She's told the Nine Network she was a big fan of Ms Gillard, Australia's first female deputy PM. "I think Julia Gillard's great, I have to say - great for redheads, great for girls, great for straight-talking and great for having a slightly less than conventional lifestyle," Ms Greer said.

But the feminist academic was scathing of Hillary Clinton, who is battling fellow US senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination in the presidential race. "I can't see that Hillary would appeal to feminists because, why is she there? She is there because she is Bill's wife, and it's a bit useless to pretend, 'Oh, it's because of her wonderful job as a senator', and all that," she said. "I just don't think it's true. When she had a big job in government, she blew it."

Ms Greer, who said she knows the Clintons, believes the couple shares a "confederacy" or business partnership rather than an emotional relationship. "They give me the creeps, from that point of view," she said.

"Everybody loves Bill. Bill is adorable and Bill is always flattering me and inviting me to stuff in Britain and we're buddy-buddy, and I like him. "I don't like Hillary because she's so bossy and cold and manipulative and stuff, and I don't think having her in power is going to make any difference, basically, because she will have the same set of advisers." AAP