This will be the 2nd non-attendance by Miss Gillard who stayed away from the recent funeral and now the London Olympics.
Remember how Mark Latham stopped doing official things just before he was booted out ?
Does this really mean that Miss Gillard knows that it will no longer be the PM when the London Olympics start ? This will be a worry for The Coalition.
Olympics boss John Coates furious at PM's decision not to attend London Games AAP April 15, 2012 2:32PM 12 comments
Not happy: Olympic Committee boss John Coates is disappointed Gillard will be a no-show at the London games. Prime Minister Julia Gillard won't be attending London Games. Snub has left Olympics boss John Coates furious. Coates praised Kevin Rudd for attending Beijing Games.
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard's decision not to attend the London Olympics has raised the ire of Australian Olympic boss John Coates.
Ms Gillard will not attend the summer games in London in July, a move Mr Coates says is disappointing for Australian athletes.
"I thought London would be an absolute must for Julia, so I'm disappointed," he told Fairfax newspapers.
"It's a disappointment to us. It will be a disappointment to our team."
A spokesman for Ms Gillard said prime ministers rarely attend the Olympics.
"This year, as has happened in the past, the Prime Minister will be represented by the sports minister," he said.
Mr Coates is also angered Ms Gillard will not attend the Australian Olympic Committee's June 23 fund-raising event in Melbourne.
The prime minister usually makes the keynote address at the dinner where 1400 guests fork out $22,000 for each table.
Ms Gillard will be attending the G20 leaders meeting and the UN Sustainable Development Conference at the time of the dinner.
"It is crucial that the prime minister make Australia's voice heard at international meetings like these," her spokesman said.
"What John Coates didn't mention was that we offered alternative dates to the AOC - but the AOC turned them down."
Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan will represent Ms Gillard at the dinner.
Mr Coates praised former prime minister Kevin Rudd for his decision to attend the Olympics in Beijing, the first PM to do so since Malcolm Fraser in 1976.
"Rudd got it," Mr Coates said.
Australian Republican Movement national director David Morris, a former diplomat recently appointed to the role, said it was fine if the prime minister was too busy to attend the games.
"Attendance at an opening ceremony is far better suited to a head of state," Mr Morris said.
"Such a role should represent the whole nation and not play a partisan role.
Australia's head of state, Queen Elizabeth, would be busy supporting the UK team, Mr Morris said.
"This has been a problem for Australia for some time, with a lack of support for the outdated constitutional link to the UK monarchy but no political will to give the people a choice of alternatives.
"Australia is ready for our own head of state, who will be able to genuinely and warmly shake the hand of the British head of state as an equal and cheer for our team in friendly rivalry."
Opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said the non-attendance of the dinner by Ms Gillard was a sign of the chaotic and dysfunctional office she runs. "A lot of people in Labor are not being able to get their diaries organized or just don't have the commitment either for community cabinet or to the Olympics dinner that you would expect them to have," he told ABC television.
"The prime minister needs to get her office under control."
Comments on this storyJustin Posted at 4:22 PM TodayJulia Knows that she won't be PM by the time the games come around, this is the reason for her non attendance!
Ray of The Basin Posted at 4:13 PM TodayThis woman is a global embarrassment
Mrs caroline Yuile of Milperra Posted at 4:05 PM TodayIt is very rude of her not to go to the London Games all Prime Minister 's go why are you so special Gillard in not going got something special you can't get out of or just worried about your Leadership if you go someone will fill your shoes while you are gone. What a slap in the face for Australia our Prime Minister not going it is very rude Prime MInister
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/coates-furious-at-pms-olympics-sn...Skippy, you should have a blowfly fit copying bits and snieces out of all this - go fly blowfly