Australian politician who served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia from 24 June 2010 to 27 June 2013, as leader of the Australian Labor Party.
Gillard migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966. In 1982 Gillard moved to Melbourne. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1986. In 1987, Gillard joined the law firm Slater & Gordon working in industrial law, before entering politics.
Gillard was elected at the 1998 federal election to the House of Representatives. Following the 2001 federal election, Gillard was elected to the shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Population and Immigration. The Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and the Health portfolios were added in 2003. In December 2006, Kevin Rudd was elected Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition, with Gillard as deputy leader.
Gillard became the Deputy Prime Minister upon Labor’s victory in the 2007 federal election, also serving as Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. On 24 June 2010, after Rudd lost the support of his party and stood aside, Gillard became federal leader of the Australian Labor Party and thus the Prime Minister, the first female holder of the office.
The 2010 federal election saw the first hung parliament since the 1940 federal election. The incumbent Gillard Labor government was able to form a minority government, defeating the Liberal/National Coalition opposition led by Tony Abbott.
On 26 June 2013, after a leadership spill, Gillard lost the leadership of the Labor Party to Rudd. Her resignation as Prime Minister took effect the following day. Gillard retired from politics on 5 August 2013, before the impending federal election.
Gillard met Tim Mathieson in 2004, and they have been in a relationship since 2006.
Gillard released her political memoirs, “My Story,” in September 2014.

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