Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today spoke of how lucky she is to be a woman and paid tribute to the brave efforts of the women throughout history. Her message is in line with the International Women’s Day celebrated on 8 March across the world.

“Women like me are lucky,” she said, “the positions we hold are based on the efforts of so many courageous women not only in the century since the first International Women’s Day but through history.”

“They worked to improve all aspects of all women’s lives: equality before the law and in the workplace; access to services like health and childcare; freedom from violence and coercion; the right to chart our own lives and careers.

“Above all, those women fought for every woman, every girl, to have education.”

Ms Gillard stressed education is one thing no person can ever take away from “us” – the one thing all our opportunities rely on.

She said her government is building on this platform, delivering the country’s first national Paid Parental Leave Scheme, increasing child care benefits and boosting women’s economic security through the introduction of the Fair Work Act and superannuation reforms.

“And I’m determined to make sure every child in Australia gets a great education,” she said.

“So we remember the hard work of women in the last hundred years whose efforts shared opportunity with all of us – and we dedicate ourselves to work just as hard to share opportunity with all women today.”