Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nick Bryant: Australian politics like "a soap opera directed by Tarantino" 
 
 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the man she ousted, Kevin Rudd, are contesting a party leadership vote. 
 
 Ms Gillard called the vote after Mr Rudd's supporters sought to force a party meeting to hold a ballot. 
 
 The vote was due to begin at 19:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Both contenders have committed to stepping down if they lose. 
 
 The move comes ahead of a 14 September election, which polls suggest Labor is set to lose. 
 
 Ms Gillard toppled Mr Rudd in a leadership challenge in 2010, but he remains more popular with voters. 
 
 The Labor party has been divided by bitter in-fighting between supporters of Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd, and there has been sustained speculation over the leadership in recent weeks. 
 
 If Mr Rudd replaces Ms Gillard as prime minister, he could be forced to call an early election. 
 
 'This is it' 
 
 Julia Gillard's call came hours after news surfaced that Kevin Rudd's supporters were circulating a petition calling for a caucus meeting to vote on the party leadership. 
 
 Ms Gillard said that this was the final opportunity for the issue to be resolved. 
 
 "I have been in a contest with the leader of the opposition, but I've also been in a political contest with people from my own political party," she said. 
 
 "We cannot have the government or the Labor Party go to the next election with a person leading the Labor Party and a person floating around as the potential alternate leader." 
 
 Timeline: Julia Gillard Dec 2006 : Appointed deputy leader of Labor Party 
 
 : Appointed deputy leader of Labor Party Dec 2007 : Sworn in as deputy prime minister to PM Kevin Rudd 
 
 : Sworn in as deputy prime minister to PM Kevin Rudd Jun 2010 : Successfully challenges Mr Rudd for the leadership, becomes 27th prime minister of Australia 
 
 : Successfully challenges Mr Rudd for the leadership, becomes 27th prime minister of Australia Aug 2010 : General election results in hung parliament; forms minority government with independents 
 
 : General election results in hung parliament; forms minority government with independents Feb 2012 : Survives a leadership challenge by Mr Rudd 
 
 : Survives a leadership challenge by Mr Rudd Jan 2013 : Sets general election date of 14 September 2013 
 
 : Sets general election date of 14 September 2013 Mar 2013 : Leadership ballot called but Mr Rudd does not contest 
 
 : Leadership ballot called but Mr Rudd does not contest June 2013: Calls another leadership ballot after Mr Rudd's supporters attempt to force a vote Profile: Julia Gillard Profile: Kevin Rudd 
 
 "Anybody who enters the ballot tonight should do it on the following conditions: that if you win you're Labor leader, that if you lose you retire from politics." 
 
 "This is it, tonight is the night," she said. "I wouldn't be putting myself forward unless I had a degree of confidence." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Mr Rudd told reporters that he intended to run. "For the nation's sake I believe it's time for this matter to be resolved," he said. 
 
 "I believe with all my heart that I owe it to the Australian people to offer them a viable alternative." 
 
 He added that he believed the Labor party was "on course for a catastrophic defeat unless there is change". 
 
 "If I lose, of course I would announce that I would not contest the next election and I thank Julia for making the same commitment." 
 
 Mr Rudd would need the support of at least 52 of Labor's 102 MPs in order to oust Ms Gillard. 
 
 In March Mr Rudd declined to contest a leadership vote and said afterwards that there were "no circumstances" under which he would seek the top job. 
 
 Nonetheless speculation that he could return had persisted amid polling showing he could deliver a better outcome for Labor in the election. 
 
 A poll published earlier this month suggested that three cabinet ministers would lose their seats under Ms Gillard, but would retain their seats if Mr Rudd was leading the party. 
 
 Tony Abbott leads the opposition coalition, which polls suggest is currently on course for a convincing win. 
 
 Earlier on Wednesday, Tony Abbott challenged Ms Gillard to bring forward the election date to 3 August, and said that "paralysis" was gripping the government. ||||| She visited Governor-General Quentin Bryce late on Wednesday night. Prime Minister Julia Gillard arrives for the leadership ballot. She is standing down after losing to Kevin Rudd. Credit:Andrew Meares "Three years ago I had the very great honour of being elected as Labor leader ... This privilege was truly humbling," she said. Ms Gillard said she had faced a minority Parliament and internal divisision within Labor during her time as Prime Minister. "It has not been an easy environment to work in," she said. 
 
 Ms Gillard also commented about the fact that she has been Australia's first female prime minister. Winner: Kevin Rudd. Credit:Andrew Meares She said that the reaction to her being the first woman to serve in the position did not explain everything about her prime ministership. But, she said, "it explains some things". Ms Gillard said she was proud of her government's achievements, nominating the school funding reforms - which passed the Senate on Wednesday, establishing the Royal Commission on Child Abuse, a price on carbon and the introduction of DisabilityCare as highlights. Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese was elected deputy Labor leader at the special meeting, defeating Simon Crean 61 votes to 38 with three informal votes. 
 
