Honestly surprised this got so ignored.

CANBERRA, Australia, June 24 (UPI) — Julia Gillard was sworn in Thursday as Australia’s first female prime minister after Kevin Rudd stepped aside following the loss of Labor Party support.

The ceremony at Yarralumla ended an emotional 24 hours that saw the Labor Party turn its back on Rudd and install Gillard as the nation’s 27th prime minister, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

“I asked my colleagues to make a leadership change because I believed that a good government was losing its way,” Gillard said before being sworn. “My values and beliefs have driven me to step forward to take this position as prime minister. I will lead a strong and responsible government that will take control of our future.”

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She said the government would back away from its mining tax advertising campaign, calling on the industry to do the same, ABC said. She also promised to hold an election soon so Australians could have their say about whether she should lead.