Gillard to take on leadership ballot call

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard threw open her job to a leadership ballot today in response to reports that supporters of her intra-party rival Kevin Rudd were gearing up to challenge her.

Ms Gillard said there will be a ballot of lawmakers in the ruling Labour Party at 7pm (9am Irish Time).

Mr Rudd has not yet said whether he will challenge Ms Gillard, who ousted him as prime minister in 2010.

He previously had ruled out such a challenge unless he was assured of the overwhelming support of his colleagues.

Opinion polls show that the party could face huge losses in elections set for September, but that Mr Rudd would be a more popular leader than Ms Gillard.

“I wouldn’t be putting myself forward unless I had a degree of confidence about the support of my parliamentary colleagues,” Ms Gillard said.

While not mentioning Mr Rudd by name, she said the loser of the ballot should quit Parliament at the election. She said it was not right to have a “person floating around as the potential alternative prime minister”.

Ms Gillard’s announcement followed media reports that a petition was circulating among the 102 Labour Party lawmakers.

A special party meeting to discuss a leadership ballot would have been called if at least 34 lawmakers – 30 per cent – signed that petition, but her announcement eliminated that step.

Mr Rudd’s supporters are desperate to have a ballot before Parliament rises for the last time on Thursday ahead of elections set for September 14.

Opinion polls suggest Labour could lose about half of its 71 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, where parties form the government.

Mr Rudd had been a popular prime minister who started sliding in the polls when Ms Gillard, his then deputy, challenged him to a leadership ballot three years ago.

He did not contest the ballot when he became aware of the level of Ms Gillard’s support and she became prime minister unopposed.

Weeks later, Ms Gillard led Labour to a narrow election victory and formed an unpopular minority government with the support of independent lawmakers and a legislator from the minor Greens party.

In a 2012 ballot, Ms Gillard easily defeated Mr Rudd 71 votes to 31. In February, she threw open her job to a leadership ballot to end leadership speculation, but Mr Rudd refused to challenge and she remained prime minister.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott challenged Ms Gillard on Wednesday to bring forward the election to August 3 because of the new wrangling over leadership.

“Given the paralysis now gripping her government and irreconcilable differences in her party over its leadership, will she bring forward the election date to August 3 and let the people decide who should run our country?” Mr Abbott asked in Parliament.

Before announcing the leadership ballot, Ms Gillard replied that she continued to govern effectively.

“I can assure him (Abbott) and I can assure the Australian people that as prime minister I am getting on with the job,” she said.