That year, she became a clerk in the Australian Taxation Office; in 1982 she became associate to Mr N.
Taylor of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and in 1985 became National Industrial Officer with the Commonwealth Foremans' Association.
In 1987 she became National Industrial Officer of the National Union of Workers.In 1996, Gillett was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Werribee.
Her seat was abolished in 2002 and she transferred to Tarneit.
In 2006 she was defeated for preselection by Tim Pallas, formerly chief of staff to Premier Steve Bracks, and Gillett retired from politics.