Julia Gillard

Julia Eileen Gillard is a former Labor prime minister, born in Barry, Wales, in 1961. Her family migrated to Adelaide in 1966. She worked as an industrial lawyer before winning the Victorian seat of Lalor in 1998. She became deputy prime minister in 2007 and replaced Kevin Rudd as party leader and prime minister in June 2010. The 2010 election produced a hung parliament, and she governed with the support of the Greens and independents. Rudd replaced her in June 2013 and she left politics. She has since chaired education and health organisations.

Supporters point to a productive minority parliament that passed the NDIS, needs-based school funding, a carbon price and the early rollout of the National Broadband Network, and her 2012 speech accusing the Opposition Leader of misogyny drew international attention. Her standing among political experts has risen since she left office, and she is often placed in the middle to upper tier of prime ministers. Critics argue that she broke her pledge not to introduce a carbon tax and failed to deliver her promised surplus. Her government was dogged by leadership rivalry with Kevin Rudd and by scandals involving others, including the Health Services Union affair. Refugee advocates criticised her return to offshore processing and the abandoned Malaysia swap deal.