Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard
Official portrait, 2010
Julia Gillard
Born	Julia Eileen Gillard 29 9, 1961
Birthplace	Barry, Wales, United Kingdom
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, academic
Known for	27th Prime Minister of Australia; first woman to hold the office
Education	Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts (University of Melbourne)
Awards	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Honorary Doctor of Letters (University of Sydney)

Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician and lawyer who served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia from June 2010 to June 2013. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she is the first and, to date, only woman to have served as Prime Minister of Australia and as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. Born in the Welsh town of Barry, she migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia, in 1966. Gillard studied law at the University of Melbourne and worked as a solicitor at Slater & Gordon before entering politics as the member for the Victorian division of Lalor in 1998. She rose through the ranks of the Labor Party, serving as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and then as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education under Kevin Rudd from 2007 to 2010. After Rudd lost internal party support, Gillard was elected unopposed as Labor leader and was sworn in as prime minister on 24 June 2010. She led Labor to form a minority government following the 2010 Australian federal election, the first hung parliament since 1940. Her government introduced significant policy reforms including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Gonski education funding reforms, and a carbon pricing scheme. After a protracted leadership rivalry with Rudd, Gillard lost the leadership in a June 2013 spill and retired from politics. Since leaving office, she has held prominent international roles including chair of the Global Partnership for Education, chair of Beyond Blue, and, most recently, chair of the Wellcome Trust.

Early Life

Julia Eileen Gillard was born on 29 September 1961 in Barry, a seaside town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. She grew up in a household that, in her own words, "idolised" Welsh politicians such as Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the National Health Service. As a young child, Gillard suffered from bronchopneumonia, and her parents were advised that a warmer climate might benefit her health. In 1966, when Gillard was five years old, the family migrated to Adelaide in South Australia.

In Adelaide, Gillard attended Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. Her parents were elated when she later entered public life, maintaining a close connection to their daughter's career. Gillard's Welsh upbringing and her family's working-class background shaped her political outlook and her identification with the labour movement. The influence of her Welsh heritage, including the tradition of community solidarity and progressive politics associated with the south Wales valleys, remained an important part of her personal narrative throughout her political career.

Education

Gillard began her tertiary education at the University of Adelaide before transferring to the University of Melbourne in 1982. At Melbourne, she completed a Bachelor of Laws in 1986 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1989. During her university years, Gillard became active in student politics and served as president of the Australian Union of Students from 1983 to 1984. This period marked her first significant engagement with organised political activity and the broader labour movement, laying the groundwork for her subsequent career in law and politics.

Career

Legal Career

After completing her law degree, Gillard entered the legal profession. In 1987, she joined the prominent Melbourne law firm Slater & Gordon, which had a long association with the Australian labour movement and trade unions. She specialised in industrial law, representing workers and unions in employment disputes. Gillard became a partner at the firm in 1990, a position she held until she transitioned into full-time political work.

Early Political Career

Gillard's move into professional politics began in 1996 when she became chief of staff to John Brumby, then the Leader of the Opposition in Victoria. This role gave her direct experience in parliamentary strategy and political management at the state level.

In 1998, Gillard was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the member for the Victorian division of Lalor, succeeding the prominent scientist and politician Barry Jones. She held this seat continuously until her retirement from parliament in August 2013. Following the 2001 election, Gillard was appointed to the shadow cabinet, where she took on a series of increasingly senior portfolios.

In December 2003, Gillard was appointed Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, a role she held until December 2006. During this period, she established a reputation within the party as an effective parliamentary performer and a skilled negotiator.

Deputy Leadership and Deputy Prime Minister

On 4 December 2006, Gillard became the running mate of Kevin Rudd in a successful leadership challenge against the incumbent Labor leader, Kim Beazley. The Rudd-Gillard team won the ballot, with Gillard becoming Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition. This pairing positioned Labor for the 2007 Australian federal election, in which the party won a decisive victory over the Howard Government.

