Prime Minister Julia Gillard cut short her participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) leader's summit in Vladisvostok, Russia due to the death of her father, John Gillard, on Saturday.

Ms Gillard arrived on Sunday night to attend the wake of her 83-year-old father who had been suffering from poor health for some time, although his demise on Saturday was not expected.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson took the prime minister's place in the summit, while Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan will be acting prime minister to allow Ms Gillard time to grieve for her father.

Ms Gillard attributes her Labor values to her hard-working parents, particular her father, who despite his bright mind, had to stop school at 14 to work.

"This is no good time to lose your dad. I know that everyone here who has lost a parent knows the kind of grief Julia is going through now," Brisbane Times quoted Mr Emerson.

Mr Gillard worked as a psychiatric nurse in Wales and migrated to Adelaide in 1966 with his family. He had worked also for the Coal Board, police and British Railways. He married Moira Mackenzie and has another daughter besides the prime minister, Alison.

Among the reasons why their family migrated to Australia from the Welsh town of Barry was young Julia's chronic lung problems worsened by the cold conditions in Europe.

Rather than watch television, Mr Gillard preferred to listen to parliament on a radio in their kitchen, Alison disclosed in 2010.

"He would always have parliament on the radio. He loved Australian politics and was involved in his union. I don't know whether she (Julia) absorbed it by osmosis; she never seemed that interested in it around the home," The Herald Sun quoted the prime minister's sister.

"Anyone who saw Julia and her dad together recognised a very special, very close and very treasured father-daughter relationship and would be terribly saddened to hear of his passing," The Australian quoted Mr Swan.

Among the world leaders who offered their condolences to Ms Gillard are U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde. Even arch critic and Opposition leader Tony Abbott offered words of consolation to the prime minister.

The 21-member APEC agreed to cut tariffs on 54 different environmental goods including solar cells, solar hot water systems and wind turbine blades to not lower than 5 per cent by 2015, Mr Emerson said.