It's a girl! (cross to three wise men looking bewildered) At 9.35 this morning I twinged pre-emptively for Julia Gillard. Being Prime Minister is not so much grasping a poisoned chalice as throwing yourself at Damocles' throne. Rudd was thrust onto rather than fell upon his sword. All political careers end in disgrace — who said that? — which is why a lot of women don't want them (some of us can act disgracefully without a Party).
Gillard's moment was thrust upon her, as was Rudd's decision not to contest. Factional politics, media interest and big advertising provoked exactly the crisis that neither wanted, at least not now.
As a woman, a lawyer, a Victorian, and a feminist, I am delighted to have such a smart, confident, self-assured, genuine woman leading my country. Especially after such a hard struggle within the ALP to make sure women political candidates are treated as serious contenders for winnable seats so that they can demonstrate how good they are, and bring a different and important awareness of community and electorate issues to the table.
The importance of a woman getting the highest political post in the land — remember that our Governor General is a progressive, savvy woman as well — is not so much in its being a 'first', but that the new Prime Minister is her own woman. She has not turned into an 'honorary bloke'. The singular attribute of Julia has been her obvious sincerity and the genuineness of her public conversations. And she can laugh. Women do have a different experience of the world, not least in our socialisation (playground politics tend to carry on into the grown-up workplace), but also in our opportunities. It takes a particular kind of woman to, so obviously, revel in her role as a minister and deputy PM, and a particularly strong character to have leveraged a grudging respect from her factional foes and overcome the truism that nobody from 'the Left' could ever gain overall ALP support.
Gillard has been a long-standing member of the 'left' in the ALP, and supporter of Emily's List, the NGO committed to mentoring, supporting and providing 'early money' to endorsed ALP women candidates from any faction or none, who support choice, equity, diversity, childcare and equal pay.
In her work in the industrial relations portfolio she has spoken for and delivered on paid parental leave, flexible working conditions, and the