 Senior ministers quit There was no spill for deputy leader however Treasurer Wayne Swan resigned from the position. Gillard backers Climate Change Minister Greg Combet, Trade Minister Craig Emerson, Communications Minister and Senate leader Stephen Conroy, School Education Minister Peter Garrett and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig have also resigned from the front bench. Mr Emerson and Mr Garrett also announced they will not contest their seats at the electon. Mr Rudd was elected after Ms Gillard called a ballot in a television interview on Wednesday, following reports first published by Fairfax Media that supporters of Mr Rudd were circulating a caucus petition to allow a challenge for the prime ministership. 
 
 It also came after Workplace Minister Bill Shorten made the dramatic announcement, less than 30 minutes before the ballot, that he had swapped his support from Ms Gillard to Mr Rudd. Mr Shorten - who played a key role in the dumping of Mr Rudd as prime minister in 2010 - has been under sustained pressure in recent weeks to switch his allegiance. Senator Penny Wong has been voted as Senate leader, following Senator Conroy's resignation. Rudd praises Gillard's 'strength' Addressing reporters in Canberra on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd said he resumed his old job with ''humility, with honour, and with an important sense of energy and purpose''. 
 
 The new Labor leader praised Ms Gillard as a ''remarkable reformer'', describing her as a woman of great intelligence, strength and energy. But Mr Rudd said that in recent years politics had failed the Australian people. ''There has just been too much negativity all round,'' he said. Mr Rudd said he was taking on the challenge of the Labor leadership for a simple reason. ''I simply do not have it in my nature to stand idly by and to allow an Abbott government to come to power in this country by default,'' he said. 
 
 Mr Rudd said that his government would work "very closely" with business. "We have been natural partners in the past, we can be again in the future." He also had a special word for young people, urging them to re-engage with politics. "I understand why you have switched off. It is hardly a surprise,” he said. “But I want to ask you to please come back and listen afresh." Election date 
 
 It is unclear whether Mr Rudd will stick to Ms Gillard's schedule of a September 14 election or go earlier. The earliest date Mr Rudd can call an election is August 3. Coalition MPs met on Thursday night for a special party room meeting. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday night that what mattered now was to have an election "as soon as possible". "It's now up to Mr Rudd to say when the election will be," he said. When asked if he would consider moving a no-confidence motion on Thursday, Mr Abbott replied: "I'm not interested in playing parliamentary games." 
 
 Mr Abbott said that "yet again the power brokers of the Labor Party have changed the prime ministership of our country". "I want to say directly to the people of Australia, you deserve better than this," he said. Mr Abbott also observed: "Just a couple of simple facts: in 2007, you voted for Kevin and got Julia. In 2010, you voted for Julia and got Kevin. If you vote for the Labor Party in 2013, who knows who you'll end up with." Mr Rudd is only Labor leader - not prime minister - until the Govenor-General commissions him as such. He is expected to visit Government House on Thursday morning. Constitutional questions 
 
 His election as leader raises constitutional questions, given the Labor minority government. Earlier on Wednesday, key independent Tony Windsor suggested that he would not support Mr Rudd if he was returned as Labor leader. Other crossbenchers Adam Bandt, Rob Oakeshott and Peter Slipper have not said if they would support a no-confidence vote against Mr Rudd on the floor of the House of Representatives. However, other independents Craig Thomson, Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie have indicated they would back Mr Rudd. In a statement on Wednesday night, Mr Wilkie said he had written to Mr Rudd indicating he would give him "confidence in the House of Representatives in the event that her excellency the Governor-General commissions him as prime minister." "It's not my business to takes sides in the Labor Party leadership." 
 
 On Wednesday night, Greens leader Christine Milne said her party would be watching what happened in the next 24 hours. Loading "Clearly there will have to be visits to the Governor-General. She will have to make decisions in these circumstances. And we will be observing and considering what happens in the next 24 hours," she said. Follow the National Times on Twitter ||||| SYDNEY, Australia — Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday survived an effort by a senior lawmaker within her own party to oust her from her job, after her predecessor Kevin Rudd , whom she deposed in a 2010 party coup, unexpectedly declined to run against her. 
 
 Also on Thursday, Ms. Gillard issued the Australian national government’s first public apology for a decades-long policy of forced adoptions that ended only in the 1970s. Tens of thousands of babies are believed to have been taken by the state — many of them from unmarried, often teenage mothers — and given to childless married couples as part of the policy. 
 
 Governments, churches, hospitals and even charities sanctioned the widespread practice, in which many mothers were tricked into signing adoption papers under the influence of drugs. Speaking to a crowd of victims during a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, Ms. Gillard apologized for the policy. 
 
 “Today, this Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, takes responsibility and apologizes for the policies and practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies, which created a lifelong legacy of pain and suffering,” she said. “We deplore the shameful practices that denied you, the mothers, your fundamental rights and responsibilities to love and care for your children.” 
 
