After being sworn in as Australia's first woman prime minister following a bloodless parliamentary coup, Altona resident and federal MP for Lalor Julia Gillard in one of her first interviews told the Advertiser she would maintain her commitment to her electorate.

She has already committed dividing her time between her Altona home and her Canberra unit, at least until she calls an election.

"Living in Melbourne's west will help keep me in touch with the local community," she said.

"The things that matter to people are having a job, a strong economy and having good schools and health services, and that's what I'll continue to focus on as prime minister and member for Lalor."

The 48-year-old said she would visit the region in the next few weeks to speak to residents but had given it little thought as she was still coming to terms with the enormity of her new role.

The cracks in Kevin Rudd's leadership became a chasm last Wednesday when Ms Gillard told him she would challenge for the leadership of the ALP and the country's top job. A ballot was hastily organised for the next day.

But with the weight of numbers heavily in Ms Gillard's favour, Mr Rudd opted to drop out of the contest at the last minute, paving the way for Ms Gillard to take over, along with her new deputy, Wayne Swan.

Ms Gillard's electorate covers suburbs including Laverton, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, and Melton.

She said the government had made many commitments to improve the region's roads, rail and schools, which would continue to be a major focus.

"There's a seamlessness between my role as a minister and member for Lalor. That will continue to be the case," she said.

"The issues that affect residents in our local area are the very same issues we need to tackle as a country. I will continue to support local communities just like ours."

Born in Barry, South Wales, in 1961, Ms Gillard was elected to Lalor in 1998, replacing former party president Barry Jones, who held the seat for 21 years.