Female Aussie PM good news for men's health?

Change at the top in Australia may be good for the country’s infant men’s health policy.

Julie Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party and thus as prime minister earlier this week. The party hopes that the the new incumbent will improve the party’s popularity ahead of October’s expected general election.

Rudd recently launched Australia men’s health policy and the change is not expected to lead to any dilution in this – perhaps the opposite.

It was announced a few weeks ago that a National Male Health Reference Group would be established soon with external men’s health experts. Australian men's health consultant Greg Millan said: ‘It is my hope that this group will include Prof John Macdonald who is president of the Australasian Men’s Health Forum.

‘‘The change is a shock but Julia Gillard is a great choice. We may in fact have a PM that is more in touch with men’s health issues than Kevin Rudd was.’

New 'first bloke'

The new ‘first bloke’, Julia Gillard’s partner Tim Mathieson has been described as ‘a beer-swilling hairdresser’.

‘He is a hairstylist by profession,’ reported Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, ‘loves a beer with the same mates he has had since he was 15 and specialises in baking Julia Gillard's favourite Friday night dinner, lamb roasts.’