It was the longest and most impressive-sounding list of credentials rolled off to date by a witness fronting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.
Julia Eileen Gillard, resident of South Australia, took the witness stand in the hearing room and was asked by counsel assisting to tell the commission her current occupation.
"Ah, I'm ... there's a list," the new witness said.
"I am of course a former prime minister and do a number of things associated with that.
"I am an author. I am the chair of the Global Partnership for Education.
"I'm a non-resident distinguished senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
"I'm an honorary professor at the University of Adelaide."
And so began the latest interrogation of Australia's first female prime minister, this time under oath, about the complex, two-decades old web of events commonly known as the "slush fund" affair.
Those expecting any dramatic change were dissatisfied by early proceedings, however, with Ms Gillard repeating her often-stated position that the dodgy dealings of an ex-boyfriend 20 years ago were unknown to her and she had not benefited from them.
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/09/10/02/34/gillard-to-appear-before-royal-commission#5Y2DMBHP...
@am*3 wrote:
Icy:
Ages ago? Last month.
But you're right, time no doubt flies when one is kept busy in one's job as ex-prime-minister and various other honorary positions.
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This thread bring started today has nothing to do with time flying for the ex PM, but everything to do with you having a holiday recently and missing topical threads posted over that timeframe.
Link: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/the-pulse-live/union-royal-commission-live-julia-gillard-appe...
Time flies most when your're on holidays, I find 
@the_great_she_elephant wrote:
@icyfroth wrote:Oh yes quite straightforward and with a straight face. One of her current jobs is Ex-Prime Minister
"I am of course a former prime minister and do a number of things associated with that.
What part of that did you not understand
Well the part I don't understand, She-el, is, why did she have to describe her occupation as ex-prime minister, top of the list? To impress? intimidate? Self-aggrandisement?
She could have just said author, university lecturer, board member duties. After all that is her current occupation.
Ex-prime minister is not an occupation. Especially not when she got unceremoniously bundled out of the job.
It just makes her look pathetic.
@icyfroth wrote:
@the_great_she_elephant wrote:
@icyfroth wrote:Oh yes quite straightforward and with a straight face. One of her current jobs is Ex-Prime Minister
"I am of course a former prime minister and do a number of things associated with that.
What part of that did you not understand
Well the part I don't understand, She-el, is, why did she have to describe her occupation as ex-prime minister, top of the list? To impress? intimidate? Self-aggrandisement?
She could have just said author, university lecturer, board member duties. After all that is her current occupation.
Ex-prime minister is not an occupation. Especially not when she got unceremoniously bundled out of the job.
It just makes her look pathetic.
She didn't say her occupation was ex Prime Minister. Perhaps the subtleties of the english language have eluded you. She said there were various duties she was called upon to perform in her capacity as an ex prime minister. As you yourself pointed out many of the positions she holds are honorary (voluntary) ones - and ones which she would not hold if she were not an ex Prime Minister) . I'm quite sure John Howard, Kevin Rudd or Macolm Frazer could say exactly the same thing.
