Hi, I’m Julie Bishop, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and I’m going Back to School with
Student Edge.
Hi, I’m Simon Miraudo and today I’m sitting down with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us.
My pleasure.
Looking back to high school, what were the subjects you really gravitated towards?
The ones you really looked forward to going to the next day.
I loved the histories. In my final year I did ancient and modern history; I loved Australian history.
Anything that was a story about who we are, where we came from, where we’re going
anything to do with civilisation and the world in which we lived, I was always very keen on it.
World affairs, political affairs. No wonder I ended up as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Were there any subjects you struggled with, or, whether you enjoyed them or not, had trouble
figuring them out?
I was less keen on physics and chemistry and much keener on the liberal arts subjects.
So I did language. I did German. I did histories. I did geography. Subjects like that.
As soon as I could focus my attentions on those subjects, I was able to choose and I did.
How’s your German today?
Not so good.
Okay. Well a life in politics or a career in politics and public service can be abstract
career goals when you’re a young person. I’m curious, what were you aspiring to be
through these high school years, or was politics indeed an end goal for you?
No it wasn’t. I was very keen to be a lawyer and I saw myself having a career in the law.
So I did in fact practice law for about 20 years before I went into politics. So no,
I didn’t plan to be a politician when I was at school or at university. That came much
later in life.
When did those political aspirations kind of come to the fore?
Oh, after I’d been practicing law for some time. I finally made the decision to go into
politics when I was taking a sabbatical at Harvard Business School in 1996.
It was a much later time than when I was at uni.
Okay, what was it like going back to Harvard after some years away from study? Was it easy
to kind of go back into those rhythms?
No it was difficult. I think we all found it rather difficult; particularly those who
had not studied for a very long time. But I threw myself into it, as I do with most
things, and I enjoyed it very much, and made a lot of friends there as well.
Were there any student jobs you had, or jobs as a teenager that you look back on,
even if they weren’t necessarily leading you towards the law?
Oh, I always had jobs when I was at school and at university. My parents had a property in the Adelaide Hills,
so I worked in the cherry orchard during the summer months; packing and picking cherries.
But I also had jobs in bars, in pubs, in restaurants. I was always trying to bring in extra money
so that I could travel.
Sure.
I used to spend my money on traveling.
What was the first destination that you were like, ‘Okay, I’ve got the money from the
cherry picking, or working at the bar’… where were you going?
My sister and I went through South East Asia. We went to Singapore and Bangkok and
Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, and travelled throughout South East Asia. I was 17 and it
was a great experience, hence my love affair with South East Asia ever since.
Were your parents fine with you travelling at that age? Was there any kind of negotiating
to let you go?
There was a level of negotiating but once we'd set our minds to it, and we raised the
money ourselves through working, there wasn’t much they could say about it.
Sure. I don’t envy your parents, on their side of the negotiating table, for that.
You’re a noted emoji lover. Recently, the Oxford Dictionary announced their word of
the year is the emoji with Tears of Joy. How do you feel about this? This has been controversial.
I don’t feel like this is a very common emoji? Is that one you use regularly?
Okay sure. Not the vomit emoji.
I use a number of emojis quite often. Probably the one with the big spooky eyes, which is
very adaptable. I also use the smiley one. Oh yeah, I use a lot in my emails and text
messaging and tweets.
Of course.
I ask, because there’s conversation at the moment, certainly in the UK, where they’re
trying to incorporate more smartphones and tablets into the classroom .Do you think that’s
an effective way of working with kids and the technology they’re using, or is it more
of a fun distraction on the side?
No I think it’s reality. This is how people communicate these days, and whilst I would
never want to see the written and spoken word replaced, nevertheless, the single emoji character
can say a lot of things. It's like charades, in one sense. But it’s a bit of fun and I
enjoy using it. It can express a whole range of emotions in one single character.
You’re now the highest ranking woman in Australian government. Throughout your career,
as you’ve risen up through the ranks, have you faced obstacles, do you feel, as a woman?
Have you felt discrimination in any kind of way, that, in 2015, for anyone out there who
is looking to get into politics as a young woman, do you feel we’re at a better place?
Of course and it comes down to a critical mass of women going into politics. The more women
there are in politics, the less it’ll be a novelty. The less it’ll be a topic of
conversation or discussion. I think the days when we can just assume that ‘of course
women can rise to any position in political or other life because that’s what they’re
capable of doing, if they’re chosen by merit or appointed by merit,’ well that
would be a wonderful thing. Not some curiosity that we discuss. Absolutely
To wrap up, when you do look back on your years of education, whether its uni or high school
or primary school, are there any things you regret? Anything you feel, “I wish I had done it
this way or I wish I could go back and study this’? Or has it led you to where you are?
I don’t think there’s any point in doing regrets. Don’t do regrets. It’s happened.
You’ve chosen your life. Make the very most of everything
you have been faced with and every opportunity that you’ve got. Face your challenges. Embrace
your opportunities. So I don’t look back in that regard but I certainly look forward
to the future.
Great. Is there one piece of advice you would give students based on your own experiences?
I’m sure students are going to get a lot of advice from a lot of people. Probably I
would say to them: Don’t let others define you. Always be true to yourself. Trust your judgment.
Trust your intuition and don’t let others try and define who they think you
should be. Be very true to who you know you are.
Fantastic. Minister thank you so much for your time.
My pleasure.
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