So every time a woman is given a role it is affirmative action. In the case of Julia Gillard that is bunkum. She was clearly the best and most obvious candidate at the time.

Don't blame affirmative action in this case. I don't believe it had anything to do with it.

Pelican,

Not every time a woman gets a role is it affirmative action, but is is on the record that it was involved in Juliar's pre selection and cabinet position.

http://www.emilyslist.org.au/our-women/emilys-list-australia-current-members-of-parliament

There is a list of women helped into parliament by affirmative action. (note liberals are not included) "Nearly 20 years after Labor backed affirmative action for preselections, Gillard appears prominently on the EMILY's List website, declaring: "Affirmative-action targets made the Labor Party look around and canvass for women candidates.""

Juliar almost certainly would not have got pre selection, or have risen as quickly had she not been a woman. That she was involved with the unions (all be it in a dubious fashion) was another help.

That Juliar's leadership of the government is wall to wall policy failures and examples of poor judgement would indicate that if she was the best for the job, Labor's incompetence is boundless.

Shadow Minister gives us a quote from The Australian
newspaper, written by Janet Albrechtsen (no surprises
there) espousing as always the conservative point of
view.

So, just to keep things balanced the following link is
from The Sydney Morning Herald, written by Anne Summers:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/judgement-of-history-will-be-kinder-to-pm-than-tv-news-cycle-20130321-2girw.html

Anne Summers asks the question - of who do we remember as the
"perfect Prime Minister?" She states that - Gough Whitlam
is now a revered person - yet she remembers the horror of
1975, Malcolm Fraser is now an out and out leftie yet she
was in Canberra in the late 1970s when Fraser was seen as a
chaotic and divisive figure. She suggests that perhaps even
John Howard will eventually become beloved...

Summers explains that Gillard has been "unlucky enough to have
stepped up to the job under two unprecedented circumstances;
the hung parliament and the 24 hour news cycle. The absence of
parliamentary majorities is a fact of life in the US Congress
and most European parliaments. But as Summers says, "for us
it is new (at the federal level) and it means that virtually
every action the government wants to take must be
negotiated. This is portrayed as a negative - "the PM was
forced to..." Rather than as an example of the skilled
exercise of governance."

The PM has had amazing things thrown at her from Rudd's
challenge to Simon Crean's - and she's stood up to both
successfully - making them look ridiculous.

And of course Gillard's toughness and coolness under intense
pressure is an asset as Summers states, "that all Australians
of all stripes should appreciate. It's what we need in a
leader - a person who's not prone to panic."

" Being a tough female PM makes
Julia Gillard a unique target - but what has been shown is
that no matter what's been thrown at her, she stands firm.
Many might find this unpalatable especially as it contradicts
their stereotyped notion of how a woman should behave - but
my guess is that the judgement of history will be different."

dear oh dear I wonder how many more excuses the sisterhood can dream up to defend the current Emily's listers atrocious performance. They have proven to be totally out of their depth. Full of rhetoric and totally lacking in competence. Garrett and Conroy and a list of Immigration Ministers fit the outfit well.

DreamOn - Instead of hijack this thread start up your own and see if you can stand the heat when your arguments for economic refugees are shot down.

As Summers points out in the link I cited earlier:

"For Julia Gillard the judgements are so harsh they
border on the demonic."
(Read runner's post).
Never has there been a more incompetent and unreliable
leader, we're told. Yet as Summers says, " this week
marks Gillard's 1000 days as PM. She will soon have served
longer than Whitlam."

No mention is made of the impressive legislative track record
of this government.

However as Summers explained:

"The trouble is Australians are not used to such toughness
in a woman and there are plenty who feel uncomrtable with it.
Gillard's toughness and coolness under intense pressure is
an asset that all Australians of all stripes should
appreciate. It's what we need in a leader - a person who's
not prone to panic... no matter what's been thrown at her,
she stands firm. Many find this unpalatable especially as
it contradicts their stereotyped notion of how women should
behave..."

And as Summers sums up - "My guess is that the judgement of
history will be different."

BTW: As Dennis Pryor pointed out ages ago
concerning women in politics:

"Under the guise of "useful experience" women are
given every opportunity to stand for unwinnable seats
in elections. Those who get into Parliament find it
difficult to become Ministers or to get into Cabinet.
In spite of incessant rhetoric about equal opportunity
the mass of male Parliamentarians find it difficult
to equate women with positions of power..."