Taking a moment ... Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits Cessnock, in the Hunter Valley. Photo: Brockwell Perks
JULIA GILLARD was in Labor heartland. In the Hunter Valley yesterday, far from the internal bickering that has characterised the lead-up to tomorrow's leadership ballot, she said she had ''found a mob of true believers'' at the NSW Country Labor conference in Cessnock.
As she strode into the Cessnock Centre for the Performing Arts, she was greeted like a conquering general before she addressed more than 400 delegates and observers.
The Prime Minister reminded the conference there was a ''big decision'' to be made tomorrow. But she didn't once mention the elephant in the wider Labor room, Kevin Rudd.
No mention of the allegations of dysfunctional government under Mr Rudd's prime ministership - just a reminder of the things that had been achieved by this Labor government: the national broadband network, the price on carbon (Rudd made a fair fist of claiming these on Friday), the minerals resource rent tax, education and health reform.
She talked about having the courage to make hard political decisions, putting the nation first, no matter what the popularity polls say.
Ms Gillard said she had the opportunity to see Tony Abbott up close every day. ''And friends, most days he reminds me of a two-year-old who is tired and having a tantrum. He's so enthralled by the tantrum he has forgotten why he is having it, and he has no ability to explain what he wants to stop having it.''
The Labor elder statesman Johnno Johnson, 82, thought goodwill would prevail ''on all sides … we'll see''.
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