Australian PM Gillard announces Aug 21 elections

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, called elections Saturday buoyed by strong support only three weeks after taking power, but she faces a tough fight from conservatives on climate change, asylum seekers, and record-high public debt.
Gillard scheduled polls for Aug. 21 after grabbing power in a surprise ruling Labor Party coup. She said the government had "lost its way" under her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, and has attempted to steer new courses in key policy areas.
"We would go into our second term with some lessons learnt," Gillard told reporters at Parliament House. "We would be able to implement and deliver programs differently than we have in the past."
Opinion polls point to Labor winning a second three-year term, but analysts expect a tight contest against a resurgent conservative opposition Liberal Party led by Tony Abbott.
Gillard, a 48-year-old Welsh-born atheist, was once considered too far left to successfully win over the political middle ground essential to an Australian election victory. Abbott, a 52-year-old former seminarian, was viewed as too far right.

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