Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

International Women's Day is a day for women around the world to seek equality for women around the world. I am really proud to be part of a labour movement and a political party that has achieved significant reforms that have improved the lives of women in Australia. We should acknowledge progress in marking International Women's Day; we should make sure we think about the progress we have made. We should also remember that addressing inequality is important for a lot of reasons and that, to end violence against women, our nation must address gender inequality.

International Women's Day has its origins in the labour movement—8 March was the date of the 1908 New York garment workers' strike. It is a day of international solidarity recognising that, for women to be equal anywhere, women must be equal everywhere. Here at home, I am proud to be part of a labour movement that has been at the vanguard of fighting for gender equality. The ACTU's equal pay test cases of 1969 and 1972 were watershed moments for gender equality. In government, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam reopened the national wage and equal pay cases, resulting in half a million female workers becoming eligible for full pay. He did a lot of other things to advance gender equality too. You would remember, Deputy Speaker Broadbent, that, by the time he left office, specialist grassroots health and welfare organisations had been funded, no-fault divorce had been allowed and restrictions on the pill had been lifted, giving women control over their sex lives.

Labor governments since then have advanced gender equality. Most recently it was Labor, under prime ministers Rudd and Gillard, that initiated Australia's first ever National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. The members for Jagajaga and Sydney should be very proud of their leadership in relation to that national plan.

Even in opposition, our commitment to gender equality has been very clear. The first policy that our leader, Bill Shorten, announced was for immediate measures to assist people facing family violence. That package comprises more than $70 million, including approximately $50 million for frontline legal services, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services. A Shorten Labor government will also make domestic violence leave a universal workplace right. These measures stand in stark contrast to the Turnbull government's funding cuts in the order of tens of millions of dollars to front-line legal centres and the $44 million a year in capital expenditure cuts to the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness—noting that domestic violence is the largest cause of homelessness in this country.

We should not just focus on treating violence; we should seek to reduce and ultimately eliminate it. That makes International Women's Day the ideal time to talk about violence against women, because the evidence shows gender inequality lies at the root of that violence. Addressing inequality is a form of primary prevention for gendered violence, therefore. There is much effort going into reducing violence and into programs for women more generally. I acknowledge ANROWS, Our Watch and Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia, which is the provider of the national telephone counselling and referral service 1800RESPECT. Those organisations are giving effect to the national plan, alongside countless state and local services.

I also acknowledge the many national alliances and organisations working for gender equality, like economic Security4Women, the Equality Rights Alliance, the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance, the National Rural Women's Coalition and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Alliance. The alliances to which I have referred bring together women's organisations and individuals from across Australia to share information, identify issues that affect them and identify solutions. Their advocacy means that governments are better able to hear women's diverse voices.

As International Women's Day is, of its nature, as I have said, concerned with the condition of women everywhere, I want to acknowledge all organisations with an international role, like UN Women. Of course, many members of this House will be going to events hosted by UN Women around the country to mark International Women's Day on 8 March, or around that date.

I mentioned violence, and I did so advisedly, because of the connection between violence against women and gender inequality. It is not just my view that that is the case. There is a great resource that people will want to read which was distributed last year by the Australian National Research Organisation for Women's Safety—ANROWS, which I have mentioned—VicHealth and Our Watch. It is called Change the story and it is a primary prevention framework for a consistent and integrated national approach to prevent violence against women and their children. That work showed that gender inequality is the major driver of violence against women. Thanks to the important research and work that was done, we now have a road map to change, but that change will only happen if we make confronting gender inequality a national priority. For everyone's sake, I wish all of the organisations that are working towards gender equality very well for the future.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my colleague the member for Griffith for introducing this motion today and I am very proud to second it. International Women's Day is recognised on 8 March every year. Importantly, it is a day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women worldwide, but it is also an opportunity for us all to reflect on and assess just how far women have come in our collective struggle for equality both here in Australia and abroad.

Born at a time of great social turbulence and crisis, International Women's Day inherited a tradition of protest and political activism. I want to pay tribute to the garment workers who on 8 March 1857 marched and picketed the streets of New York City, demanding improved working conditions, a 10-hour day and equal rights for women. Here we are, nearly 160 years on, and there are still millions of garment workers, mostly women, around the world who are struggling to survive on poverty wages and provide for their children. They are forced to work 14 hours a day in appalling conditions. Last month I was in Cambodia witnessing firsthand some of the great work that Cambodian women are doing to improve the working lives and conditions of women garment factory workers. I was honoured to stand alongside garment workers fighting for their dignity at work.

