Early Life and Career
Gillard (first syllable stressed, hard G) was born on 29 September 1961 in Barry, Wales. After she suffered from bronchopneumonia as a child, her parents were advised it would aid her recovery if they were to live in a warmer climate. This led the family to migrate to Australia in 1966, settling in Adelaide. Gillard's mother, Moira, currently lives in Pasadena, South Australia. She also has a sister, Alison, who is three years older. Gillard's father, John, died in 2012.
Gillard's father worked as a psychiatric nurse, while her mother worked at the local Salvation Army nursing home. She and her sister attended Mitcham Demonstration School, and Julia went on to attend Unley High School. She then studied at the University of Adelaide but cut short her courses in 1982 and moved to Melbourne to work with the Australian Union of Students. 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 at Werribee, Melbourne, working in industrial law. In 1990, at the age of 29, she was admitted as a partner. Gillard took leave of absence in September 1995 to campaign for a Senate seat and resigned in May 1996, to work as chief of staff to Victorian opposition leader John Brumby. According to The Australian newspaper, Gillard's departure occurred "amid fractured relationships between partners at Slater & Gordon" partly attributable to the AWU affair.
Read more about this topic: Julia Gillard
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