First Gillard Ministry First Gillard Ministry The First Gillard Ministry (Labor) was the 66th ministry of the Australian government and was led by the prime minister, Julia Gillard. It succeeded the first Rudd Ministry upon its swearing in by the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, on 24 June 2010. It was replaced by the second Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010 after the 2010 election. The change in ministry followed a series of events on 23–24 June that led to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, first calling a leadership ballot within the governing Labor Party after being challenged by his deputy, Julia Gillard,
Quentin Bryce Shorten. While acknowledging her magnanimity, Abbott declined to accept her resignation and asked her to serve the rest of her term. According to him Bryce provided continuity at a time of political turbulence and she should be commended for her dedication to public service. Greg Sheridan, in the national newspaper "The Australian", suggested that the Governor-General risked "politicising and misusing the office". Sheridan was commenting on Bryce's planned trip to Africa on behalf of the Prime Minister to lobby for a seat for Australia in the United Nations Security Council. He further stated that Bryce's "feigned interest in Africa will