I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not. The government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever.
On 9 October 2012 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard rose from her chair in Parliament and delivered an unforgettable speech in response to an accusation of sexism from opposition leader Tony Abbott. During the next ten minutes, Gillard tore strips of Abbott, detailing his double standards and his gendered attacks. Watching the speech live, Gillard spoke to me and for me. I cheered from the sidelines and felt relief that Abbott had finally been taken to task. In the days that followed, overseas friends contacted me about the speech, sharing in the sense that something had fundamentally shifted in the discourse about gender and politics.
Ten years later, Gillard has published a book about the misogyny speech and its aftermath. Not Now, Not Ever (2022)is a compilation of essays and reflections from a cross-section of women. The speech appears as prologue, followed by the first section discussing the speech in context. Gillard writes about the lead up to the speech and the cool anger she felt in Parliament that day, fed up with Abbott's antics and that of the conservative media. She has been called 'deliberately barren' for being child-free, shock-jocks suggested she should be 'put in a chaff bag and thrown into the sea', Abbott stood with protesters waving 'ditch the witch' signs, and she was continually subjected to sexist critiques about her personal appearance. The frustration that was simmering, reached boiling point on the day of the speech.
Journalist Katharine Murphy covered the speech at the time and writes about the press response. The media read the speech entirely differently to the electorate, having been trained to dispassionately report on politics. The speech was a turning point for many in the pressroom too, who now analyse politics and policy in consideration of its impacts on women and minorities. The speech also became a pop culture phenomenon, as Kathy Lette writes in her essay, with tiktoks, t-shirts, memes and more. (I have the speech printed on a tea towel).
The second section of the book explores misogyny, intersectionality, violence, and workplace sexism. Historian Mary Beard writes about misogyny from the ancient world to today. Jess Hill, author of See What You Made Me Do, writes about misogyny and gendered violence. Jennifer Palmieri, Director of Communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign, writes about the sexism Clinton faced. There are also compelling essays by Aleida Mendes Borges, Michelle K Ryan, Miriam K Zehnter, and Rosie Campbell.
The final section of the book is future focussed. Gillard has a conversation with three feminist activists advocating for change. She talks with Chanel Contos, Caitlin Figueiredo and Sally Scales about sexism and misogyny and about the future for women. Gillard also writes a chapter on what's next, leaving the reader hopeful and inspired.
Interspersed throughout the book are quotes and reflections from women around the world about the speech and its impact on them. We hear from Tanya Plibersek, Quentin Bryce, Clementine Ford, Abbey Hansen, Cate Blanchett, Kate Grenville, Theresa May, Brittney Higgins, Ngoni Okonjo-Iweala, Hillary Clinton, and many more. These snippets are an excellent addition, balancing out the longer pieces.
I really enjoyed Not Now, Not Ever. It is a thoughtful reflection on a watershed moment in Australian politics, and on the unfinished business of equality. The only thing I would have liked included in the book was more information about the essay contributors.
Gillard was Australia's first (and so far only) female Prime Minister. While she will be forever remembered for the misogyny speech, the legacy of Gillard's leadership is much broader having brought about significant policy reforms and instituting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Her memoir about her time in office, My Story (2014) is also reviewed on my blog.
Gillard's speech is available online and well worth watching.
