Revisiting Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech, and its impact around the world

“I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not. And the government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever. The leader of the Opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high office. Well, I hope the leader of the Opposition has got a piece of paper and he is writing out his resignation, because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia he does not need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror.”
— Julia Gillard

Occasionally, there’s a moment in politics when more than just words are said out loud. It’s a moment, or a pivot point, or a line that marks “before” and after,” or something that just capture’s the world’s attention, if not its imagination.

Julia Gillard’s fiery takedown of political opponent Tony Abbott in 2012 was so visceral and has become so legendary, it’s often just called her “misogyny speech.” The moment even has its own Wikipedia page.

Some context. At the time, Gillard was the prime minister of Australia, and Abbott was — as the quote indicates — the leader of the opposition. Gillard’s Labour government had come under fire (justifiably, as many noted) for the sexism of the Speaker of the legislature, who had the backing of Gillard herself. (It’s also worth noting that Gillard had done some keen political manoevering by getting a defecting member of Abbott’s party into the Speaker position.)

Not much of that context seemed to matter when Gillard — who had long been a target of sexist abuse in the macho politico culture of Australia — stood up to, well, rip Abbott a new one.

I’ve seen the video of this several times through the years. You’ll notice Abbott is smirking. I also see in his eyes something else: a realization that this one stings a lot more than the usual political barb.

The speech made news around the world, and likely has made history. Several times over the years, broadcasters and news media have done retrospectives on the speech and what it meant for women in politics, for Australia, for Gillard herself.

A transcript of the speech is here.

Here’s a video of the speech in full.

Several years ago, Gillard’s speech was voted the most unforgettable moment in Australian TV history.

Gillard’s time as prime minister was tumultuous. Unable to hold a coalition minority government together, she resigned in 2013.

As for Abbott, he went on to become prime minister that same year, but was out after two years, mired in deep unpopularity.