Julia Gillard, the 27th Prime Minister of Australia, has become an Honorary Fellow at Girton College.

Gillard made headlines beyond Australia for a viral speech in 2012, in which the politician declared her refusal to be “lectured about sexism and misogyny” by the then-opposition leader.

Ms Gillard was officially admitted as an Honorary Fellow on Thursday (26/10), during a private ceremony attended only by Fellows.

Students at Girton College were invited by email to an ‘In Conversation’ event between Dr Elizabeth Kendall, the Mistress of the College, and Julia Gillard, which took place on the same day.

The discussion was described as focusing on: “career advice for young women, views on the importance of education and Ms Gillard’s career”.

Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), Dr Elizabeth Kendall said: “it was a great honour (and huge fun!) to welcome the brilliant Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia, to Girton College as an Honorary Fellow.”

Ms Julia Gillard was the Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013.

Gillard became particularly well known for her 2012 “misogyny speech”. In 2020, the speech was voted the number one most unforgettable moment in Australian TV history.

During her tenure as PM, Ms Gillard also voted against a private member’s bill that sought to legalise same-sex marriage. However, she later dropped her opposition, saying in May 2023 that she had “got it wrong”.

Since leaving office Gillard has campaigned on various causes, such as gender equality and education.