Gillard vows to stay on as PM

AUSTRALIAN prime minister Julia Gillard has vowed to battle on as leader of her unpopular government, dismissing media reports that some of her own lawmakers had lost faith in her after a fresh policy setback this week.

In one of her worst weeks in politics, Gillard had to fend off leadership speculation after a court on Wednesday rejected her plan to send asylum-seekers to Malaysia.

“I’m not going anywhere. I have too much to do,” Gillard told Sky TV, barely a year after the ruling Labour Party sacked her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, in a coup.

Asked if she had been approached about stepping down, she replied: “No.”