Australia has its first female Prime minister “Red Julia” Gillard.
Trevor Loudon
New Zeal
6/24/2010
Often touted as a moderate, or even to the “right” by Australian Labor Party standards, she is unfortunately, anything but.
Gillard is a member of the socialist Australian Fabian Society, joining through her membership in an even more left organization – a fact she has been very cagey about.
In the run-up to the 2007 Australian elections, then ALP deputy leader Gillard was the centre of controversy, after then Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello exposed her past ties to to a Communist Party of Australia linked organisation, Socialist Forum.
Initially Gillard admitted her association, but played it down.
Here’s part of a 17th October Lateline interview with ABC journalist Tony Jones
TONY JONES: Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
JULIA GILLARD: (Laughs) Tony, I think that question shows how silly all of this is getting, though I suspect in this interview, probably the Howard Government would think you’re the dangerous radical. After all, I’m only from the Labor Party, you’re from the ABC.
TONY JONES: Well look, seriously, Peter Costello has thrown this out. Let’s deal with it properly. What’s the Socialist Forum? Were you an organiser for it? And when did that happen, if you were?
JULIA GILLARD: Tony, it’s 2007 and I’m a 46-year-old woman. What Peter Costello is referring to is more than 20 years ago when I was in my 20s. I was a full-time university student and I had a part-time job for an organisation called Socialist Forum, which was a sort of debating society. It ultimately amalgamated with the Fabian society, which of course is a long-running ideas and debating group in Australian politics and indeed in British politics before Australian politics. I’ve worked in the cleric and administrative work.
TONY JONES: It wasn’t a front organisation for Communists?
JULIA GILLARD: Certainly not. It was an organisation where people who identified themselves as progressives, some in the Labor Party, some outside the Labor Party, would come together and would talk about ideas. I did clerical and administrative work, Tony. This is so long ago. It’s the days before modern computers and the internet, in the days where if you wanted to put out a meeting notice to people you wouldn’t send an email, you’d get out an envelope and put it in your IBM electric typewriter and type up the address and then get the next one. That’s the sort of thing I used to do.
Julia Gillard’s vagueness with Tony Jones is surprising, as a week before the Sunday Herald Sun‘s Lincoln Wright had published this story on News.com.au [Will Julia Gillard’s past cause red faces?]
The article continues at NewZeal.blogspot.com
