Julia Gard Legacy

1499 Words6 Pages

The substantial controversy enveloping the many accomplishments of the Gillard governments (2010-2013) has resulted in the establishment of a highly criticised legacy which, when assessed, is acknowledged as both positive and negative in Australian political history. Within a brief term, Gillard attained many considerable successes regarding legislative achievements (Curtin, 2015, pp.193) and established a global, feminist legacy. There has been, however, a negative impact on these achievements and ultimately the Gillard government’s legacy from a parliamentary democratic perspective. Julia Gillard’s contentious rise and fall in prime ministership has produced a negative legacy in Australia history, which overshadows the successes of this …show more content…

Considering a minority government was the basis of this government, extensive legislative successes were achieved over the short, three year term in which they ran parliament (Curtin 2015, pp.193). The Gillard government notably received royal assent and passed five hundred and sixty one pieces of legislation (Marsh & Lewis 2014, pp. 239), a significant number more than the Rudd government achieved and even surpassed the 549 accomplished in the last term of the Howard government. This government was committed to addressing social and environmental issues in an attempt to promote equality, meet the needs of society and appeal with the public’s fears and understanding (McCabe 2012, …show more content…

The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been evaluated as a lasting legacy for Gillard (Nicholson 2013, pp.6) in aiming to reduce inequities faced by individuals and groups in society. This legacy is further benefitted by Gillard’s goal to revolutionise education, through increased funding and adopting a student-centred approach to education and national curriculum (Gillard 2012b). By focusing on equality and fairness (Johnson 2011, pp.572), the Gillard government saw success in policies regarding introducing national employment standards under the Fair Work Commission Act 2009 (Government of Australia, 2010), reinvigorating multiculturalism (Tavan 2012, pp.547) and finally initiating the use of plain tobacco packaging, a huge achievement in society (Arkley 2014,