Julie Bishop is Australia’s 38th Foreign Minister of Australia and the first female to be appointed to the position. You don’t need to agree with her politics, or even like her, to appreciate the achievement. Bishop’s rise to one of the most senior positions in Cabinet is truly remarkable if you are of the opinion that there is very little room or regard for women in Abbott’s cabinet.
So how did Bishop cut through the boys’ club of The Liberal Party? She is definitely there on merit. No one could ever accuse Bishop of landing her dream job on false pretences. She has worked hard and sacrificed much along the way.
Her tough exterior may be why she has managed to mix it with the men for so long. But it’s also why she doesn’t have a lot of female fans. Bishop’s achievements this week appear to have gone largely uncelebrated, which seems a little unfair to me. In the interests of celebrating all women who achieve, let’s raise a virtual bipartisan glass to Julie Bishop and get to know her a little better. Here’s what I found to be the most interesting facts about the most senior woman in government.
Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister:
- Is a groundbreaker. In 2007, less than a decade after winning her federal seat, Bishop won the vote to be Deputy Leader of the Opposition. She was the first female appointed to this position in the Liberal Party. She was also the first woman from any major party at Federal level to hold the position of Shadow Treasurer when appointed by then Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull in 2008.
- Can hold her own in any debate. Bishop was a barrister and solicitor before entering politics and winning the seat of Curtin at the Federal election in 1998, aged 42.
- Believes that women can’t have it all. It’s no secret that Bishop sacrificed motherhood for a political career. “I’m in the Anne-Marie Slaughter school – women can’t have it all. They can have plenty of choices, but at the end of the day, they choose something which means they can’t have something else.”
- Was named as one of Women’s Agenda’s 10 women to watch in 2013. Journalist Rose Powell chose Bishop as the winning female politician with a change of government. How right she was.
- Has eclectic music taste. On August 31 this year Bishop was one of three politicians who guest programmed the ABC’s Rage. Her choices included: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beyonce and The Easybeats.
- Is a good sport. Her death stare is the most famous facial expression in Australian politics and has launched Facebook groups and twitter hashtags. She doesn’t mind a bit of fun at her own expense as is evident by her decisions to send herself up on a variety of TV programs over the years from a stare-out with The Chaser’s Chas Licciardello in 2010 to her face-off with Tom Gleeson for This Week Live’s I Hate You Change My Mind just prior to the election.
- Favours trade over aid. During a foreign policy debate with former Foreign Minister Bob Carr at The Lowy Institute on August 8, Bishop outlined a new Coalition policy position that foreign affairs would be about securing Australia’s economic interests. “Foreign policy will be trade policy and trade policy will be foreign policy,” she said.
- Has achieved her career goal. Annabel Crabb wrote: “she has wanted to be Australia’s foreign minister for donkey’s years, and now she is.”