Julia Gillard
At first Rudd said he would challenge Gillard at the meeting. However, hours before the vote, he resigned as leader when he knew that he did not have enough support to defeat Gillard. She won the election unopposed and became Australia's 27th Prime Minister.  At the same meeting the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, was elected unopposed to succeed Gillard as Labor's deputy leader, and hence Deputy Prime Minister. Gillard said that "It is my intention to lead a government that is focused each and every day on meeting the needs of working families around the country". She said "I came to the view that a good government was losing its way".