Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard was born in Barry, Wales on September 29, 1961 to John Oliver Gillard and Moira Gillard (née MacKenzie.) She also has an older sister named Alison.

In 1966, her family emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia for her health after she suffered a bout of bronchopneumonia. She attended ‘Ulney High School’.

She moved to Melbourne in 1982 where she worked with the ‘Australian Union of Students’.

In 1986, she graduated from the ‘University of Melbourne’. A year later, she joined the law firm ‘Slater & Gordon’ at Werribee, Victoria, where she was later made partner at the age of 29.

In 1995, Gillard took a hiatus from her legal career and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate as a part of the ‘Australian Labor Party’.

In 1996, she left her law firm to join John Brumby as his Chief of Staff in which capacity she drafted the Labor Party's affirmative action rules. She also helped found the Australian branch of ‘Emily's List’, an organization that supports pro-choice women who are running for office.

During the 1998 federal election, she was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. She replaced the retiring Barry Jones as the representative of the electoral division of Lalor.

In 2001, the ‘Australian Labor Party’ lost the federal election. She was elected to the ‘Shadow Cabinet’, which consists of spokespeople for the Opposition. Each member concentrates on a specific minister or portfolio. Gillard's first responsibility was for Population and Immigration.

In 2003, she became responsible for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs. Fallout from two controversies, relating to immigration, the ‘Children Overboard’ and ‘Tampa’ affairs, caused Gillard to develop a new immigration policy for the ‘Labor Party’.

As the Prime Minister of Australia from 24 June 2010 – 27 June 2013, Gillard implemented a number of policies targeted at improving socio-economic conditions of the country. One of major contribution was the development of ‘National Broadband Network’, which aimed at providing internet access throughout Australia.