While progress towards gender equality has been slow and uneven across the globe, achieving equality for women and girls is essential, not merely because it is a matter of fairness and fundamental human rights but because progress in so many other areas depends on it. According to the latest data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, equality in the Australian workforce is still a very long way off. Two key measures expose the inequality. Firstly, there is still a 24 per cent gender pay gap for full-time workers. Secondly, just 15.4 per cent of CEO positions are held by women, and women are only 27.4 per cent of key management personnel, despite women making up nearly half of the total workforce.

Discrimination in the workplace based on gender is also a major obstacle, in particular for pregnant women and women returning to work after having a child. According to the Human Rights Commission's pregnancy and return to work report, one in two mothers experienced discrimination in the workplace during pregnancy or parental leave or on return to work. In the most recent financial year, the Human Rights Commission received 136 complaints from women about pregnancy discrimination, with another 63 complaints lodged by parents who felt discriminated against because of their family responsibilities or breastfeeding needs. We also have a situation where in a number of industries, including the Australian Public Service, new mothers are being forced to trade off important workplace conditions, such as lactation breaks and flexible work arrangements, to secure modest wage increases.

When it comes to violence against women and their children, the data is especially shocking. In Australia, at least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner. Intimate partner violence contributes to more death, disability and illness in women aged 15 to 44 than any other preventable risk factor. One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence and one is five has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. The social, health and economic costs of violence against women are enormous. Preventing such violence is a matter of national urgency.

There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates a strong and consistent association between gender inequality and levels of violence against women. I especially want to acknowledge the work of Our Watch, ANROWS and VicHealth and their report Change the story, which details a national evidence based approach to preventing violence against women and their children. To change the story we need to recognise that violence against women and their children is preventable. It is not an inevitable or intractable social problem, but the evidence makes clear that gender inequality is both the core of the problem and the heart of the solution too.

There are five essential actions needed to address the gendered drivers of violence against women. Collectively, we need to challenge the condoning of violence against women; promote women's independence and decision-making; challenge gender stereotypes and roles; strengthen positive, equal and respectful relationships; and promote and normalise gender equality in public and private life. It is time to redouble our efforts to address gender inequality both domestically and internationally. We owe it to the women garment workers of 1857 and we owe it to current and future generations of women across the globe.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am so pleased to have the opportunity to speak about International Women's Day, and I thank the member for Griffith for her motion. International Women's Day offers an opportunity to acknowledge the enormous achievements made by women throughout the world, both past and present. It is a day to celebrate those giants of history who fought for suffrage, who fought for reproductive rights, who fought for a place at the boardroom table and whose fight carries on today. Many of these fighters do not have their names recorded in history books. To them, I must express my gratitude, for without their tireless efforts I would not stand in this great chamber today, probably the member for Griffith would not stand in this chamber today, the member for Newcastle would not stand in this chamber today nor the member for Bendigo.

I also owe my place here to the working-class matriarchy of my great-grandmother, my grandmother and my mother. These women exemplified the hard-headed determination of those to whom this day is dedicated. Thanks to them, and those just like them, I have been able to run a successful business, sit on boards and be elected to parliament to proudly represent the people of Canberra.

Yet today, in spite of all that has already been achieved, the task remains unfinished. We must continue to fight for equal pay. Australian women are earning less today than they ever have when compared with their male colleagues. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the gender pay gap has soared to above 18 per cent—just outrageous. The data show that male salaries have increased by 2.9 per cent over the past year while, alarmingly, women's salaries have only gone up by 1.9 per cent.

We must also fight to improve the representation of women on boards. Research shows, again and again, that improving diversity on boards, including increasing the number of women has a positive impact on the performance of an organisation. And it is not just about women here; it also about people from a diverse range of backgrounds. Through the boards I have been a member of, both the commercial and the not-for-profit sector, I have seen the positive impacts firsthand. I have also seen some cynics who have doubted the need for diversity who have had their opinions completely turned around. They have seen the impact on the decision making, the benefit it delivers to decision making and, ultimately, to the bottom line.

