Julia Gillard is making a strong case for maintaining the Labor party’s 50% female quota for parliamentary candidates. Despite the party exceeding this benchmark federally, Gillard warns of persistent challenges, particularly from the “toxic sewer” of social media, which can still hinder progress for women.
In a recent interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of Labor’s affirmative action rule, Gillard, Australia's first and only female prime minister, reflected on her hope that the next woman to lead the country would have an easier path. "I think some things are going to be easier and some things are going to be a bit harder," she shared with Guardian Australia.
Progress and Challenges
Gillard noted that having women make up 52.4% of Labor’s parliamentary caucus should naturally ease the path for a woman to ascend to leadership. She also observed that there’s greater awareness in the media regarding the treatment of women in politics today compared to when she was in office. “I think journalists across the board are much more sensitive on these questions now than when I was prime minister,” she said.
However, she highlighted that the dominance of social media in political discourse has introduced new hurdles. “The social media world can be a toxic sewer for women,” Gillard pointed out.
The Case for the Quota
Gillard contrasted Labor’s success with the Coalition’s lower female representation of 29.4%, or 25 out of 85 federal parliamentarians. She encouraged the Coalition to review its practices and recognize the effectiveness of the quota. “The affirmative action rule guarantees us a solid foundation, enabling us to make progress in other areas,” Gillard stated. “We should be celebrating this strong foundation and advocating for its broader adoption.”
Diversity and Merit
While Gillard didn’t push for additional diversity quotas, she believed that achieving one form of diversity can naturally lead to others. She addressed arguments against the quota system, particularly the claim that it compromises merit. “If you believe merit is equally distributed between men and women, then a system that repeatedly favors men over women isn’t selecting the most meritorious candidates—it’s biased,” she argued.
Gillard welcomed new accountability standards for parliamentarians, as outlined in Kate Jenkins’ Set the Standard report. “Transparency matters, shining a spotlight matters, seeing what is wrong and then setting about fixing it,” Gillard said, noting that the female quota rule had similarly enhanced transparency within the Labor party.
Debating Parliamentary Conduct
Despite supporting transparency, Gillard did not endorse extending formal behavior policing to parliamentary chambers or banning robust debate. “I’m not one who can, with a straight face, advocate for a kinder, gentler parliament,” she remarked. Reflecting on her own tenure, she noted, “I used to give as good as I got.”
A Legacy of Resilience
Gillard, known for her 2012 “misogyny” speech against then-opposition leader Tony Abbott, aimed to demonstrate that women could excel in the intense environment of parliamentary politics. “One of my objectives was to show that a woman could thrive in, indeed, dominate, a raucous parliamentary chamber,” she said.
Looking to the Future
Internationally, there’s a growing demand for different political styles and more empathetic leadership. Gillard believes these trends will eventually influence parliamentary structures worldwide. Reflecting on the early struggles to secure the affirmative action rule within Labor, she recalled the challenges faced and the jubilation when the rule was finally adopted. “That exuberance was genuine—a sense of, ‘Wow, finally, it’s done,’” Gillard said.
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