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Julia Gillard isn’t done teaching male politicians a lesson 10 years after her “misogynist speech” aimed at Tony Abbott made her a hero to many around the world.
Australia’s first female prime minister told The Project on Sunday that sexism still plagues Australia, despite some positive changes since her time in the top job.
The show’s host Lisa Wilkinson taunted the Australian leaders who followed Ms Gillard, suggesting they could all learn a lesson from her example.
“Julia, ever since you left politics, you’ve been given the honor of being the best kind of ex-Prime Minister — dignity, humility, grace, not participating in the daily political cycle,” Wilkinson said.
“Have you ever been called by Malcolm (Turnbull) or Kevin (Rudd) or Tony (Abbott) asking how exactly you do that?”
‘No. I don’t train,” Mrs Gillard replied to the panel’s laughter.
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard says 10 years after her famous ‘misogynist speech’ much remains to be done to fight sexism
Mr Turnbull, Mr Rudd, and to a lesser extent Mr Abbott, have continued to express their views on the issues of the day after their respective times as Prime Minister.
Ms Gillard, who has taken up charity and advocacy since she left politics in 2013, said that while the “misogyny speech” has “reverberated” around the world, more needs to be done.
“Misogynist hatred is not certain,” she said. “There are still many things we need to change.”
“We know that violence against women, domestic violence, gender-based barriers in careers, if you look at the top of the pyramids in our society, be it politics or business, you still see disproportionately masculine faces.
‘So more to do. Social media naturally presents itself with its own challenges.’
She first unveiled the famous speech, in which she rebuked a question from Mr Abbott in Parliament in October 2012, saying she wouldn’t be “lectured by this man about sexism and misogyny,” almost didn’t happen.
Ms Gillard, in her new book Not Now, Not Ever on the speech and what remains to be done to combat misogyny, recalls that her advisers were surprised when she told them, “I’ll take the answer.”
“Normally I kept myself above these day-to-day political tactics,” said Mrs. Gillard.
Lisa Wilkinson, who interviewed Ms Gillard on Channel 10’s The Project, said the former female leader set a great example of how to behave once she was out of the office that her male colleagues should follow.
Julia Gillard delivers the famous ‘misogynist speech’ in October 2013 in response to a motion by then opposition leader Tony Abbott
“I thought about it, considered not doing it, then decided I would because I was sick of all of it — there was one more word — but I’ll use the word bullshit.”
Despite receiving overwhelming feedback almost immediately from those who congratulated her when she returned to her office, Ms Gillard said she only realized the full lasting and global impact of the speech later on during a trip to India.
“An Indian policewoman said to me, ‘Great speech’, I really remember that moment because I remember thinking, wow, this is not only going through the media in different parts of the world, but being noticed by women about all over the world,’ said Mrs Gillard.
“That made me feel like it might stay there a lot longer than I first imagined.”
The speech spawned numerous memes and was reportedly even a favorite that was often repeated in the Obama White House, especially when dealing with Abbott.
Ms Gillard said one thing that had improved since her time as Prime Minister was that sexist behavior would be mentioned and shamed more often.
Ms Gillard’s “misogynist speech” was reportedly a favorite that was often repeated at the White House during Barrack Obama’s presidency (pictured)
Tony Abbott was infamously photographed for derogatory signs towards Ms Gillard while addressing a political rally in 2013
“I think it’s impossible to imagine a woman in parliament today could be called what I was without there being a stir and political repercussions,” she said.
Abbott was infamously photographed standing in front of a sign that read ‘shut the witch’ while addressing a demonstration protesting the Gillard government’s carbon tax.
Another infamous moment was when during a speech he thought went unrecorded, shock jock Alan Jones said that Mrs Gillard’s recently deceased father, John, had “died of shame” for the lies she told.
Ms Gillard also believed that women’s votes and issues increasingly shaped federal politics and that was indeed ‘the story of the federal election in May’, which saw a record number of women elected to parliament.
The baton should now be passed on to younger women, Ms Gillard said.
‘I think there are young women who don’t just want to take it (the baton), but grab it and run away with it.
“This is a very powerful generation coming up.”