It took a while, but after elections in Australia Aug. 21 produced no clear result, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was able to put together a coalition government with a thin majority on Tuesday.

Ms. Gillard had showed sharp elbows in ascending the political ladder in Australia until the August election left her Labor Party with no clear mandate to rule. She had pushed previous Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd out in June when he faltered in his leadership. She then paused only briefly before calling national elections, which she hoped would affirm her leadership of the Labor Party and give her the customary three-year term at the head of the government.

There was some reason for her to expect a clear victory. The Australian economy has come through the global recession in reasonably good shape in terms of employment and growth. This was partly due to the fact that it went into the general dive in 2008 with no debt or budget deficit. It is also the case that China, Australia's largest trading partner, has continued to want to buy large amounts of Australia's mineral exports and has scarcely flagged at all as America and Europe have taken an economic beating. Ms. Gillard's Labor Party governed throughout this period.

She is Australia's first female prime minister. She is also an interesting person. Born in Wales, an immigrant to Australia, an atheist, single, with a male significant other, she would have difficulty being a successful national political figure in the United States. Australians come to such matters with more open minds than Americans do.

Ms. Gillard will now be obliged to tackle head-on some of Australia's more practical problems, including mining taxes, fiscal policy and illegal immigration. There is every reason to believe that as prime minister she will continue to pursue the excellent relations that exist between Australia and the United States. Her predecessor attended last year's G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. Australia has 1,500 troops in Afghanistan.

Although Australia's relationship with China inclines it sometimes to cooperate with the Asian giant in international forums more than the United States might like, its reliance on China to buy its exports is in the general frame of things not unlike America's own reliance on China for many of its imports and as a prime lender to cover America's deficit spending.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.