Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard is a Welsh-born politician who made history as Australia's twenty-seventh prime minister, serving from 2010 to 2013. Born in 1961 in Barry, Wales, her family relocated to Adelaide, Australia, when she was four years old, primarily due to her health issues. Gillard pursued higher education at the University of Adelaide and the University of Melbourne, where she completed degrees in law and arts. Her political career began in the late 1990s, leading to her election to the House of Representatives in 1998 as a member of the Australian Labor Party.
Gillard's rise in politics saw her take on various significant roles, including Deputy Prime Minister under Kevin Rudd. She became the leader of the Labor Party in 2010, enacting substantial reforms in education, healthcare, and climate policy. Notably, Gillard's speech in Parliament addressing sexism in politics garnered international attention and positioned her as a prominent advocate for women's rights. After losing a leadership vote to Rudd in 2013, she stepped down as prime minister. Today, Gillard is recognized for her contributions to progressive social policies and remains active in global education initiatives. Her autobiography, "My Story," published in 2014, reflects on her life and career.
Subject Terms
Julia Gillard
- Born: 29 September 1961
Politician
Place of birth: Barry, Wales
Education: University of Adelaide (attended), University of Melbourne
Significance: Julia Gillard is a Welsh-born politician who served as Australia's twenty-seventh prime minister from 2010 to 2013.
Background
Julia Gillard was born in Barry, a town in the Vale of Glamorgan on the southern coast of Wales in 1961. She and her older sister, Alison, were raised by their mother and father, Moira and John. Gillard suffered from bronchial pneumonia as an infant, and doctors advised her parents to consider moving to a warmer climate to spare Gillard recurrent chest infections from living in the cold, damp climate of coastal Wales.
Gillard's family moved to Adelaide, Australia, when she was four years old. Her father worked long hours as a psychiatric nurse, and her mother worked as a cook at a Salvation Army care facility. As a child, Gillard was struck by her parents' work ethic and dedication to helping others, which she says influenced her decision to work in politics.
Gillard attended Mitcham Demonstration School (now Mitcham Primary School) and later graduated from Unley High School. She excelled academically and considered becoming a teacher or a solicitor. After Prime Minister Gough Whitlam abolished university tuition fees in the early 1970s, it became possible for Gillard to consider attending law school, which her family would not have been able to afford otherwise.
She enrolled at the University of Adelaide in 1979 and became involved in Australian Labor Party politics. She joined the University Labor Club and began speaking publicly at demonstrations. Gillard was elected vice-president of the Australian Union of Students and, at age twenty, terminated her studies at the University of Adelaide and moved to Melbourne to continue working with the group full time.
She became president of the Australian Union of Students and completed her studies at the University of Melbourne, where she earned bachelor's degrees in law and arts in 1986.
Political Career
In the early 1990s, Gillard worked for law firm Slater & Gordon, where she rapidly rose to partner. She left the firm when she entered Australian politics, and stood unsuccessfully for the federal seat of Melbourne in 1993 and for Senate in 1996. Gillard was elected to the federal House of Representatives for Lalor, Victoria, in 1998. As a Labor MP, she aligned with left-wing ideology.
A backbencher for several years, Gillard went on to serve as shadow minister for immigration and population and for reconciliation and Indigenous affairs from 2001 to 2003. In 2003 she moved to shadow minister for health, a post she retained until December 2006. At that point Labor leader Kevin Rudd gave her the portfolios for employment and workplace relations, education, and social inclusion. She also became deputy party leader.
In November 2007, Labor won a majority and Gillard became deputy prime minister of Australia. In the role, she also became minister for the portfolios she had overseen until then. She also oversaw Australia's fiscal budget during the global financial crisis that began in 2008.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was declining in public opinion. As a result, a 23 June 2010 leadership vote was called to determine the ongoing leadership of the party. Gillard defeated Rudd in the vote and assumed leadership of Labor. Gillard was sworn in as Australia's prime minister on 24 June 2010. Her government enacted sweeping school funding reform; improved healthcare and dental benefits; introduced a carbon emissions trading scheme; and pushed for advancements in broadband service throughout Australia. She appointed Rudd as minister for foreign affairs in August 2010.
Gillard again defeated Rudd in a leadership challenge vote in early 2012, but Labor was cast as a vulnerable party by the opposition Liberal Party, which sought to unseat Labor's government.
In November 2012, Gillard gave a speech in Parliament directed at Opposition leader Tony Abbott, in which she identified his misogynist behaviour towards her. The speech was widely covered in global media and made Gillard known internationally as a defender of women's rights and progressive gender politics.
Gillard was defeated by Rudd in a June 2013 leadership vote and subsequently resigned as prime minister. She is a non-resident distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education and has chaired the Global Partnership for Education. In 2018, she was named to the BBC’s 100 Women list, an annual survey of notable women from around the world.
Impact
As prime minister, Gillard succeeded in generating international dialogue about misogyny in politics and in the workforce and was lauded by international leaders for her stance against Tony Abbott. Gillard was the first woman to serve as prime minister of Australia or deputy prime minister. Under Gillard's leadership, the government enacted more than five hundred laws affecting education, climate change, telecommunication and social reform, among other areas.
Personal Life
Gillard authored an autobiography, My Story, in 2014. Gillard authored an autobiography, My Story, in 2014. She lived with her partner, Tim Mathieson, until they split in 2021. In 2022, Mathieson was charged with sexually assaulting a sleeping woman. He was convicted in 2023.
Bibliography
"BBC 100 Women 2018: Who Is on the List?" BBC, 18 Nov. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-46225037. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Davis, Mark. "Focus and Ambition Drive Her Success." The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 2010, www.smh.com.au/national/focus-and-ambition-drive-her-success-20100623-yzgi.html. Accessed 18 June 2024.
"Julia Gillard." National Archives of Australia, 2024, www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/julia-gillard. Accessed 18 June 2024.
"Julia Gillard’s Former Partner Tim Mathieson Convicted After Sexually Assaulting Sleeping Friend." The Guardian, 19 Oct. 2023, www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/19/julia-gillards-former-partner-tim-mathieson-convicted-after-sexually-assaulting-sleeping-friend. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Keneally, Kristina. "Julia Gillard: From Australia's First Female Prime Minister to International Superstar." The Guardian, 20 Oct. 2015, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/21/julia-gillard-from-australias-first-female-prime-minister-to-international-superstar. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Kent, Jacqueline. "Julia Gillard: From the Welsh Mines to the Summit of Australian Politics." The Guardian, 26 June 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/26/julia-gillard-biography-politics. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Marks, Kathy. "Julia Gillard: Australia's First Female Prime Minister Reveals the 'Sexism and Misogyny' She Faced on Her Rise to the Top." The Independent, 15 Oct. 2014, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/julia-gillard-australias-first-female-prime-minister-reveals-the-sexism-and-misogyny-she-faced-on-9796953.html. Accessed 18 June 2024.