The real Julia Gillard didn't attend the no-carbon tax rally but her likeness was among more than 1000 protesters who gathered outside Parliament House in Canberra to vent their anger.
Sydney cardiologist Ian Bailey was dressed in an orange wig and a cardboard Pinocchio nose to express his disgust that the prime minister broke her promise not to introduce a tax.
But he reverted to his medical role when a 70-year-old woman fainted from exhaustion after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had addressed the gathering.
Compere Angry Anderson asked the placard-waving crowd if there was a doctor in the house and Dr Bailey dashed to the stage to help - discarding his wig and false nose en route.
As the elderly woman was recovering in an ambulance, the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital specialist told AAP he attended the rally because he wanted his voice to be heard.
"I know that Australia shouldn't be leading the charge here," Dr Bailey said.
"We should just be followers rather than punishing ourselves and the economy."
Earlier, Mr Abbott told the crowd, which was dominated by retirees, they were fine Australians and Labor MPs were wrong to call them "extreme".
"I do not see scientific heretics, I do not see environmental vandals, I see people who want honest government," he said.
The Liberal leader also thanked Sydney-based Macquarie Radio talkback host Chris Smith for promoting the rally and giving the people a voice.
Asked later if it was strange for a journalist to organise a political protest, Mr Abbott said as a commentator Mr Smith was entitled to have an opinion.
The broadcaster acknowledged the crowd was an older demographic.
"The big difference between this and every other rally on this subject is you people have life experience," he said to a roar of approval.
"You understand that we're heading for a runaway train and we ain't coming back."
During the two-hour rally - which heard from a host of coalition MPs and senators - the crowd regularly broke into chants of "liar, liar, liar, liar" directed at Ms Gillard.
Other chants included "Ditch the bitch".
On the flip side, government backbencher Steve Gibbons tweeted during the rally: "Looks like all the extremist organisations were having a day out. Was the Ku Klux Klan represented?"
Question Time started as the protest wound up.
Mr Abbott kicked off proceedings by taking a dig at the prime minister for not attending the protest.
"I'm not aware that I was invited," Ms Gillard replied.
"But as I understand it the leader of the opposition did not lack for red-headed company out at that rally."
That was a reference to former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who attended the rally but wasn't invited to address the crowd.
Labor has repeatedly accused Mr Abbott of adopting One Nation's policies as his own.
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