Following Labor's election victory, Gillard was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia on 3 December 2007, succeeding Mark Vaile of the National Party. In addition to the deputy prime ministership, she was given the cabinet portfolios of Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion. In these roles, Gillard oversaw significant education policy reforms and the dismantling of the WorkChoices industrial relations legislation introduced by the preceding Howard Government. Her handling of the education portfolio, which included the "Education Revolution" programme of school building and infrastructure investment, established her as one of the most prominent figures in the Rudd Government.

Prime Minister

Ascension to the Premiership

By mid-2010, Kevin Rudd's leadership of the Labor Party had come under significant internal pressure. His decision to shelve the government's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and declining poll numbers eroded support within the party caucus. On 23 June 2010, Gillard informed Rudd that she would challenge him for the leadership. Rudd, recognising he lacked the numbers to prevail, resigned as leader without a ballot taking place. On 24 June 2010, Gillard was elected unopposed as Leader of the Australian Labor Party and was sworn in as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia, the first woman to hold the office. Wayne Swan was appointed as her deputy. She served under Queen Elizabeth II as monarch and Quentin Bryce as Governor-General of Australia.

2010 Federal Election and Hung Parliament

Gillard called a federal election for 21 August 2010, seeking a mandate in her own right. The election produced the first hung parliament in Australia since 1940, with neither Labor nor the Coalition winning enough seats to form a majority government.

After 17 days of negotiations, Gillard secured the support of the Australian Greens member Adam Bandt and three independent crossbench members — Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, and Andrew Wilkie — to form a minority government. The formation of this minority government required significant concessions and negotiation, including an agreement to establish a Climate Change Committee and to put a price on carbon emissions.

Domestic Policy

The Gillard government introduced several landmark policy initiatives during its term. Among the most significant was the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), a comprehensive scheme providing individualised support for Australians with permanent and significant disability. The NDIS represented one of the largest social policy reforms in Australian history and enjoyed bipartisan support at the time of its passage through parliament.

The government also implemented the Gonski education funding reforms, which sought to overhaul the way schools were funded across Australia. The reforms were based on the findings of the Review of Funding for Schooling, chaired by businessman David Gonski, and aimed to direct more resources to disadvantaged schools and students.

The early rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN), a major telecommunications infrastructure project designed to provide high-speed internet access across Australia, also occurred during the Gillard government's term.

Perhaps the most controversial domestic policy was the introduction of a carbon pricing scheme, which took effect on 1 July 2012. The scheme imposed a fixed price on carbon emissions as a transitional step toward a full emissions trading scheme. The policy attracted sustained opposition from the Coalition and sections of the business community, and became a central point of political contention. Critics accused Gillard of breaking a pre-election commitment she had made during the 2010 campaign, when she stated that a government she led would not introduce a carbon tax.

Asylum Seeker Policy

Asylum seeker policy was one of the most contentious issues of Gillard's premiership. Upon assuming office, Gillard signalled a softening of the government's detention stance, while also pursuing regional processing arrangements. She proposed establishing a regional processing centre in East Timor, but the plan was rejected by East Timor's parliament.

The government subsequently pursued a processing arrangement with Malaysia, but this too faced significant obstacles. The Coalition refused to support legislative amendments that would have enabled the Malaysian arrangement, creating a political deadlock.

The Christmas Island boat tragedy of December 2010, in which a vessel carrying asylum seekers was wrecked against rocks, resulting in significant loss of life, intensified debate over the government's border protection policies. Refugee advocates attributed responsibility to the government, while commentators on the political right also criticised the government's handling of the issue. The tragedy prompted a review of the ALP's asylum seeker policy.

Leadership Instability and the Misogyny Speech

Gillard's premiership was marked by persistent instability within the Labor caucus, fuelled by an ongoing rivalry with her predecessor Kevin Rudd. Speculation about a leadership challenge was a recurring feature of political reporting throughout her tenure. In February 2012, Rudd resigned as Foreign Minister, precipitating a leadership ballot in which Gillard prevailed. However, the speculation did not abate.

