As Anne Summers has noted, the media machine in Australia is well underway to rewrite history, suggesting that the first female Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, was never elected (thereby not only ignoring the 2010 election, but also erasing it from the public memory) and by attributing her government's achievements to Rudd.
In 2010, Julia Gillard won 72 seats in Parliament. Her government then secured the support of the Greens and the Independents Robb Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie resulting in her government holding 76 seats. Minority governance a legitimate means to form government. The media and Coalition's intimations that Julia Gillard was not elected Prime Minister are dangerous, as they are factually incorrect and are aimed at delegitimising Australia's first female Prime Minister.
Julia Gillard was elected and formed minority government. Her legacy should not become the political cannon fodder of an arguably biased media.
Her government was responsible for nation building reforms including the Gonski Reforms, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, The National Broadband Network and policies including The Apology for the Forced Adoptions, arranging a historic (and whilst Rudd was in power) 'impossible' agreement with China, commencing the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, amongst others.
The media has not responded with the same sense of outrage that it displayed when the elected Prime Minister was ousted in 2010. This is once again evidence of the media's hypocrisy that bedevilled Julia Gillard's leadership.
The first female Prime Minister's legacy must not be forgotten and outrage at her ousting must not be ignored.
Please sign to request that Leigh Sales and the 7:30 Report Team hold Rudd to the same standards that he used to undermine her leadership.
Australia cannot afford to have her legacy ignored.