In 2021, Julia was appointed Chair of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation based in the UK that supports science to solve urgent worldwide health challenges. Since leaving office, she has dedicated her time to advocacy, governance roles and writing. Julia Gillard was the 27th Prime Minister of Australia, the first, and only, woman to serve in that role. Proceeds from the book will go to the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL). While behaviours may have improved since the misogyny speech, there remains a way to go and Julia Gillard explores the roadmap for the future with next-generation feminists Sally Scales, Chanel Contos and Caitlin Figueiredo to motivate us with that rallying cry: Not now, not ever! Kathy Lette looks at how the speech has gained a new life on TikTok, as well as inspiring other tributes and hand-made products, and we hear recollections from Wayne Swan, Anne Summers, Cate Blanchett, Brittany Higgins and others of where they were and how they first encountered the speech. With contributions from Mary Beard, Jess Hill, Jennifer Palmieri, Katharine Murphy and members of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard explores the history and culture of misogyny, tools in the patriarchy’s toolbox, intersectionality, and gender and misogyny in the media and politics. The incisive ‘misogyny speech’, as her words came to be known, continues to energise and motivate women who need to stare down sexism and misogyny in their own lives. On 9 October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up and proceeded to make all present in Parliament House that day pay attention – and left many of them squirming in their seats.

The frustration that sexism and misogyny could still be so bad in the twenty-first century. Yet emotion did play its role in the energy of the speech. At no time did I feel worked up or hotly angry. This is a barnburning piece of Australian feminist history in the making. Where were you then? And where are we now? Ten years on from the speech that stopped us all in our tracks – Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech.

Now and Then by NOT A BOOK