 Ms. Gillard had accepted a public demand for a leadership vote put forward earlier in the day by Simon Crean, a cabinet minister and former leader of the governing Labor Party. Mr. Crean had said that the party, which has been languishing in the polls for months, had the best chance of prevailing in September elections only by returning Mr. Rudd to office. 
 
 But Mr. Rudd declined to challenge Ms. Gillard for the leadership, citing an earlier promise not to do so unless he had overwhelming support within the party and the position was vacant. His decision shocked the political and media establishment, which had all but declared Mr. Rudd the winner despite his not having put his hand, and it raised more questions than it answered about his role in the day’s developments. 
 
 “This is a difficult day for the Australian Labor Party — a difficult day for the Australian government, but I take my word seriously,” Mr. Rudd told reporters just before the vote, explaining why he would not challenge Ms. Gillard. “I’ve given that word, I gave it solemnly in that room after the last ballot, and I will adhere to that word today.” 
 
 The vote was held as scheduled, and Ms. Gillard was re-elected unopposed. But the day of high political drama gave rise to serious questions about what impact the spectacle would have on Labor’s ailing political fortunes, and on those of the deeply unpopular Ms. Gillard as she pushes ahead with her campaign. 
 
 Ms. Gillard, Australia’s first female prime minister, has seen her poll ratings plummet since announcing in January that federal elections would be held in September. The unusually early announcement kicked off an election season that has already been bruising, and the latest move against her from within her own party is unlikely to help her brand. 
 
 She has led a tenuous minority government since her parliamentary majority was diminished in a disappointing 2010 election. Although she beat back a leadership challenge from Mr. Rudd early in 2012, she has since slid in the polls against Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal-National coalition. Despite Mr. Rudd’s insistence that he would not challenge Ms. Gillard again for the leadership, his supporters had been actively canvassing the party for votes should his name be put forward during a vote like the one held Thursday. 
 
 Ms. Gillard is seen by many within the party as an ineffective campaigner who is unlikely to deliver a victory in the Sept. 14 elections. Supporters of Mr. Rudd, including Mr. Crean, had seemed confident earlier in the day. “Something needs to be done to break this deadlock,” Mr. Crean said at a hastily assembled news conference in the capital, Canberra. He said he had personally asked Ms. Gillard to hold the leadership vote — known in Australia as a “spill” — because the party had lost its way and its confidence in her leadership. 
 
 But it was Ms. Gillard and her supporters who ended the day on a confident note, declaring the question of the party’s leadership settled once and for all. 
 
 “Today the leadership of our political party — the Labor Party — has been settled and settled in the most conclusive fashion possible,” Ms. Gillard told reporters. “The whole business is completely at an end. The government has a plan for the nation’s future. We have plenty of work to be getting on with, and we will be getting on with it in a few minutes’ time.” 
 
 Mr. Abbott, the opposition leader, appeared unconvinced that Labor’s infighting was over. He called on Ms. Gillard to end the cycle of instability within her party by calling an early election and letting the voters decide who should lead. 
 
 “This has been a remarkable and bizarre day in the history of this Parliament,” he said at a news conference. “The civil war goes on. The civil war will continue as long as Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are in Parliament. The only way to give our country the good government that we so badly need right now is to have an election. 
 
 “If the prime minister was less concerned about herself and her own survival, there would be an election,” Mr. Abbott said. 
 
 John Wanna, a professor of political science at Australian National University in Canberra, said Thursday’s developments suggested that the current government was, on a scale of 1 to 10, in “the high nines” in terms of dysfunction. 
 
 “I mean, some individual ministers are quite competent in their portfolios, but as a government it’s totally dysfunctional,” he said in an interview. 
 
 Professor Wanna said that despite Thursday’s outcome, there remained a strong likelihood that Mr. Rudd’s supporters would try to stage another challenge before the elections.
– The long struggle between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd for leadership of Australia's Labor Party—and subsequently Australia—is finally over, with Rudd defeating Gillard to take the reins once again. Rudd won a party caucus vote 57 to 45, after Gillard—who ousted Rudd as prime minister in 2010 and fought off a leadership challenge earlier this year—called for another leadership vote earlier today, amid growing internal opposition and slumping public support ahead of an election later this year, Reuters reports. "Anybody who enters the ballot tonight should do it on the following conditions: that if you win you're Labor leader, that if you lose you retire from politics," Gillard said before the vote, as per the BBC. But Rudd isn't PM again just yet—the change still has to be approved by the Governor-General (the Queen's Aussie rep), and several independent and minority party members, whose support is needed to keep the Labor Party in power, have said they will support a "no confidence" vote against Rudd, the Age reports. That would leave the country in a sticky and unprecedented political situation, reports the News, one that could see the entire Parliament dissolved or conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott being installed as PM.