Julie Bishop dresses in 1920s clothes to point out how she was ignored as a woman in politics by old-fashioned men - in Australia and on the world stage

Australia's first female foreign minister Julie Bishop has dressed in 1920s clothes to emphasise how she struggled to be heard as a woman in politics.

The 64-year-old former Liberal MP made an appearance on the ABC's Further Back In Time for Dinner history series hosted by Annabel Crabb.

At a retro-themed afternoon tea, she paid tribute to Edith Cowan, who in 1921 made history as the first woman elected to any parliament in Australia.

Dressed in a 1920s floral summer skirt, Ms Bishop recalled her time as the only female cabinet minister in Tony Abbott's Coalition government in 2013 and 2014.

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Australia's first female foreign minister Julie Bishop (pictured right) has dressed in 1920s clothes to emphasise how she struggled to be heard as a woman in politics. The 64-year-old former Liberal MP made an appearance on the ABC's Further Back In Time for Dinner history series hosted by Annabel Crabb

'And that was 2013. Not only in the federal cabinet, there were a number of times as foreign minister where there would be a meeting of 25, 30 foreign ministers and I would be the only female there,' she said.  

Female trailblazers in Australian politics

Edith Cowan: Australia's first woman elected to parliament, March 1921

Enid Lyons: Australia's first woman elected to the federal House of Representatives, August 1943 (United Australia Party)

Annabelle Rankin: Australia's first female federal minister, January 1966

Rosemary Follett: Australia's first female chief minister, May 1989  

Carmen Lawrence: Australia's first female premier, February 1990

Anna Bligh: Australia's first female premier to win an election, March 2009  

Julia Gillard: Australia's first female prime minister, June 2010

Julie Bishop: Australia's first female foreign minister, September 2013

Annastacia Palaszczuk: Australia's first female premier to win an election from Opposition, January 2015  

During Ms Bishop's time as foreign minister, Boris Johnson was her UK counterpart.

Mr Johnson went on to become the UK's Tory Prime Minister in July 2019, after capitalising on divisions in his Conservative Party over Brexit that had destroyed the leadership of his female predecessor Theresa May.

Ms Bishop had wanted to succeed Malcolm Turnbull as Australian PM in August 2018.

She only managed, however, to garner just 11 votes out of 85 during a first-round leadership ballot contest with Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton - despite serving as the Liberal Party's deputy leader for 11 years.

No one from her home state of Western Australia even voted for her.

That included her then female Liberal cabinet colleague Michaelia Cash, who in 2013 had claimed Labor frontbencher Penny Wong was betraying the sisterhood by supporting Kevin Rudd's challenge to female prime minister Julia Gillard.

Ms Bishop also hails from Perth, where Ms Cowan won a state seat 99 years ago by defeating sitting attorney-general Thomas Draper - the minister who had introduced legislation allowing women to stand for parliament.

Ms Bishop suggested Ms Cowan, who too hailed from the conservative side of politics, would too have battled against a male-dominated political system.

'It can be very difficult to get your point of view across so I can imagine what it must have been like for Edith Cowan to stand up in a rowdy Legislative Assembly to make a speech,' she said.

'She would have been sneered at and ridiculed and probably belittled because she was challenging the all-male bastion.'

Ms Cowan, a Nationalist MP for three years, now features on the $50 polymer note. 

Dressed in a 1920s floral summer skirt, Ms Bishop recalled her time as the only female cabinet minister in Tony Abbott's Coalition government in 2013 and 2014

During Ms Bishop's time as foreign minister, Boris Johnson was her UK counterpart (pictured in February 2018). Mr Johnson went on to become the UK's Tory Prime Minister in July 2019

Western Australia in February 1990 produced Australia's first female premier Carmen Lawrence when she replaced Peter Dowding as Labor leader.

Julia Gillard became Australia's first female prime minister two decades later when she overthrew first-term Labor PM Kevin Rudd in a leadership coup.

At an afternoon tea, Ms Bishop paid tribute to Edith Cowan , who in 1921 made history as the first woman elected to any parliament in Australia

Ms Gillard had been Labor's deputy leader for three-and-a-half years while Ms Bishop had been deputy to Liberal leaders Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott - over 11 years and through four leadership changes. 

Ms Crabb, as a former Sydney Morning Herald columnist more than a decade ago, jokingly referred to Ms Bishop as a Stepford Wife for loyally serving as deputy to a revolving door of male Liberal leaders. 

While Australia has had one female prime minister, neighbouring New Zealand has had three since 1997 from both sides of politics including Jenny Shipley, Helen Clark and incumbent Jacinda Ardern. 

The UK has had two women in charge, both from the Conservative Party, with Margaret Thatcher being the only woman in cabinet during her 11 years as prime minister.

In January 2020, Ms Bishop became the first-ever female chancellor at Australian National University in Canberra, replacing former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans. She is pictured during that month with her boyfriend David Panton

Ms Bishop had another woman join her in cabinet in December 2014 when Sussan Ley was sworn in as Liberal health minister but she had to resign in January 2017 after being caught buying a Gold Coast apartment during a ministerial trip less than two years earlier. 

Another female colleague Bridget McKenzie joined her around the cabinet table in December 2017, as deputy Nationals leader, but the Victorian senator had to quit the ministry in February 2020 following revelations about the sports rorts affair.

Marise Payne joined the cabinet in September 2015 as Australia's first-ever female defence minister and replaced Ms Bishop as Foreign Minister in August 2018, to become the second-ever woman in that role. 

In January 2020, Ms Bishop became the first-ever female chancellor at Australian National University in Canberra, replacing former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans.