Gillard retains Labor Party leadership. Here's how it all went down...

We are closing our rolling coverage of the ALP leadership spill now at 6.00pm. A summary of how it all went down is below, for any of you who were busy working or looking after kids and missed the whole thing.

For those who’ve been hanging out with us since early this afternoon, it’s been fun and a whole lot of hype for nothing, huh?

5.51pm: Leader of the Greens, Christine Milne speaks with journalists in the press gallery, claiming credit for every reform the parliament has passed this year.

The Greens call on ‘the Labor Party backroom boys’ to get out of the way, so the parliament can get on with delivering the reforms it needs to.

Milne dodges questions about whether she will guarantee supply for the current Government. Adam Bandt, the Greens only member of the House of Representatives says that the Greens won’t ‘do anything to advance Tony Abbott’s cause’.

Milne expresses how sad it is that the apology to families who experienced forced adoption has been forgotten in the midst of this political disruption. She makes the excellent point that a very important day for these people, has been overshadowed.

5.35pm: Tony Abbott says “the minority Government is an experiment that has failed.”

5.30pm: Tony Abbott, Julie Bishop and Warren Truss stand up in front of their campaign banner. They are firmly on election footing. Tony Abbott says: “It doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be as bad as this…. We are ready…”

5.20pm: Tony Abbott to hold a press conference in 10 minutes time.

5.19pm: Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan end their press conference without taking questions.

5.18pm: “There was strong support in the party room for the Prime Minister today” says Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan. “Today’s result does end these matters once and for all.”

5.17pm: “The whole business is completely at an end. It has ended now,” said Ms Gillard.

5.15pm: Prime Minister Gillard looks completely exhausted as she addresses members of the Canberra Press Gallery and begins to outline her policy plans for the future.

5.08pm: Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan about to hold a press conference in Canberra.

4:52: Chief Whip, Joel Fitzgibbon will consider his position over the next six weeks and has signaled he is open to resigning his position. He has been a public Rudd supporter this week.

4.49: Julia Gillard remains the leader of the Labor party and the Prime Minister. Well, there you go.

4.45: A spokesman for the caucus has confirmed that the leadership spill was called at the meeting. Julia Gillard was the only person nominated for the position.

4.27pm: And now we wait…

4.26pm: Anothony Albanese says Kevin Rudd has made the right decision, in the party’s interests. Kevin will only be a candidate for leadership, not through a divisive ballot but through the circumstances where the overwhelming numbers of the party sought to draft him to the position.

Albanese – widely considered as a Rudd supporter – says he will never participate in a spill against a sitting Prime Minister. He says Kevin Rudd has been consistent in his position. He declares that Julia Gillard will remain the Prime Minister.

4.21pm: Kevin Rudd has headed into the caucus meeting and says he won’t stand in the challenge for the leadership. We have ALL THE QUESTIONS.

Will someone else put their hand up? Bill Shorten? Simon Crean? Will the caucus shift the necessary ‘overwhelming support’ to Kevin Rudd? Did Simon Crean press ahead too early?

4.19pm: Kevin Rudd gives a corridor press conference in Parliament House. Says he doesn’t have the overwhelming support of the caucus, and he won’t be contesting the leadership. Says he ‘takes his word seriously’ that he wouldn’t run unless drafted with overwhelming support behind his leadership.

4.07pm: The BBC asks “Is Canberra the most brutal political culture in the democratic world?” Ah…. hmm.

4.04pm: Joe Ludwig publicly confirms his support for Gillard.

4.01pm: Labor power broker Graham Richardson says there is no question that Kevin Rudd will put his name forward in the leadership ballot at 4.30pm.

3.55pm: To be absolutely clear, Kevin Rudd has still not confirmed whether or not he will stand for the leadership.

3.54pm: Labor MP Mike Kelly retweets a media release that says “Australia’s fisheries management boosted by root and branch review”. Indeed. Some things CANNOT WAIT.

3.51pm: David Speers, chief political reporter for Sky News says MPs Ed Husic, Tony Zappia, Richard Marles and Stephen Jones are amongst those in Kevin Rudd’s office, urging him to run.

3.49pm: The very powerful NSW right faction are reportedly backing Kevin Rudd. Although NSW Right boss and Secretary of the NSW ALP Sam Dastyari has denied on Twitter that he ordered his faction to vote for Rudd.

3.47pm: Mamamia Editorial team making themselves sick with stress and M&Ms.

3.43pm: Labor members are hurriedly on the phones, trying to sure up votes. Julia Gillard has (tactically, no doubt) set a very short time frame between calling this vote and the actual meeting.

3.38pm: Latika Bourke at the ABC reports that there are 20 MPs in Kevin Rudd’s office urging him to run for the leadership. He is still yet to declare that he will contest the leadership ballot.

3.35pm: Commentators all refusing to call the likely outcome of this ballot because the numbers are considered to be so close.

