Julia Gillard
Prime Minister
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the twenty-seventh Prime Minister of Australia on June 24, 2010. She was born in Wales in 1961 and her family migrated to Adelaide in 1966. She became an Australian citizen in 1974 along with the rest of her family, and renounced her British citizenship before entering Parliament.
Gillard started her arts and law degrees at the University of Adelaide. In 1983 she was elected national education vice-president of the Australian Union of Students (AUS) and moved to Melbourne, where she completed her studies at Melbourne University. Later that year, she was elected President of the AUS.
As a solicitor in Melbourne with the law firm Slater and Gordon, her work at the firm focused on employment law, securing fairer treatment for workers.
From 1996 to 1998 Gillard served as chief of staff to the then opposition leader of Victoria, John Brumby. She first contested the federal seat of Lalor for the Australian Labor Party in 1998 and was elected that year. From 1998 to 2001 Gillard served on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations. In 2001 she was appointed shadow minister for population and immigration and subsequently took on responsibilities for reconciliation and indigenous affairs in 2003. From 2003 to 2006 Gillard served as shadow minister for health. On December 4, 2006 she was appointed deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party and served as shadow minister for employment and industrial relations and social inclusion.
Following the Australian Labor Party's victory at the 2007 election, Gillard was sworn in as deputy prime minister and minister for education, employment and workplace relations and social inclusion.