Alexander - perhaps I can throw a little light in the dilemma of 'where is Julia?' While researching for a degree I looked at whether women were presented in the media in equal proportions to men. They were not. In fact they were reported at less than 25%. I found a most surprising thing - even high profile women often don't rate a mention, even on quite important issues. Men are given preference, even if it means reporting on quite trivial matters. Even when women do rate a mention, often the mention is so trivialised as to be demeaning, by mentioning the colour of hair, lipstick, dress, etc. For confirmation I can refer you to some women in politics who can tell you some quite horrifying stories of their issues being ignored by the media. Perhaps Alexander, you should be approaching this from a different angle and ask why the media is not reporting on the factors Julia Gillard raises. Therein, perhaps, you will find the solution to your question.

Who?

All these comments confirm how difficult it is for women in Australian politics today. The macho men in both major parties attack women because they fear that one day a woman like Julia may even become PM.
Then we would see a change from all this waste and pork barrelling.

Women have learned over the years to budget well because they have always had less money than men to manage.
Stop this attack on Julia.
The unions are real macho as is business.
Julia has an uphill battle trying to work with these narrow thinking men. Why don't they all stop their winging
Good luck Julia we are with you
Mary J

Uncharacteristically, I bought the 'Courier-Mail' yesterday, and lo and behold! - its editorial parrotted parts of this article. Strangely, on the day this article appeared on OLO I heard Julia Gillard interviewed on Radio National, and again yesterday.

Could it be that the strategy is for Ms Gillard to talk to the intelligent media and for Rudd to deal with the rest?

Both my wife and myself adore Julia Gillard. We like her feisty response when interviewed. Even how, when interviewed by ABC Lateline Tony Jones she managed not to answer the question, despite being asked several times. And, I for one view she is a 100% politician. After all, regardless of my writings to her about WorkChoices, etc, she doesn’t respond. Not even acknowledge my correspondence. Now, that is a 100% politician conduct. Considering that her electorate is next to the electorate I reside, it might be too far for her to use public transport. Oops, she doesn’t, and obviously hasn’t even discovered the invention of the telephone. The problem with voting for John Howard is that he sees this as an approval of his evil deeds. In that regard Labour might be the better of two evils.
My blog at http://au.360.yahoo.com/profile-ijpxwMQ4dbXm0BMADq1lv8AYHknTV_QH has ample of information about what is constitutionally done wrong but I doubt either party will resolve those issues appropriately. Just consider this, if everyone vote for me to be Prime Minister, then all those votes will be deemed invalid and not counted. That way none of the political parties will get the $1.95 per primary vote. Now, that would save taxpayers about 40 million dollars!
Then again, I will again not vote, as after all I haven’t done so in the past 2 federal elections and won in Court (16-9-2006) that constitutionally they cannot force anyone to vote!