Challenge to Australian Prime Minister Evaporates Julia Gillard remains Australia's prime minister after she threw her job open to a leadership ballot but no one from the government was willing to run against her. Her predecessor Kevin Rudd, whom Gillard ousted in an internal party coup in 2010, had been expected to attempt to replace her. But at the last moment announced he would not contest the ballot on Thursday. Senior minister Simon Crean brought leadership unrest to a head earlier Thursday by calling on his government colleagues to sign a petition to force a ballot if Gillard refused to call one.