An Australian women’s group defended ousted prime minister Julia Gillard yesterday, saying the nation’s first female leader had battled treachery in her own party and “gross disrespect” while in office.
In large advertisements in major newspapers, the Victorian Women’s Trust said Gillard had faced enmity not only from her political opposition, but members of her own Labor Party and an often hostile media.
“From the outset, and despite its democratic legitimacy, the Gillard-led minority government sparked an unheralded series of hostile reactions from different quarters across the country,” it said. “Her many achievements went largely unproclaimed, while her mistakes were amplified — and continually referenced.”
The letter said the toxic political discourse around Gillard gave public licence to “an unprecedented campaign of sexist and chauvinist abuse, denigration, double standards, gross disrespect for the office of Prime Minister and gross disrespect for her as a person.”
Gillard became a torchbearer for women worldwide with her fiery speech about misogyny on the floor of parliament in October last year, even as she was subjected to unrelenting comments on her gender.
Placards such as “Ditch the Witch” were held up at rallies. One radio personality said she should be thrown in the ocean in a chaff bag, and another asked her repeatedly whether her partner Tim Mathieson was gay. In the final weeks of her leadership, it emerged that someone had put together a menu for a Liberal fundraiser with a “Julia Gillard” quail dish which had “Small Breasts and Huge Thighs and A Big Red Box.”
Gillard, who last week was replaced as Labor leader and prime minister by Kevin Rudd, has said her gender “does not explain everything about my prime ministership, nor does it explain nothing.”
The Women’s Trust said the past three years should prompt reflection on “the seams of aggressive contempt and sexist abuse that lay beneath everyday life and which surfaced with Julia Gillard’s elevation as Prime Minister.”
“The past three years have led to a great loss of civility and common decency, a poisonous political discourse and a downturn in respect for our leaders,” they said in the advertisement. “We now have a climate in which people willingly and disrespectfully attack one another in anonymous and often vitriolic commentary that is no substitute for mature democratic debate.”
Mary Crooks, executive director of the Trust, said she just wanted Gillard’s achievements recognized on the public record and the ads were paid for by “generous and thoughtful women.”
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
RSS