Julie Bishop’s red shoes

We spent the morning at Old Parliament House, now the Museum of Australian Democracy. It’s one of our favourite places in Canberra.

Julie Bishop was an effective and respected Foreign Minister in the previous Coalition governments. In 2018 there was a leadership spill in which she nominated, unsuccessfully. It would be generally acknowledged, I think, that this had more to do with political chicanery, and misogyny, than it did with competence. I’m not a fan of her politics but she was clearly the best candidate for the job.

These are the shoes Julie wore when she announced her resignation from Cabinet following the spill. They appear in an exhibition on women as change makers. They have become a symbol of women’s empowerment.