During this period, Gillard delivered what became internationally known as her "misogyny speech" on 9 October 2012, directed at then-Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott. In the speech, delivered in the House of Representatives, Gillard accused Abbott of sexism and misogyny, citing specific examples of his conduct and statements. The speech was widely circulated on social media and attracted global attention, becoming one of the most viewed Australian parliamentary speeches in history.

The leadership rivalry came to a head in June 2013 when Gillard called a leadership ballot to resolve the issue. On 26 June 2013, Rudd defeated Gillard in the Labor caucus vote, winning 57 votes to Gillard's 45. Gillard's resignation as prime minister took effect the following day, and she announced her retirement from politics, not contesting the subsequent federal election.

Post-Political Career

Following her retirement from parliament, Gillard pursued a range of academic, philanthropic, and international roles. She served as a visiting professor at the University of Adelaide and as Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Universal Education in Washington, D.C.

In 2014, Gillard was appointed chair of the Global Partnership for Education, a multilateral organisation working to strengthen education systems in developing countries. She served as chair of Beyond Blue, Australia's national depression and anxiety initiative, from 2017 to 2023.

Gillard was subsequently appointed chair of the Wellcome Trust, one of the world's largest charitable foundations focused on health research. In this capacity, she has engaged with institutions including the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and participated in discussions on science and global health policy, including an event hosted by the British Foreign Policy Group on "Science and Soft Power."

In October 2025, it was announced that Gillard would chair the judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2026. In an interview, Gillard described reading fiction as her "most treasured pastime."

Gillard has also been active as a public speaker and advocate for women's leadership, discussing mentorship and the challenges facing female leaders in various forums.

She released her memoir, My Story, following her departure from politics.

Personal Life

Gillard moved into The Lodge, the official residence of the Prime Minister in Canberra, in September 2010. Her partner during her time as prime minister was Tim Mathieson, a hairdresser. Their relationship lasted from 2006 to 2021. Gillard does not have children.

Gillard has spoken publicly about the influence of her Welsh upbringing on her values and political identity. In a 2025 interview with the BBC, she described growing up in a household that admired Welsh political figures and the traditions of community solidarity associated with the south Wales valleys.

Recognition

Gillard has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), the highest level of the Order of Australia, in recognition of her service to public life.

In October 2025, the University of Sydney conferred upon Gillard an honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), recognising her contributions to politics, education, and public service.

Her October 2012 "misogyny speech" in parliament received significant international recognition. The speech was viewed millions of times online and was frequently cited in discussions about sexism in politics. In 2012, the Macquarie Dictionary updated its definition of "misogyny" partly in response to the public discussion generated by the speech.

Gillard's status as Australia's first female prime minister has been the subject of extensive academic and media analysis. A biography, The Making of Julia Gillard, by Jacqueline Kent, examined the personal and political forces that shaped her career.

Legacy

Julia Gillard's legacy is defined both by her legislative achievements and by her status as a figure in the broader history of women in political leadership. The passage of the NDIS remains one of the most significant social policy reforms in Australian history, providing ongoing support to hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability. The Gonski education funding model continued to influence education policy debates for years after her departure from office, and the early stages of the NBN rollout occurred under her government's direction.

Her experience as prime minister, and the gendered nature of much of the criticism and abuse she faced during her tenure, became a significant reference point in international discussions about women in leadership. The "misogyny speech" in particular has been cited as one of the most notable parliamentary speeches in Australian history and has been used in educational contexts around the world.

In her post-political career, Gillard's work with the Global Partnership for Education, Beyond Blue, and the Wellcome Trust has extended her influence into global health, education, and mental health advocacy. Her appointment as chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2026 illustrated the breadth of her post-political engagements.

Gillard's premiership demonstrated both the possibilities and the challenges of leading a minority government in Australia's political system. Despite the passage of over 500 pieces of legislation during the hung parliament period, her government's achievements were frequently overshadowed by leadership instability and the political costs of the carbon pricing scheme. The circumstances of both her ascension to and departure from the prime ministership — through intra-party leadership challenges with Kevin Rudd — remain subjects of political analysis and debate.