Julie Bishop reveals her ‘lonely’ time as only woman in Tony Abbot’s first Cabinet

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has revealed how she battled sexism and was left feeling isolated as the only woman in Tony Abbott’s first cabinet.

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has revealed how she felt “lonely” as the only woman in the Abbott cabinet and was left frustrated when her ignored ideas were later parroted by male colleagues.

Reflecting on the “extraordinary outcome” of being the lone woman in the first Abbott government, Ms Bishop said “time and time again” she would put an idea, get no response and then watch a colleague voice her idea moments later.

“It was pretty lonely — I would be sitting in cabinet with 19 men and me,” she said.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she felt “lonely” as the sole woman in Tony Abbott’s first Cabinet.

“The others would say ‘brilliant, what a genius idea’,” Ms Bishop said. That led her to make a deal with female colleagues who later joined cabinet that no matter the topic, any woman’s idea would be vocally supported.

Speaking at a women’s affairs luncheon to discuss various gender issues, Australia’s most senior female federal politician expressed surprise that “one of the most thoughtful and down-to-earth” people she has met is Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the US president.

Male colleagues would often parrot her ideas, Julie Bishop says.

Ms Bishop revealed on Wednesday she wondered how Donald Trump was Ivanka’s father after the younger Trump’s enthusiastic response about political mentoring during a discussion in New York.

Julie Bishop and Ivanka Trump reportedly found a lot of common ground when they met to discuss female mentoring programs in New York. Picture: AAP/Andrew Kelly/DFAT

Ms Bishop says when she met Ivanka during a recent trip to the United Nations in New York the two discussed a mentoring program for female leaders in Pacific Island nations.

The program aims to boost female representation in the region’s parliaments, where fewer than 10 per cent of representatives are women.

Julie Bishop said she found it “interesting” that Donald Trump had produced a daughter like Ivanka. Picture: AP/Andrew Harnik

Three nations have no female members in their lower houses, according to advocacy group Pacific Women in Politics.

“When I told Ivanka Trump about that, she embraced it immediately, said how could her foundation get involved, she could host something at the White House,” Ms Bishop said.

“(She was) very conscious that the White House could really galvanise action. “And I thought, ‘That president produced that daughter — interesting.’” Ms Bishop said Ivanka was “one of the most delightful, thoughtful, measured, outward-looking, down-to-earth people” she had met.