‘Take your best shot’: Gillard’s political timeline

No matter what you think of her or her policies, Prime Minister Julia Gillard is a fighter. She’s challenged a sitting prime minister and won, held onto power during a hung Parliament, seen off two leadership challenges, called the Opposition Leader a misogynist in a speech that echoed around the world and implemented a stack of policies along the way. Crikey maps Gillard’s political timeline …

October 3, 1998: Gillard elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Lalor.

December 4, 2006: Kevin Rudd takes over from Kim Beazley as Labor leader. Gillard takes over from Jenny Macklin as deputy Labor leader.

November 24, 2007: Rudd is elected as prime minister, with Gillard becoming deputy prime minister. Gillard also takes over as minister for education, employment and workplace relations, where she abolishes WorkChoices, establishes Fair Work Australia, introduces NAPLAN testing in schools, launches the My School website and leads the Building the Education Revolution school stimulus package.

February 13, 2008: A historic day; Rudd apologises to the stolen generation.

May 2, 2010: Rudd announces his intention to introduce a mining tax, called the Resource Super Profits Tax.

June 21, 2010: Labor’s primary vote in Newspoll hits a record low of 35%, compared with the Coalition’s 40%. Rudd’s personal approval ratings sits at 46%.

June 23, 2010: Night of the Long Knives. The “faceless men” of the Labor Party convince Gillard she must challenge Rudd. Rudd announces a ballot for the following morning.

June 24, 2010: Rudd does not stand in the Labor leadership ballot and Gillard is elected leader unopposed. She becomes the first female prime minister of Australia.

July 2, 2010: Gillard announces a new redesigned — and watered down  — mining tax, the Minerals Resources Rent Tax.

August 21, 2010: The 2010 federal election results in a hung Parliament. Gillard negotiates with the Greens and independent MPs Rob Oakeshott, Andrew Wilkie and Tony Windsor to remain in government.

November 2011: Peter Slipper resigns as Speaker after allegations of workplace s-xual harassment and an investigation into misuse of cab charges.

February 22, 2012: Rudd resigns as foreign minister, saying he doesn’t have confidence in the PM.

February 24, 2012: Rudd challenges Gillard on the Friday, saying he will call for spill on Monday.

February 27, 2012: Gillard easily maintains leadership of the ALP, 71 to 31 votes.

April 29, 2012: Labor MP Craig Thomson suspended from the Labor Party, following allegations of a misuse of funds in his time as leader of the Health Services Union.

July 1, 2012: Australia introduces a carbon tax, a deal made with the Australian Greens during the time of the hung Parliament.

October 9, 2012: After Opposition Leader Tony Abbott references shock jock Alan Jones’ slur that Gillard’s recently deceased father “died of shame”, Gillard gives a scathing speech on Abbott’s treatment of women that goes viral worldwide.

November 29, 2012: Gillard’s National Disability Insurance Scheme policy, a program that will cover 410,000 disabled Australians and will cost $15 billion a year, is introduced in to the lower house.

January 30, 2013: To end speculation, Gillard announces the 2013 federal election date will be September 14.

March 11, 2013: Newspoll has Gillard’s approval rating at 32%, disapproval at 57%.

March 12, 2013: Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announces wide-ranging media reforms, including the introduction of a public interest media advocate.

March 13, 2013: Former arts minister Simon Crean releases the National Cultural Policy, the first major arts policy and increase in arts funding by the Labor government.

March 20, 2013: The National Disability Insurance passes the Senate.

March 21, 2013: Gillard apologises in the Great Hall of Parliament House to Australian mothers and children who suffered from forced adoptions. Conroy’s media reforms are abandoned due to lack of support. After Creans calls for Gillard to hold a leadership spill, Gillard tells question time a ballot will happen at 4.30pm. At 4.20pm Rudd announces he will not be standing in the leadership ballot. No one else stands for the position of leader, and Gillard wins the ballot.