Tuesday marks a notable date in Australian political history – the 10th anniversary of the Labor party coup to replace Kevin Rudd with Julia Gillard. Gillard made her challenge late on June 23, 2010, and was elected leader unopposed the following day.

Her government, like that of her immediate predecessor’s, has enjoyed a terrible reputation and remains associated with drift, weakness, incompetence and broken promises. But history may yet be much kinder to our nation’s first female prime minister than many would have thought.