Australia has a new prime minister - Julia Gillard, seen above in a recent photo by Raveendren/Getty. The Reuters story of the internal Labour party coup here. Bonus: she's Welsh by birth! It's the culmination of quite a record of female advancement down under:
South Australian Liberal Kay Brownbill became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives without being preceded by her husband when she won the seat of Kingston in 1966, while Joan Child became the first Labor woman member in the House when she won the Victorian electorate of Henty in 1974. South Australian senator Janine Haines became the first female leader of a major Australian party when she was elected to head the Australian Democrats on Don Chipp's retirement in 1986. Australia has had female premiers and chief ministers in Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, the ACT and Northern Territory.