Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard has been a controversial figure in Australian politics for years, consistently using outlandish statements on the campaign trail to garner unprecedented support within disillusioned voters. Formerly a member of the defunct People's Alternative, a revolutionary socialist party, Gillard has shifted further to the right in the past thirty years, joining Labor in 1989. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, becoming Shadow Agriculture Minister in 2001. By the time of the Liberal National Coalition's collapse in 2004, she had risen to the position of Deputy Leader, and upon Labor's landslide loss to the rapidly growing Australian Conservatives in 2007, she was selected to succeed her mentor John Brumby as party leader. In a snap 2009 election, Gillard claimed an unprecedented victory, being elected Prime Minister with an overwhelming majority of seats. However, in recent months her popularity has plunged due to a worsening economic crisis and a growing rift with the Governor General. Australia's first female Prime Minister will have to battle against all odds to maintain her position until the next federal election.