Julia Gillard and Tony Windsor have spoken at a Victorian Women’s Trust event honouring the former prime minister in Melbourne.
The event was called Credit Where Credit Is Due, with the social media hashtag #CreditJulia.
The former prime minister and the former independent member who provided crucial support to the minority government from 2010 until 2013 spoke to a large crowd at the Melbourne Town Hall. The event was compered by Mary Crooks.
Tony Windsor praised Gillard’s temperament and her calmness during her time as prime minister. He said there was no doubt that he and Rob Oakeshott made the right decision in backing her minority government. He repeated one of his favoured lines that “the world is run by those who show up”.
Following Windsor’s speech, singer Bronwyn Calcutt gave a musical version of Gillard’s 2012 misogyny speech” in 2012.
The former Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls, spoke fulsomely of Gillard who in turn paid tribute to his role in promoting women to judicial posts.
Gillard’s speech outlined decisions of the Labor government to improve conditions for women. She spoke of the government’s policies on education and other decisions including the establishment of the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse. She vigorously defended the carbon pricing mechanism her government legislated and conceded she erred in accepting the language of the “carbon tax”.
Gillard’s voice broke as she concluded her speech. She received a standing ovation.
- Listen to Tony Windsor’s speech (26m)
- Listen to the misogyny song (4m)
- Watch “Julia’s Speech” by Bronwyn Calcutt (4m)
- Listen to Rob Hulls’s speech (6m)
- Listen to Julia Gillard’s speech and questions (53m)
