A shekara ta biyu a jami'ar, Gillard ta shiga siyasa ta hanyar 'yar wani ministan ma'aikata na jihar. Saboda haka, ta shiga kungiyar kwadago kuma ta shiga cikin yakin neman yaki da kasafin kudin ilimi na tarayya. Gillard ta yanke karatunta a Adelaide a shekarar 1982, kuma ta koma Melbourne don yin aiki tare da kungiyar Australian Union of Students. A shekarar 1983, ta zama mace ta biyu da ta jagoranci kungiyar Australian Union of Students, har zuwa lokacin da aka dakatar da kungiyar a shekarar 1984. Ta kuma kasance sakataren kungiyar Socialist Forum. Bayan da aka mayar da karatunta zuwa Jami'ar Melbourne, Gillard ta kammala karatun digiri na Bachelor of Laws a shekarar 1986 da kuma digiri na Bachelor of Arts a shekarar 1989.
Ƙungiyar Socialist