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 JULIA GILLARD: BEFORE SHE WAS PM

She is a woman who has   always been driven, motivated and determined. When I interviewed Julia Gillard in 2009, you could sense in her words that she was ready to take it all the way. She had the passion for people, action and change. She is now our prime minister, but I spoke with her before all of that happened, before she reached the top, and it all started with joining her school debating team. 

Did you find that you were a little nervous before you gave your first speech in parliament? I was on the debating team at school and I worked for many years speaking in courts as a lawyer, but that was nothing compared to delivering my first speech in parliament!    What is the scariest thing you have ever done? When the Prime Minister first handed me over responsibility to be the first female acting prime minister—that was scary!  As the deputy prime minister of Australia, what is the proudest moment you have experienced so far? Introducing the Fair Work Bill into the parliament in December this year.

What were your expectations of the job? (deputy PM) That I would have to work very hard to fulfill the promises I made when the Rudd Labor Government was elected in November 2007; to deliver an education revolution and fair workplaces for all Australians.

 What are your goals in parliament and life? My goals are to be the best Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion Minister that I possibly can be.  This would mean that every Australian child would have access to a world class education so they can then make the transition into jobs that make the most of their skills and talents.  I also strive to serve the good people of Lalor in my electorate in western Melbourne to the best of my ability. Do you have any ‘words of wisdom’ for young people who are aspiring to hold a position in parliament? Try your best at school and believe that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.  I would love to think that a bright young woman like yourself could see me and other women in positions of power and think to yourself “I could do that one day.”

Thank-you for your time.

Julia Gillard backs up these wise words; she is a women in a position of power—the highest position of power in Australia; the prime minister. Now we do look to her and become curious as to what we might do with our lives. Prime Minister, thank you for becoming a beacon of light in this society of masculinity, and showing us that young females can look to you and see an empowered female, and know that that power is no longer limited to men.