In 2012, Julia Gillard gave a speech that sent shockwaves around the world as our first female Prime Minister thundered across the Despatch Box: “I will not”.

Over a decade later, one of Australia’s most esteemed playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith, tells the human story behind the extraordinary speech in a stirring and inspiring re-examination of that moment and a revelatory portrait of the woman who made it happen.

Directed by Helpmann Award-winner Sarah Goodes, Julia is a critical and box office triumph, dazzling audiences across the country with its profound, wry and intoxicating exploration of gender, privilege and power.

The phenomenal Justine Clarke delivers a “heroic performance” (The Sydney Morning Herald) that takes us through key moments in Prime Minister Gillard’s life — from her childhood through to her foray into and across the battlefield of Australian politics — culminating in an “electrifying” (The Guardian) verbatim performance of the ‘misogyny speech’.

As women around the world continue to fight against oppression, Julia is a provocative rallying cry that is not to be missed.

Julia
15-30 August 2025
Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane
www.queenslandtheatre.com.au