We must also continue to fight to end violence against women. Violence against women in Australia is a deep-rooted cultural problem, and it is shocking. I know, Deputy Speaker Broadbent, you have spoken on this issue many, many times. One in three women in Australia has experienced physical violence. Almost one in five has been subjected to sexual assault. And one woman is killed by her partner or former partner every week. These figures are breathtakingly appalling. This is unacceptable; it is never acceptable. Family violence is violence and we must call it for what it is, whenever we see it. And, as with all forms of violence, we must do whatever we can to support those who feel its pain most sharply.

I also want to ensure that women have the financial literacy to plan for their retirement. I often speak with women, many of them retired, who are doing it tough living on the pension and living in social housing, quite often in the private rental market. I am worried that too many women have not planned for their future beyond work. I am worried that too many women do not have a plan for retirement.

Since I was elected, I have organised seminars to help women understand how much superannuation they have so they can work out how much they need for their retirement and how much they need to put away each week—bearing in mind that sometimes they are going to be in and out of part-time work and off having children, it factors in the fluctuations of their career. Understanding the detail of what they need for their retirement will allow them to better plan for their futures. A man is not a financial plan. Sisters, a man is not a financial plan nor should he be.

We have come a long way in the last 100 years, but our achievements have barely touched many women in developing countries. We still need to fight to ensure equal rights and equal opportunities are shared by our sisters throughout the world. The member for Newcastle recently spoke about the trip we did to Cambodia with Save the Children, where we heard extraordinary stories from Save the Children and a range of NGOs about how they are making a huge difference in empowering women through microloans, through reproductive rights, through education on sexual harassment and what it actually looks like, and through postnatal and maternal health.

Those who have done so much throughout history entrust a responsibility in us to carry on their great work. Just as women of Australia's past have made possible the achievements of women of Australia's present, we bear the responsibility to improve the opportunities and outcomes of the next generation.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with my colleagues on this side of the House and thank the member for Griffith for bringing this motion forward, as we approach the 105th annual observance of International Women's Day on 8 March. In particular, I note paragraph 3 of the motion, which acknowledges that there is still so much more work to be done:

… in advancing the political and economic welfare of women at home and across the world.

It is the last part of the statement which I wish to address—women across the world—and, more specifically, the women in neighbouring countries in the Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, the Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Timor-Leste. I was pleased to join the member for Newcastle and the member for Forrest with the then Minister Ciobo at the end of last year, particularly on this issue in the Pacific region.

Despite achievements in Australia, spare a thought for the women in Papua New Guinea, where five die every day in childbirth—the worst mortality rate in the world on our doorstep. If we look across the Pacific, those rates are not much better in other countries and nations. So I am delighted that the person who is doing more than anyone else in this space is the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Julie Bishop. She has made it a particular passion and determination of hers to address gender inequality, particularly in our neighbouring region, and she has made sure that that is part of the government's priority in delivering aid to our neighbours.

The members of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade welcomed the opportunity to advance this agenda with their recent inquiry, 'Empowering women and girls: The human rights issues confronting women and girls in the Indian Ocean-Asia Pacific Region'. During that inquiry we found some very stark examples of the problems our sisters in our neighbouring countries are experiencing. However, significant improvements under the leadership of the Minister for Foreign Affairs were achieved through our aid program in 2014-15, a the new Gender Equality Fund and a revised strategic direction are increasing progress towards meeting our gender equality target and empowering women and girls. This fund supports commitments to advance international efforts on critical gender equality issues, including ending violence against women and girls and promoting women's leadership.

I was delighted that the Minister for Foreign Affairs made a statement only this morning setting out further strategy goals to empower women under the Gender Equality Fund, where she has once again committed more funds to deliver programs in our region. I particularly note the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development, now up to $320 million, which is specifically looking at increasing the effective representation of women and women's interests through leadership at all levels of decision making—which is of course very difficult given the lack of women in those leadership roles; expanding women’s economic opportunities to earn an income and accumulate economic assets—and we have been able to see first hand some of those projects, particularly in Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomons; reducing violence against women; and increasing access to support services and to justice for survivors of violence. Those are very big challenges in our region.

