Mum opinion: farewell Ms Gillard:

So Australia’s first woman Prime Minister has ‘died by the sword’ almost the same way as she ‘lived by the sword’.

I read and listen to so many women – supposedly more qualified in politics than me – who write about Julia Gillard, but one basic fact seems to get forgotten by the so-called expert political comentators. Three years ago, Ms Gillard went to the Prime Minister and said “Move aside, Kevin, I’ve got the numbers and no-one wants you.”

The next morning she told us it was a “good government that had lost its way” and she would make a difference. Momentarily, she got a lift in the polls.

But it was never explained to us just why it was that the majority of the Labor Caucus wanted Kevin Rudd gone - other than some of them found him difficult to work with.

As a Queenslander, I’m well aware that Kevin Rudd has a different private persona to his public profile. Many people do.

The fact is, Julia Gillard might well have survived as Prime Minister if she had been a good Prime Minister.

In my opinion, she wasn’t. In my opinion, she was ‘promoted’ beyond her level of competence.

As a teacher of 35 years+ standing, I believe she was a good Education Minister.

She liked to blame Kevin Rudd and the alleged misogyny of Tony Abbott for her Prime Ministership lacking credibility. But her downfall is entirely of her own making.

Time-after-time she made errors of policy, errors of communication and errors of judgement.

I admire the fact that she is confident, assured, stoic and tough. But Ms Gillard showed that she didn’t have the leadership ‘nous’ and didn’t have the judgement or graviitas to be in the top job.

The sad thing is, if she had just hung in there and supported Mr Rudd a little over three years ago, the Rudd/Gillard combination might have been a very good government.

I am pleased that, at least, we will have a more competitive election. I do not think Kevin Rudd can bring Labor back to a winnable position but I do think he will reduce their losses. A competitive Opposition is important to democracy.

I am also glad to see some Ministers go. I thought the commentary of some Federal MPs last year when the first ballot was held between Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd was nothing short of vile. There are many people I have worked with over the years who I don't like, but I would never, ever speak about them privately, let alone publicly, the way they did of Kevin Rudd. It was such an unedifying example of how not to behave. 

Julia Gillard was talked about - and to - appallingly by some people. Shame on them. 

Nonetheless, despite some big policy achievements such as the national disability insurance scheme and Gonski, as an 'ordinary Australian' who is a teacher, a union member, wife, mother, grandother and quilter, her time as Prime Minister will be remembered by me for three things:

1. Her part in ‘knifing’ a popularly elected Prime Minister in his first term
2. For trying to make the issue about gender and class, and
3. Her inability to talk to or understand most of we ordinary people.

She will always hold the title and honour of being 'Australia's first female Prime Minister'. I wish Ms Gillard well in her future endeavours.