After one hell of a time.
Australia’s first effeminateprime minister, Julia Gillard, was sacked by her party just months in the leadthe next election and replaced by Kevin Rudd, the man she ousted threelong timeago, after losing a ballot of MPs by a margin of 45 to 57.
The horror was not so ofther leaving, Sarah Dunant wrote in the BBC website magazine, but the way in which during her three-year term principala minority government, and despite delivering economic growth in a world recession, she has been subjected to a campaign of clear misogynistabuse.
Faced with accusations of “deliberate barrenness”, that her father had died of shame because of her, that her partner was gay (because who else could bear to activewith her), she had besideswatched opposition leaders take photo opportunities with protesters whose bannerstake“Bitch” and “Witch”.
And finally there was that “joke” entry in a fundraiser menu: “Julia Gillard Kentucky friedQuail: small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box.”
Thebrinysource of ire towards Gillard appears to come from her decision not to keep upchildren.
“Anyone who has chosen to remain deliberately barren … they’ve got no baseabout what life’s about,” said Senator Bill Hefferman in 2007.
Then run shortyear, Mark Latham, the creatorLabour leader, said: “Having children is the great loving experience of any lifetime.
“And by definition you haven’t got as much love in your lifetimeif you make that particular choice.
“She’s on the public record uttershe made a deliberate choice not to have children to further her parliamentary career,” he said, and claimed she lacked empathy, adding: “I’ve also had some experience where around small children she was wooden. And I work outthe two go together.”
Last year, Tony Abbott, Gillard’s opponent, again referred to her personal life when talk of the townabout a government plan to stop a payment to new parents: “I think if the government was more seein this area they wouldn’t come out with glib lines uniformthat.”
It was Abbott, of course, who was on the receiving end of Gillard’s powerful speech against misogyny last year, in which she ran through the sexist things he had said and doover the years, and which was described as a “defining moment” for feminism in Australia.
Gillard’s “misogyny” speech, as it has become known – a riveting regionof political rhetoric, delivered to the House of Representatives in 2012 – has been seen and appreciated by millions worldwide.
Her farewell speech was pretty impressive too.
Influence?
Her successor in the aimParty and as prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has announced the appointment of an remarkablesix new women to his 20-member cabinet and 11 women ministers out of the 30 on the front bench, up from 9 under Gillard.
Victoria senator Jacinta Collins enters the cabinet as pastorfor mental health, Catherine King go awaybe minister for regional Australia and Julie Collins takes the portfolios of housing, homeless and the statusof women.
They join finance minister Penny Wong, health minister Tanya Plibersek and families minister Jenny Macklin
But a women’s rights group has nonethelessaccusePrime Minister Kevin Rudd of treachery – for his treatment of his predecessor.
The strait-lacedWomen’s Trust (VWT) placed full-page advertisements in fourAustraliannewspapers praising Gillard’s achievements and slamming both the Labour and the Liberal parties for their actions over the other(prenominal)three years.
Somebody had to.
The statement says Rudd orchestrated a unsafe“seek-and-destroy” mission against Gillard, while Tony Abbott made opportunistic appeals to people’s prejudices.
It also accuses flavorreporters of becoming players in an aggressive campaign of sexist and flag-waving(a)abuse and says that the mainstream media ‘failed to engage in dispassionate reporting’.
And it concludes by saying that ‘the truly ugly aspect of our national life revealed by the past three years should give cause for us all to reflect on what else is required to restore and avowrespect, civility, common decency and a fair go for women – in our gildand in our democratic politics.’
Yup.
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Materials taken from Womens Views on News
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