opposition is a coalition of the [[Liberal Party of Australia]] (44 seats), Liberal-National Queensland (21), the [[National Party]] (7), one Country Liberal and one independant.

Gillard's [[liberal]] Labour Party Government is the most unpopular for 15 years, largely due to her misguided attempt at a [[carbon]] tax to combat "[[climate change]]".<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8458215/Julia-Gillards-Labor-government-most-unpopular-for-15-years.html</ref> Labour popularity slipped as since slipped even further since theirs change in stance to support [[gay marriage]] and other agendas. Gillard is herself a rumored lesbian, having never married nor had children and being currently attached to a male hairdresser.

==Professional training and public life==
Gillard is a [[lawyer]] by profession, and served as a lawyer for a [[trade union]] before entering politics.

She won the Federal parlamentary seat for the Division of Lalor (in south-western suburban [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria]]) on 3 October 1998, and has served (in [[Opposition]]) as:
* Shadow Minister for Population and Immigration: 2001–2003
* Shadow Minister for Health: 2003–06
* Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1 December 2006
then, in government, as:
* Deputy Prime Minister: 2007–10
* Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
* Prime Minister from 24 June 2010

===2010 leadership grab===
On 23 June 2010, Prime Minister [[Kevin Rudd]] called a press conference announcing that a leadership ballot of the [[Australian Labor Party]] would occur on the morning of 24 June 2010, with the candidates being himself and Deputy Prime Minister [[Julia Gillard]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By James Grubel, ABC Online News |url=http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/30275/20100623/australia-pm-rudd-calls-leadership-ballot.htm |title=Australia PM Rudd calls leadership ballot |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=23 June 2010 |accessdate=28 December 2010}}</ref> This followed weeks of speculation that senior members of the ALP were beginning to lose confidence in Rudd and would back Gillard in replacing him if necessary. By the eve of the election, it was obvious that Rudd didn't have enough support to remain ALP leader and Prime Minister. After personal discussions between Gillard and Rudd later in the evening, Gillard returned with an ultimatum. After this late-night meeting, Rudd withdrew his candidacy and resigned as party leader, leaving Gillard to take the leadership unopposed. Gillard was then sworn in as Australia's 27th Prime Minister by Governor-General [[Quentin Bryce]] and became Australia's first female Prime Minister on 24 June 2010, with Treasurer [[Wayne Swan]] being appointed Deputy Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite web|author=By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm |title=Gillard ousts Rudd in Bloodless coup |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=24 June 2010 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> This set the scene for fluctuating polling figures and a gradual decline in Gillard's relative popularity compared to both Rudd and the Leader of the Opposition, [[Tony Abbott]].<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-24/gillard-and-rudd-rivalry-history/3847676 Gillard and Rudd: How it came to this], [[ABC Online]], 24 February 2012</ref>

===2012 leadership battle===
On 23 February 2012, she announced that she would declare vacant the position of party lerader at a meeting of the elected members on 27 February 2012, thus inviting other members to offer themselves for the office of Prime Minister. This followd the dramatic resignation earlier in the day (in Washingtom DC) by Kevin Rudd, who claimed that she was not backing him as Foreign Minister.

Gillard portrayed Rudd as “chaotic” and dysfunctional” as Prime Minister and implied that Rudd viewed the ballot process as "an episode of Celebrity Big Brother".<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/julia-gillard-calls-leadership-vote-as-kevin-rudd-states-his-case-for-a-return-as-pm/story-fnccyr6m-1226279143768 Julia Gillard calls leadership vote as Kevin Rudd states his case for a return as PM], Ben Packham and Lanai Vasek, [[The Australian]], 24 February 2012</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=February 24, 2012 9:23AM |url=http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/debate-about-leadership-not-an-episode-of-celebrity-big-brother-says-prime-minister/story-e6frfku0-1226280224436 |title=Debate about leadership 'not an episode of Celebrity Big Brother', says Prime Minister |publisher=News.com.au |date= |accessdate=2012-02-24}}</ref> Rudd called for "people power" to support his run for the prime ministership, and accused Gillard of betraying him in 2010, calling it a [[coup]], and questioned Gillard's trustworthiness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17150602 |title=Australia leadership: Rudd and Gillard set for showdown |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2010-06-24 |accessdate=2012-02-24}}</ref>

==Personal Life==
Gillard lives in the official residence of the Prime Minister, "The Lodge", with her partner, Tim Mathieson, a hairdresser by profession. They have lived together since 2006. She had previous relationships with several [[trade union]] officials and a fellow Federal Labor Member of Parliament. She has never married and has no children.

While Gillard was brought up in the Baptist tradition, she now professes to have not religious belief.

==References==
<references/>http://www.pm.gov.au/your-pm

[[Category:Australian Prime Ministers]]
[[Category:Australian Politicians]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillard, Julia}}