Gillard keeps power

Julia Gillard held on to power as Australia’s first female prime minister after two independent lawmakers agreed to prop up a minority Labor Party government to resolve the country’s closest election in 70 years.

“Labor is prepared to deliver stable, effective and secure government for the next three years,” Gillard, 48, told reporters in Canberra yesterday. “I know that if we fail in this solemn responsibility, we will be judged harshly when we next face the Australian people,” she added.