Strong Female Lead: An unapologetic film on the sexism that shapes Australian politics

One in three Australian women experience discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Julia Gillard was one of them.

Julia Gillard’s historic elevation to Prime Minister in 2010 served as a promising image for little girls and women across the nation. But what came next was as a horrifying reminder of the ongoing sexism that underpins our government, a toxic ‘boys club’ which left Gillard scathed by the very glass she had shattered on her way up.

Strong Female Lead is an unashamedly feminist documentary exploring the horrifying gender politics experienced by Julia Gillard during her tenure as Australian Prime Minister. It is an unvarnished and raw timeline of how over the course of Gillard’s leadership, her gender was used repeatedly as a point of weakness.

Image: Documentary Banner from Strong Female Lead website

Director of AACTA nominated Strong Female Lead, Tosca Looby felt that Gillard’s story needs to be told, as recent Australian events have “blown the lid on a toxic culture for women working in Australia’s Parliament.”

“There is now no denying that women are ridiculed and threatened because they aren’t men. There is a deep and continuing resistance to women holding positions of leadership,” she said.

“Strong Female Lead makes its point – that Gillard was politically persecuted on the basis of gender.”

From the leadership spill that bestowed her with the crown of Australian PM to the relentless smear campaign that finally saw her exit, this documentary lays bare the sexism and misogyny that pervaded her three years and three days as PM.

The visually powerful documentary creates a statement through its use of only archived footage overlayed with audio clippings - enabling audiences to experience the multitude of gender-based attacks from Gillard’s parliamentary colleagues, mass media, and the Australian public. It exposes the tyranny of media monopolies and a toxic masculine culture that still enables misogynistic behaviour to carry on.

Image: Andrew Meares/Fairfax

We see Tony Abbott shamelessly appearing in front of slogans calling her “Bob Brown’s Bitch” and crowds calling to “Ditch the Witch”. The infamous Alan Jones who berated her on live radio, claimed she should be put in a chaff bag and thrown in the sea, and insinuated that her father had “died of shame”.

We see her unacceptably portrayed by creatives in published work that are sexual and grotesque in their nature. Cartoonist, Larry Pickering created an unrelenting series of drawings where Gillard was drawn explicitly naked or offering sexual favours in return for votes and political power.

Yet, no move was made by Parliament to defend their own Prime Minister and the attacks continued.

We see her physical appearance hyper-scrutinised by Australian media corporations, from the blazers she wore to the shape of her body, her hair styles, the shape of her nose and even her earlobes. Her personal life probed as she was chastised for choosing politics over a child, her relationship questioned; when did she plan on getting married? did she really love her partner? was he in fact gay?

Explosive misogyny and blatant disrespect that would be unimaginable for any male politician. 

The documentary is in equal parts confronting and inspiring, as the beautifully crafted film fills audiences with rage about an environment intentionally blind to the prejudice faced by women in Parliament. A political system within which sexism is endemic and continues to negatively impact the way our nation is governed.

Simultaneous to the anger, audiences are left in awe by the grace with which Gillard handles herself, and of course Strong Female Lead would not be complete without Gillard’s iconic misogyny speech. One of the most defining moments of her career and a high point of the documentary.

“I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not.”

“The Government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man.”

“Not now, not ever.”

The speech instantly evoked something within women across the globe, who for years have been struggling to tackle double standards and misogyny. It racked up millions of views on YouTube, became a TikTok trend and ignited a global fire.

On the lips of every woman now are the words “I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man, not now, not ever.”

Image: Alex Ellinghausen/Fairfax

Despite reaching global heights her speech was largely ignored by the Australian media who characterised her as playing the “gender card”.

With cascading scandals of alleged rape, sexual misconduct, and discrimination amid the corridors of power, this documentary reinforces audiences to recognise the behaviour that 11 years later still reigns freely through our Parliament and is brushed aside by Australian media.

Since 1999, Australia has plummeted from 15th place to 56th, on the world stage for gender diversity in its parliament.

This documentary leaves no room to argue why.

Strong Female Lead is available free on SBS on Demand.