Australian Parliament, Image from: http://www.spiritland.net/aust_parliament.htm

I would like to say thank you for being such a strong woman and for all your achievements as our Prime Minister. I applaud your decision to have the vote yesterday and let the party finally decide what leader they want. Just a pity on the outcome, well from our perspective and also yours.

My girls who are four sat up and watched the news last night, it was late and one of my girls in particular was very upset at the outcome as I.   The girl that was most upset (there were tears and crying) her name is also Julia and she wanted to tell you that she is “Sorry that you lost your job” She wanted you to continue your term and go to the next election.  My Julia is working on some drawings to send to you, and as she said, “It will cheer Julia Gillard up” and I hope so. Now to figure out where to send them to?

It is a pity that your term has been shadowed with the leadership debate constantly. I think you are a great role model for women and girls, you have shown them that you can be prime minister if you wish, be brave, be strong, and achieve your dreams.

I’m not sure if Mr Rudd will be able the second time round to give it a good go, maybe this is just me but I feel that the way he sat in the background and undermined his own party was not good and shows his character. Again maybe it is just me. I think that the way you have handled yourself now and three years ago has been when you challenged Rudd while still prime minister it was open and honest and the party voted for you. He should have walked away from politics then and allowed you to run the country without the question of him taking the leadership back. Well that is the way I think it should have gone, sad it did not happen.

Every time a girl baby was born in our family my nana, the girls GG (yes we have a GG but it is not the Governor General, it is short for Great Grandmother), she joked that they would be the first female prime minster of Australia. I am pleased that a woman was PM but sad that my family cannot be the first now, also not sure if my kids would ever want to be a politician. As they are only four you never know it is still early days.

Thanks for all your hard work and I respect the job and way you went about it. Well done from myself and my girls.

Suzanne, Julia and Lillian.