Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister, has stood down before a leadership vote in his Labor party, paving the way for his deputy Julia Gillard to become the country's first female leader.

With opinion polls for Rudd and Labor plummeting, Rudd's erstwhile loyal deputy decided it was time for the boss to go and the prime minister chose not to stand in a party leader vote after it became clear he had lost the support of Labor MPs.

Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports. (June 24, 2010)