Image: ABC
Believe it or not, this October will mark ten years since former Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered her iconic Misogyny Speech.
The parliamentary address was in response to being accused of sexism by opposition leader Tony Abbott; but just how prepared was it? Had Julia Gillard written the speech ahead of time? Was it improvised?
Now a decade on, Australia’s first female Prime Minister has sat down with Turia Pitt on Turia Pitt is Hard Work to discuss not only the speech, but her feelings towards Tony Abbott now, what she would have done differently during her time as PM, why she refused to cry when leaving the top job, how she dealt with the sexism she faced, and everything in between.
“Julia Gillard was our first female Prime Minister, she got through more bills than anyone else, she was incredibly effective, efficient. She’s a diligent, hard-working, and gutsy role model. I often revisit Ms Gillard’s Misogyny Speech, it fires me up, I know chunks of it off by heart. That speech and its calm intensity is one of the most important moments in Australian political history.
Gracious, wise, funny, and utterly JULIA. I’m so excited to bring you this chat with our country’s first female leader, former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.”
– Turia Pitt
Listen below:
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