Gillard's de-facto stepchild strips for men's magazine

Staci Child says Julia Gillard would think her photo shoot was a 'very Australian thing to do'. Photo / Zoo Magazine

SYDNEY - The daughter of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's partner has posed in a bikini for a men's magazine.

New York-based punk hair stylist Staci Child gives the middle finger in one shot as she tugs at a bra embossed with an Australian flag.

The 31-year-old daughter of Tim Mathieson said her father had seen the shots, taken in Sydney, which expose her myriad tattoos and which feature in the latest edition of Zoo Weekly.

"When I showed him the photos, he loved them," she told the magazine.

"I think Julia will think it's a very Australian thing to do.

"I don't know if she'd pose for Zoo, but if she did, she'd look very beautiful."

Unlike Gillard, Child supports gay marriage. "It should definitely be legal," she said.

Child said she had never heard of Gillard when her dad began dating her in 2006.

"I don't follow politics much but I knew he had a girlfriend, so I was happy," she said.

Provocative radio announcers asked Gillard during the election campaign if she would pose topless for Zoo but the Prime Minister said no.

Gillard did, however, appear in a glamorous cover story and photo shoot for the Australian Women's Weekly, wearing smart business attire, during the campaign.

Child, who is reportedly a hairdresser to celebrities including Lady Gaga and Paula Abdul, was raised by her mother.

- AAP