Deputy Prime Minister, Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Social Inclusion.
Julia Gillard
BRIEF BACKGROUND:
As a child, Julia Gillard’s parents taught her that if you worked hard, you could achieve great things... ‘I came to Australia as a four year old child whose father was forced out of school because his family couldn’t afford his continuing education. Here in Australia it was different. I knew I could go to university if I worked hard and got the grades. Julia was elected to Parliament in 1998, after studying law and economics, leading the Australian Union of Students and working as an industrial lawyer.
She’s had a meteoric rise in federal politics – taking on a range of portfolio responsibilities including Immigration, Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and Health. With Kevin Rudd’s elevation to the leadership, Julia was elected unopposed as Deputy Leader and appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Social Inclusion.
From Julia's Myspace Bio - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=204068276
SCROLL DOWN FOR QUOTES ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
Christianity ... Abortion ...Cloning of human Embryos for research ... Religious Education ... Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Issues .. Articles & General Quotes
JULIA GILLARD & CHRISTIANITY :
Labor MPs refuse to be sworn in holding Bibles
13/2 Matthew Franklin for The Australian |... the winds of change were freshening as a majority of Labor MPs refused to be sworn in holding Bibles, instead exercising their option to offer an affirmation of allegiance. Of the Labor frontbench, only Mr Rudd, Simon Crean, Martin Ferguson and Peter Garrett took the Bible in hand as they declared their allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs and successors.
In marked contrast, all members of the God-fearing Coalition front bench swore on the Bible, many supplying their own for the occasion.
NOTE : EMILY's List is a national organisation that aims to make ensure "Progressive" Labor Women are elected to parliament ... Apparently progressive means "pro-abortion and pro-institutional child care" because the Emily's List website clearly states that to join this political & personal support network, women need to be : Pro-Choice / Pro Equity / Pro-Childcare / Pro-Equal Pay & Pro-Diversity
Since 1996 EMILY's List has helped elect over 80 women to Federal, State or Territory Parliaments.
Julia Gillard is listed on the Emily's List website as one they have helped get into the Federal Parliament
Despite the increase in Steves in the Parliament, Australia has its first acting woman PM
“We would especially like to congratulate EMILY's List endorsed MPs who have been appointed to the Ministry – Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment & Workplace Relations, & Social Inclusion; Jenny Macklin, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs; Penny Wong, Minster for Climate Change and Water; Tanya Plibersek Minister for Housing & Status of Women; Justine Elliot, Minister for Ageing and Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing,” said Ms Hussein.
In the House, the ALP will hold 83 seats, 27 will be held by women MPs – 32.53% In the Senate, Labor holds 32 positions, with 14 women (43.75%). Overall there will be 41 women of 115 government members, or 35.65% overall representation. These figures exclude the seat of McEwen where the outcome is still unclear.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - Woolly Days Blog - Derek Barry, Journalist, QLD, Australia
In 1996, EMILY’s List was set up in Australia. It has provided financial, training and mentoring support to candidates in State and Federal election campaigns. It endorses candidates who support “principles of equity, diversity, pro-choice, and the provision of equal pay and childcare”. It claims the success of 101 new women MPs into Australian parliaments in the last ten years. Although not affiliated with the ALP, current party deputy-leader Julia Gillard played a role in the foundation of the Australian branch. Gillard remains a public advocate for the organisation.
CLONING AND DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN EMBRYOS FOR RESEARCH :
Julia Gillard voted in favour of the cloning and destruction of human embryos for research during the last Federal parliament's Conscience Vote on the issue.
Embryo cloning gets the go-ahead
December 2006, Sydney Morning Herald | AUSTRALIAN scientists will be able to clone human embryos for medical research under legislation passed by Parliament which divided the country's most senior politicians
In a rare conscience vote, the House of Representatives passed the controversial measures despite the Prime Minister [John Howard] urging MPs to vote against the bill because it eroded some of society's most absolute values.
.... Those in favour of the bill included cabinet ministers Brendan Nelson, Julie Bishop, Ian Macfarlane, Alexander Downer and Philip Ruddock and Labor frontbenchers Julia Gillard, Simon Crean, Jenny Macklin and Wayne Swan.
