Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard has declared she’s still got some “fight” left in her, at the launch of a book by a former colleague in Sydney this morning.
Speaking at the launch of The Fights of My Life, a book by former climate change minister Greg Combet, Gillard confirmed that she would have stood aside for him.
She also told the audience, “there’s some fight left in me yet” and bemoaned the 24-hour news cycle and competitive nature of the media for now “depriving us all of context”.
Last week, Combet told the ABC’s 7:30 that Gillard had offered to stand aside if he’d gone up against Kevin Rudd in a leadership ballot. Gillard said today that when it became clear her leadership would end, she thought Combet would be the best person for the job.
Combet’s new book describes his role in major battles such as the waterfront dispute, compensation for asbestos victims and climate change.
Combet retired from politics following the 2013 election.