3.32pm: There are 102 members of the Labor Caucus. Two of them are overseas and unable to vote. This means the new leader will require 51 votes to be victorious. Nice and easy maths – a good thing, given that everyone seems to be struggling with the counting today.

3.31pm: A thunderstorm is about to break out in Canberra, rain will come pouring down. This is not a metaphor. Take your umbrella if you’re heading outside Canberrans!

3.28pm: Strategist Bruce Hawker says that the Gillard camp is inflating the numbers. ABC’s Chris Ulhman says the Rudd camp may well be inflating their numbers. Nobody can count.

3.26pm: Simon Crean’s office confirms that he has been relieved (AKA sacked) of his ministerial responsibilities.

3.25pm: Bob Carr is in the United States and so won’t be able to vote today. You are required to be there in person. MP Dick Adams also won’t be present for the vote.

3.24pm: Steve Gibbons, Member for Bendigo confirms that he will vote for Gillard.

3.20pm: It is still unclear which camp has the numbers on this ballot. It is likely Gillard will go into the room, genuinely unsure of whether she will emerge as Prime Minister.

3.11pm: Wayne Swan tweets “As I said yesterday, @JuliaGillard is as tough as they make them- she’ll win today & on 14 Sept because she’s got the reforms for the future”

3.02pm: Queensland MP Graham Perrett says that Julia Gillard is still the best person to lead the party to the election.

2.55pm: Kevin Rudd still hasn’t announced whether he will run for the leadership of the Labor Party later this afternoon.

2.47pm: Fairfax reports that ‘Faceless man’ South Australian Senator Don Farrell will support Julia Gillard in the 4.30pm leadership ballot.

2.47pm: Laura Tingle at the Australian Financial Review has the latest numbers estimate from the Gillard camp: Gillard 58, Rudd 35, undecided 9.

2.44pm: Sporting Bet has Kevin Rudd at $1.22, Julia Gillard at $3.65, Simon Crean at $11 and Bill Shorten at $15 to lead the ALP to the next election.

2.42pm: The motion was lost and the Prime Minister calls for an end to Question Time. Independents Windsor, Oakshott and Wilki vote with the Opposition.

2.36pm: The House of Representatives is dividing on Tony Abbott’s motion to suspend standing orders, to allow him to move a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

2.33pm: Reports that Senator Kate Lundy has gone on the record with her continued support of Julia Gillard.

2.30pm: The Australian Financial Review reports that backbenchers Maria Vamvakinu and Jill Hall are supporting Kevin Rudd.

2.28pm: Prime Minister gives a passionate defence of her Government in Question Time.

2.11pm: Parliamentary Secretary and Victorian MP Richard Marles reportedly backing Kevin Rudd.

2.07pm: Tony Abbott moves a no confidence motion, in the House of Representatives, saying the party and the people have no faith in Julia Gillard. “A house divided against itself cannot stand’ he says.

2.02pm: Prime Minister begins Question Time by confirming there will be a ballot for the ALP leadership at 4.30pm today. “In the meantime, take your best shot” she jokes.

1.52pm: Senators and Members of the Labor Party are using Twitter to confirm their allegiances. So far, everyone seems to be declaring for Kevin.

1.45pm: Reports that senior ministers including Stephen Smith and Anthony Albanese are flooding into the Prime Minister’s office in Parliament House.

1.35pm: Fake Kevin Rudd tweet saying he will stand for the leadership confuses journalists.

1.20pm: Senior Cabinet Minister and former leader of the Labor Party, Simon Crean has called for a leadership spill during a press conference in Canberra.

He says he is publicly asking the Prime Minister to spill the position of parliamentary leader and have a ballot for that position.

He claims that the Australian Labor Party has reached a stalemate and is calling on other members of caucus to pressure the Prime Minister to have a spill if she will not agree to it on her own.

That would require at least 1/3 of the Labor caucus (35 people) to formally petition for a meeting where a vote can occur to elect a new leader of the ALP and in turn, a new Prime Minister.

“I am asking her to call a spill of all leadership positions in the party.
I will not be standing for the leader. If the Prime Minister does not agree to it – which I expect she won’t – then I urge members of caucus to petition in the appropriate way for the calling of such a meeting,” Minister Crean said.

Minister Crean says that he informed Prime Minister Gillard of his plans to call for a spill, in a non-heated discussion earlier today. This followed extensive private discussions with Ms Gillard last night.

“I am doing this in the interests of the Labor Party and in turn the nation,” Minister Crean said.

“I will not be standing for the leader… I will be putting myself forward in the leadership people for deputy leader.”

“Kevin Rudd has no other option but to stand for the leadership position,” he said.

Minister Crean has also confirmed that he will be supporting Kevin Rudd for the leadership in any upcoming ballot and that he thought Kevin Rudd would win.

Minister Crean is a senior member of the Gillard Government and was a strong Gillard backer in the previous leadership ballots.

“This is a very regretful decision for me – as everyone knows, the relationship between the Prime Minister and myself goes back some time, and this is not personal… This is for the party, its future, and the future of the country,” he said.

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