Quote: From the No Cloning.org,au website / Do No Harm
The Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 was passed just four years ago without a single dissenting vote in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Section 9 of that Act provides that “A person commits an offence if the person intentionally creates a human embryo clone”.
CLONING – WHAT THEY SAID JUST FOUR YEARS AGO
“DEAR COALITION SENATOR AND MEMBER:
IF IT WAS ‘WRONG’ IN 2002
TO CREATE EMBRYOS SOLELY FOR RESEARCH,
HOW CAN IT BE ‘RIGHT’ IN 2006?”
Julia Gillard (Labor – Lalor)
Finally, the other aspect of this bill is the prohibition on human cloning, which I support. I understand it to be universally supported in this parliament. It is very important that we, as a parliament, make a statement about that through the passage of this bill—and I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity
14/01 Ben Packham - Herald Sun | JOHN Howard's controversial school chaplains program will be expanded to include any suitably qualified counsellor under an overhaul by the Rudd Government.
Education Minister Julia Gillard's office has confirmed the $90 million program will be changed into a secular scheme when current contracts expire.
"Any funds allocated, we will deliver," her spokeswoman said. "After that point it will be reviewed and obviously we are looking at expanding it."
For the past six years Labor MP Tanya Plibersek has held the electorate of Sydney. An active supporter of the LGBTI community, Plibersek tried to convince the ALP not to support the coalition’s same-sex marriage ban. Along with colleague Anthony Albanese, she got a promise out of Mark Latham to remove all other legislation which discriminates against same-sex couples from federal law if they win the election.
Plibersek says that if re-elected she will ensure the commitments Labor made will be a priority. She has also been asked by shadow health minister Julia Gillard to be responsible for making sure the health department takes into account specific gay and lesbian health issues in their policies.
For Full Context of Quotes Visit : http://www.ssonet.com.au/display.asp?ArticleID=3623
SPEECHES :
Speech to the Australian Fabian Society
Friday, August 31, 2007
No address to the Fabian Society would of course be complete without acknowledging the lifetime commitment to the Fabian cause of Race Matthews – someone who played such a big role in helping elect the Society's National Patron, Gough Whitlam.It must be a source of great satisfaction to Race and Gough that the Society, now in its seventh decade, is as strong as it's been in its history.
Let me also mention the Society's national president and our candidate for Higgins – Barbara Norman. Barbara, you have the biggest, toughest and most important job in Australia – wiping the smirk off Peter Costello's face on election night. And let me mention the Society's national secretary and someone I first met in student politics all those years ago – Evan Thornley – who has played along with so many others such a huge part in the Society's revival.
Today the Fabian Society boasts contributions from some of the Labor movement's leading figures – people of the stature of John Faulkner – and we're going to need it to be a forum for new ideas regardless of the outcome of this year's election.
Friends, it's been a long, hard time in the electoral wilderness for the Australian Labor Party at the federal level.For eleven long years we've seen the Howard Government take the easy option of coasting on the mining boom and benefiting from the hard reforms of the Labor Governments of the 1980s and '90s.
Much can happen between now and the election later this year. And it will, for many reasons.
Just one reason is because we are confronting the most successful and cunning conservative politician of his generation – John Howard.And let's not be under any false impressions that John Howard and the Liberal Party have hung up the tools. They will continue to roll out myth after falsehood, and fib after bluster every day between now and the election.
Their election machine and most significantly their election funds will bombard our airwaves and our newsprint and cyberspace with an unprecedented onslaught of negative advertising and campaigning.No untruth will be too big for them to tell. No piece of mud too muddy to fling. No gutter too low for them to climb down into.They're the masters at American-style personal campaigning – and we have to be the masters of rising above it and winning by showing the electorate a fresh face and fresh ideas.
But one thing we know for sure right now.While victory is still very much against the odds victory – it is, finally, possible.Labor can win – but only if we set our minds to it and keep working with a single-minded purpose towards that goal.We have to keep fighting like there's no tomorrow. The way Kevin does every waking hour of every day.
If between now and election day your phone rings at some ungodly hour like 5 am to get you out of bed – don't panic, it's probably just Kevin.And if we do win, it's going to be a victory that will better the country.
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