Anna Bligh Warms Up While Julia Gillard Freezes Hell Over

Anna Bligh and Julia Gillard

 Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, has enjoyed a surge in her popularity from both the community and her own party - the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

  The talk throughout Queensland at the moment is how Ms Bligh has demonstrated real leadership during the recent adverse weather events including cyclone Yasi.

  Complex, important information with little time to be briefed and no time for rehearsal has been communicated by the Premier with a sense of deep empathy. At the same time Ms Bligh has managed to be a figure of reassurance and still not diminish the seriousness of the events unfolding, making sure people didn't become apathetic about the pending threats about to hit them.

  ALP insiders said they had a lot of pressure from constituents on them before the events over the last few weeks to replace their leader. Members of the party were frustrated that the 'Anna' they new in the party room was not being seen the same way by the public.

  "I am pleased that the real Anna that we know and love is getting through now," one member said.

  In stark contrast, Australian Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard, has all but turned the country off her with her cold, hard scripted messages for Queensland. Hours before cyclone Yasi hit land, Ms Gillard was on TV doing a press conference, displaying no emotion and staring into the camera as if she was reading an auto cue. 

  Ms Gillard's popularity was already on the slide after announcing a flood levy in similar fashion to her predecessor Kevin Rudd. The new burden on the country was delivered with no warning to her fellow ALP members, leaving them unable to stay on a common message and looking visibly annoyed at the situation they found themselves in.

  Speculation is swirling on Ms Gillard's likelihood to still be the leader at the next federal election, with Bill Shortens name in the mix and one ALP member saying Greg Combet is one to look out for.

  With a Queensland election looming and much speculation on how the community will reflect on the overall performance of the Bligh Government, as the adrenalin from the recent disasters dissipates, Ms Bligh will need to continue to keep her positive momentum up.