Q+A: What next for Australia's minority govt?

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who scraped back into office, must now lead the country's first minority government since World War Two, and one that many Australians believe would be unstable.

Gillard holds office by just two votes after she secured support of a Green MP and two independents after the August 21 election ended in a stalemate.

WHEN WILL GILLARD ANNOUNCE HER CABINET?

Gillard said she hopes to announce the new cabinet and have the ministers sworn in by early next week. No major changes are expected, and Wayne Swan, who is also deputy prime minister, will remain as treasurer.

Lawmakers from the ruling Labor Party will meet on Thursday for the first time since June 24, when they dumped former prime minister Kevin Rudd in favor of Gillard. The meeting will endorse Gillard's leadership, and then give her the power to appoint her ministers.

She needs to find new finance and defense ministers, due to retirements, and has promised Rudd a cabinet position. She has also offered independent Rob Oakeshott a cabinet-level position as minister for rural affairs, but he has yet to decide if he wants the job.

WHEN WILL PARLIAMENT MEET TO TEST THE NUMBERS?

Parliament is likely to meet in early to mid October, when Gillard's grip on power will face its first test on the floor of the House of Representatives.

But Gillard must first wait until election officials declare the results in all 150 seats in the House of Representatives. The Electoral Commission has until October 27 to officially report the results to the Governor-General, but it can report earlier if there are no messy legal challenges or disputes.

At the latest, the new parliament must sit by November 27.

WHAT NOW FOR THE MINING TAX?

The government will push ahead with its mining tax, under the timetable announced before the August 21 election.

WHAT ARE THE POLICY PRIORITIES?

Gillard cannot assume that she can push through her policy agenda, despite securing a second term in office. Key policies include the mining tax, a national high-speed broadband Internet network and carbon trading.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)