Julia Gillard

Julia Eileen Gillard served as the 27th prime minister of Australia, and the Australian Labor Party leader from 2010 to 2013. She was the first woman to hold either position.

Gillard was born on September 29, 1961, in Barry, Wales, and migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia, in 1966. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1986. In 1987, she joined the law firm Slater & Gordon, specializing in industrial law.

Gillard was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1998. After the 2001 election, she was elected to the Shadow Cabinet, group of senior Opposition spokespeople who form an alternative Cabinet to the government's. In December 2006, when Kevin Rudd was elected as Labor Leader and became Leader of the Opposition, Gillard was elected as his deputy. In 2007, Gillard became the first female deputy prime minister of Australia, also serving as minister for education, minister for employment and workplace relations, and minister for social inclusion. After Rudd resigned on June 24, 2010, Gillard was elected as the Leader of the Labor Party, becoming the 27th prime minister of Australia. When the 2010 election resulted in a hung parliament, Gillard formed a minority government with the support of a Green MP and three independent MPs. On June 26, 2013, Gillard lost the leadership of the Labor Party to Rudd and her resignation as prime minister took effect the next day.

Since leaving office, Gillard was appointed an honorary visiting professor at the University of Adelaide. In October 2013, she joined the Brookings Institution's Center for Universal Education as a nonresident senior fellow. In February 2014, she was announced as chair of Global Partnership for Education.

Sources:

Brookings Institute (n.d.). “Julia Gillard” Brookings Institute. Retrieved December 2, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/experts/julia-gillard/

Gillard, J. (n.d.). “Julia Gillard’s Official Biography” Julia Gillard Pty Ltd. Retrieved December 2, 2022. https://www.councilwomenworldleaders.org/sheikh-hasina.html

Ray, M. (2010, June 24). “Julia Gillard” Britannica. Retrieved December 2, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julia-Gillard