Why Peta Credlin wanted Julia Gillard to succeed

[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to Something to Talk About, the Stella Podcast.

I'm Sarah Lamarquant, your host, and every week I sit down with some of the biggest names in the country.

Because when Australia's celebrities are ready to talk, they come to Something to Talk About.

You might think you know a lot about Peta Credlin, but in truth, you probably don't.

After all, she doesn't give many interviews.

In fact, today's conversation with Stella is her first in 10 years.

So sure, you might know Peta as the host of Credlin on News 24, or as a former chief of staff to Australia's 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, a role which saw her become arguably the most famous parliamentary staffer in Australia.

But before any of that, she was a country girl from the tiny Victorian town of Witchproof, and with no political connections and certainly no grand plan to end up in Canberra.

I never wanted to be rich.

I never wanted to be famous.

I never wanted an easy life, actually.

I just wanted to make a difference, right?

In today's episode, Peta also gets personal about going public with her IVF journey, how a doctor, quote-unquote, "saved her life" when she was entering menopause, and how she's transitioned over the past decade from a career in Canberra to that of a television anchor and columnist.

She also shares her complicated perspective on women and power, revealing why, even as she worked for the opposition in trying to defeat Julia Gillard, she still wanted Australia's first female prime minister to succeed.

Along comes a female prime minister in Australia, and I want her to be a success.

Even if my job is to work for a bloke who wants to beat her, I want her to be a success.

This is Peta Credlin, the woman behind thousands of headlines, like you've never heard her.

Peta Credlin, welcome to the Stella Podcast.