October 31, 2024

Julia Gillard honoured with Doctor of Letters

Former Prime Minister of Australia recognised for outstanding contributions to education, social inclusion, and gender equality

“Education was the foundation upon which I built the kind of life I wanted to lead, the kind of life where I could make a real difference to the lives of others and a meaningful contribution to society more broadly.”

As the Honourable Julia Gillard AC delivered the Occasional Address at the University of Wollongong’s graduation ceremony, she implored the cohort of graduates to become lifelong learners and to see their current degree as a huge achievement, but also the stepping stone on the path to becoming well-educated citizens enriched by education.

The 27^th Prime Minister of Australia, and a global leader for gender equality, education, and social inclusion, Ms Gillard also acknowledged the immense challenges facing the modern world and encouraged the next generation of thinkers to lead with innovation, resilience, and creativity.

“I have witnessed with my own eyes how the lives of children, especially the most disadvantaged girls and young women, can drastically change course when they are given the opportunity to go to school and higher education. Opportunities that have the ability to not just transform one life, but the potential to change entire communities,” Ms Gillard said.

“Graduates, your efforts to expand your educations and the decisions you will make informed by that new knowledge will hold you in good stead in this increasingly complex world.

“The simple problems have all been solved. The in-trays of those trying to make a real difference are filled with increasingly difficult problems. Problems that require creativity, intellectual labour, and a more multidisciplinary approach than we’ve ever had to rely on in the past. It is the highest echelons of educated, lifelong learners who will help us to solve these pressing issues.”

During the Faculty of Business and Law ceremony yesterday (Wednesday 30 October), Ms Gillard was recognised with a Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa), for her remarkable achievements in advancing a fairer and more just society and the immense impact on the causes to which she has dedicated her career.

UOW Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar presented Ms Gillard with her honorary doctorate, paying tribute to her incredible career and legacy as the only female to ever hold the position of Prime Minster of Australia. 

“Her accomplishments, both in office and beyond, reflect a career marked by leadership, resilience and a steadfast commitment to building a more fair and equitable society. Julia’s ongoing work ensures that her influence continues to resonate on national and global stages,” Professor Dewar said.

“Through her remarkable career in politics, advocacy and governance, Julia has embodied leadership in its most powerful form – leadership that drives meaningful change and improves lives. Her dedication to advancing gender equality, mental health and education has had a profound and lasting impact, not only in Australia but around the world.”

^{Julia Gillard with UOW Deputy Chancellor Nieves Murray.} 

As Prime Minister from 2010 to 2013, and previously as Deputy Prime Minster, Ms Gillard’s time in office was defined by groundbreaking changes in education, disability services, and telecommunications, and set the groundwork for the country’s future development. She helped to steer Australia through the Global Financial Crisis and worked with a minority government to pass more than 570 bills. Among her many accomplishments, Ms Gillard launched the landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, expanded paid parental leave, established the National Disability Insurance Scheme, introduced an emissions trading scheme, and built the National Broadband Network.

It is in the world of education that she truly found her place and to which she paid tribute during her speech at UOW. Ms Gillard’s government sparked transformation in the Australia education system, ensuring greater access, quality and opportunities for students at every level, from early childhood to higher education. It is a passion that has continued beyond Ms Gillard’s time in office.

As Chair of the Global Partnership for Education from 2014 to 2021, she championed the cause of ensuring quality education for children in the world’s poorest countries. Under her leadership, the partnership worked to make education accessible to millions of vulnerable children, particularly girls, while addressing the disruptions and challenges caused by conflict and instability.

In addition, she has held other roles in her efforts to improve education, including serving on the International Commission on Financing for Global Education, now the Education Commission, which aims to improve resource allocation for schooling. In 2013, Ms Gillard became a Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Centre for Universal Education, focusing on quality education in developing nations.

She is the Patron of Western Chances, supporting young people in Melbourne’s west with scholarships and opportunities, and the Patron of CAMFED, which empowers girls and young women through education and leadership.

Ms Gillard also led the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care in South Australia, which ended in August 2023.

“I’ve always believed education was the key to unlocking success – for individuals, families, communities, our nations, our world,” she said.

“From a very young age, my parents instilled in me an appreciation of the value of education. I had the privilege of attending good public schools, which set me up for university, put me on the path to law and eventually serving in our nation’s Parliament.”

Ms Gillard told the graduates that the world demands resilience and that even in the face of adversity, they must continue to rise above and move forward.

It is not an unfamiliar concept for Ms Gillard. She endured sexism, misogyny and relentless personal attacks with a combination of grace, grit and some legendary comebacks. Who could forget her blistering parliamentary takedown that not only put her critics in their place but sent shockwaves across the world? A speech that has gained a new life on social media in recent years.

Ms Gillard didn’t just challenge Australia’s blokey leadership culture – she dismantled it, advocating fiercely for women’s rights and unapologetically pushing back against outdated gender norms. But it is clear that she has always been driven by a prevailing sense of self and a true desire to make a difference in the world.

“As the world presents new challenges, upskilling will be the key. Today, I encourage you to celebrate these achievements but also commit yourself to being lifelong learners. Be open to change, be open to new possibilities as you navigate your way through your career,” she told the crowd.

“Nurture a strong sense of self and develop your sense of purpose. Yes, there will be obstacles, there will be setbacks. But if you are clear about what it is that is driving you forward, what you want your life to be about, they can be overcome.

“I encourage you to leave here today with a sense of pride in your achievements, a strong belief in your future, an enduring dedication to learning, and the will to develop a sense of purpose that shapes your path forward.”