Party at the Lodge

The very night that ex-prime minister Julia Gillard was ousted in her seat, she partied at The Lodge. Everything was upbeat and she was 'kidding aside'.

News Limited was able to witness the rather jovial mood that the 'send off' party had.

According to News Limited, Ms Gillard was 'partying' in comfortable, striped shirt while holding a wine in hand. MPs were also there to party with her.

She gave her farewell speech poised as she stood in the Lodge's staircase, her former deputy, Wayne Swan, standing next to her. Among the partygoers were MPs Peter Garrett, Greg Combet, Craig Emerson, Stephen Smith and Jenny Macklin.

Ms Gillard started her speech saying, "Don't let this disillusion you - shit happens. We want you in there, we want you fighting for Labor."

She went about sincerely expressing her gratefulness to all her supporters and staff, joking that she will finished her speech without "blubbering" as she finish her wine.

"We want to make sure the people here who are going to be just a big part of Labor's future get re-elected, and you stay there as a staffer, that you do things you need to do for the campaign and beyond. You've been tremendous, don't let this disillusion you (again) shit happens. But it's also about getting up the next day and doing it all over again."

She also jokingly thanked the staff at the Lodge who had "gone from expecting one woman home looking for a salad, to all of you here looking for mega drinks."

As for her loyal former deputy Mr Swan, she teased that he was now going from "Deputy Prime Minister to being homeless."

Inflicted with Ms Gillard's contagious party mood, Mr Swan was also bubbly when he spoke with the 'party people'. He said what happened to them was just a "road bump" and that all of them should not forget that "the loyalty and the passion in this room can change the country."

When asked by Ms Gillard on what they should do the next day, he said, "Get pissed in the afternoon!"

Mr Swan then became more emotional than Ms Gillard, "You are walking in the footsteps of something that is very great about our country ... When we leave here tonight, never forget why we came here, what we are doing. It's not about us, it's about what we want for others."

One partygoer, a senior staffer, told News Limited that "Here was someone who'd been undercut and undermined by Kevin from day one and she stands up hours after and is all class. There was a lot of love and admiration in the room for Julia and Swanny that night. Most of the people in that room would have found it very difficult to work for Rudd given that he's done. But hearing Julia and Swanny telling them to put Labor first would have definitely changed a few minds."

Paying Tribute to the Local Community

The Sydney Morning Herald caught Ms Gillard as a removalist truck was parked outside her home in Canberra.

Ms Gillard talked about her local electorate saying that "residents are so engaged and willing to fight to achieve better outcomes. We have fought and achieved much. In my first years as member of Labor, I was proud to be part of the No Toxic Waste Dump campaign. If anyone doubted the tenacity and passion of the passion of the people of Wyndham, they should look no further than the 15,000 local people who attended an outdoor public meeting on a cold autumn night to protest against the proposal (No Toxic Waste Dump campaign)"

"Whether it was at the Weerama Festival or at a Werribee Tigers footy game, locals have always been so willing to share their ideas and concerns with me. I would also sincerely like to thank local people for their support and generosity in recent days."

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