Julia Gillard

Peter Brew-Bevan is one of Australia’s finest portrait photographers with many significant portraits in the National Portrait Gallery of Australia and published on the cover of high-profile magazines and albums.  

Brew-Bevan graduated from the South Australian School of Art specialising in drawing and painting, before focusing his skills on photography and has since captured some of the world’s most famous people at pivotal times.  

This was the last official portrait of Julia Gillard AC as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia. Gillard made history in 2010 when she became the first woman to be prime minister. During her service she delivered nation-changing policies and improvements to education, health and aged care, and care for people living with a disability. She is celebrated for standing for equality and the worldwide attention she gained with her ‘misogyny speech’ delivered in Parliament in October 2012. On 26 June 2013 Gillard was defeated in a leadership spill to challenger, Kevin Rudd. She retired from politics immediately after.  

‘This image was taken on the Monday of the June long weekend, right when the grab for office began … she is an amazingly strong woman … what must have been going through her mind at the time of this photograph – still to allow her vulnerability to show through is quite remarkable and a true testament to her stoic nature.’ – Peter Brew-Bevan