Julia Gillard Is Bringing Her Landmark Misogyny Speech to the Stage Ten Years On
Ten years after declaring "not now, not ever" in parliament, the former Australian Prime Minister is taking to the stage to reflect upon the historic moment.
"Not now, not ever." Thanks to former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, those words have been seared into Australian history forever. During her time in the nation's highest office — on October 9, 2012, in fact — Gillard uttered them as part of her groundbreaking misogyny speech, in response to then Liberal Opposition Leader and future PM Tony Abbott.
It was a landmark moment. An unforgettable one, too. And, this October, it will have been ten years since it happened. To mark the occasion, Gillard is bringing the speech and its sentiments to the stage in two shows — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne.
"A decade has passed since I first declared 'not now, not ever' in Parliament House, but our collective call for equity remains just as vital," said Gillard, announcing her Not Now, Not Ever live-on-stage gigs.
"I am incredibly proud to be part of these special evenings that will celebrate passion and progress, reflect on how far we've come in the last ten years, but most importantly look forward to explore what comes next in the fight for equality."
Not Now, Not Ever will head to Melbourne's Hamer Hall on Tuesday, October 4, before making a date with Sydney's Aware Super Theatre on Wednesday, October 5, with broadcaster and author Indira Naidoo playing host. Gillard and Naidoo will be joined by a yet-to-be-revealed lineup of guests, who'll all help reflect upon the former PM's speech.
Indeed, the shows aren't simply about celebrating a historic event ten years later, but also continuing the discussion about sexism and misogyny in Australia today. How has Australia changed, if at all, since then? What does the country need to do to truly reach gender equality? How does the nation's political system, and just society in general, reinforce sexist and misogynist attitudes? Expect these questions and more to be addressed.
For me, it is a personal and cathartic exercise looking back at THAT speech. But what has meant even more has been gathering the reflections and thoughts from others about then, now, and what next. In October, to mark the 10 year anniversary, I will share it all with you. pic.twitter.com/w5O1nS9KFd
— Julia Gillard (@JuliaGillard) June 14, 2022
Gillard is also editing a book that's similarly called Not Now, Not Ever, and is due out on Wednesday, October 5, with proceeds going to the Global Institute for Women's Leadership. Also contributing to the tome: Cate Blanchett, Brittany Higgins, Mary Beard, Jess Hill, Jennifer Palmieri, Katharine Murphy, Wayne Swan, Anne Summers and more.
Can't remember back ten years, or even what Gillard faced during 2010–13 spot in Australia's top job? Fierce and formidable documentary Strong Female Lead covered the details last year — and is available to stream now.
And, you can watch Gillard's full speech below courtesy of ABC News:
NOT NOW, NOT EVER WITH JULIA GILLARD 2022 DATES:
Tuesday, October 4 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
Wednesday, October 5 — Aware Super Theatre, ICC Sydney
Not Now, Not Ever with Julia Gillard will hit Melbourne's Hamer Hall and Sydney's Aware Super Theatre in October. Pre-sales tickets begin on Monday, July 18, with general sales from Monday, July 25. For more information, head to the Ticketek website.
