Julia Gillard is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education. She came to the Global Partnership after a distinguished career of public service in Australia. She served as Prime Minister of Australia between 2010 and 2013 and successfully managed Australia’s economy during the global economic crises. Education is Ms Gillard’s passion. She reformed Australia’s education at every level from early childhood to higher education with a special focus on disadvantaged children. She delivered new standards to improve the quality of childcare and access to early childhood education for every Australian child and developed a needs-based funding system for every school and ensured that funding was tied to a quality improvement agenda of better teaching, individual learning plans and parental engagement. She also established Australia’s first national curriculum and ensured significant investment in school buildings. Before becoming Prime Minister, Ms. Gillard was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Gillard served as Shadow Minister for Health followed in 2006 by an appointment as Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Social Inclusion. In 2003, Ms. Gillard took on responsibilities for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and in 2001 Ms. Gillard was appointed Shadow Minister for Population and Immigration. Previously, from 1998 to 2000, Ms. Gillard was a member of the House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations.