Australia is working with church leaders from four of the five main churches across 30 communities in the Solomon Islands targeting 10,000 men and women, trying to change attitudes and behaviours on violence against women. I pay tribute to the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, who have developed some excellent programs and who, I believe, have established a template that can be delivered across the Pacific to other nations. In fact, one of the recommendations of our committee was that we look at empowering that group to deliver more programs to neighbouring countries.

We need to build the capacity of our Pacific women, and I note the Pacific Women's Parliamentary Partnerships Program. Many colleagues on both sides of this House work with our sisters in Papua New Guinea, Bougainville and the Solomons to try to progress their right to be able to speak up for women in their countries. It was disappointing that recently in Vanuatu there were no women elected, but I do take this opportunity to congratulate the President of Samoa for what he is doing for women in his country. (Time expired)

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Griffith for bringing this very important motion to the parliament—a motion that is very important for women and one that this parliament has traditionally debated every year. Women of this parliament get behind the motion—and men, too, I hope—and really debate issues around International Women's Day, which will be next Tuesday, 8 March. Unfortunately, parliament will not be sitting that day.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. I must say that it is pleasing to see a couple of more women on the frontbench on the other side of this House, but I would like to see a lot more. It is great to see how women have been embraced in the opposition, in the Labor Party. The fact that we have a target of 50 per cent of representatives being women by 2020 is, I think, a phenomenal Labor Party policy.

International Women's Day has been observed since 1911. It was relevant then and it is relevant now, because there is still a lot of work to be done in this space. It is about women's struggle for equality and human rights. Over the years, it has seen women campaign for rights to work, to vote, to be trained, to hold public office and to end discrimination. Even though there have been big moves in those areas, there is still a lot of work to be done. I remember when I first started working, I did not receive the same pay that a male colleague working in the same position received. I had done my HSC and I got a similar result to his in my HSC, but I was a woman and, because I was a woman, it was deemed that I should be paid less. That has changed, but there is still pay discrimination and pay discrepancy between women and men. That is a challenge for both sides of this parliament to address, and it is a challenge that we on this side of the parliament are up to.

International Women's Day focuses on celebrating the past and planning for the future and a world free of violence against women. It is important to note that violence against women is still very prevalent throughout the world and, unfortunately, in our own society. Last year two women lost their lives each week as a result of domestic violence. That is something that we as a nation cannot allow to continue. International Women's Day also focuses on empowering women, particularly women in rural areas, ending poverty and hunger and many, many other issues. It covers a broad spectrum of our society.

By empowering women and making sure that women are considered equal in all aspects of our life, we actually empower men too. A society that values every member is a society that will move forward. Nowadays we have made inroads into gender equality in Australia, but there is more that needs to be done and there is more that can be done on the international stage. The member for Ryan mentioned the Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partnerships. This is something that I have been involved in, and I think this parliament can play an important role. Some other issues that we need to keep in mind are the need for equality of pay for men and women, more women in politics and, as I mentioned, more women on corporate boards. It is something that we need to concentrate on in this parliament. So let's not be complacent, let's not sit back and think there are no issues to address; there are many issues. Addressing and empowering women will be good for our society as a whole. (Time expired)

Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am proud to rise in support of this motion, and I congratulate the member for Griffith for bringing this motion to the House. Advocating and protecting the rights of women and children in our society is something I feel strongly about, and I am proud to discuss this motion today.

One of my proudest moments as a member of parliament was being asked to speak on behalf of the government at the Our Watch launch last November. And the launch of Change the Story, a comprehensive framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia, is a vital step in the campaign to end domestic violence as part of the broader National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022.

During my speech, and in subsequent speeches, I noted how the 2013 National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women survey indicated a prevalence of low understanding of violence against women and a tendency to excuse it or ignore it, particularly in younger people. Young people indicated they were supportive of gender equality in areas such as education and employment, yet are still far more likely to endorse relationships where men have power over women. This is a disturbing indication that points to a lack of understanding and education and an urgent need for negative attitudes around gender equality and violence to change. Violence against women is about power; perhaps, this is why the statistics endorsing a man's power over a woman in a relationship are so troubling.

It is so important to acknowledge and celebrate International Women's Day. As the motion states, it recommits to achieving gender equality and advancing the political and economic welfare of women domestically and internationally. Negative attitudes about gender equality that support a lack of recognition of violence in all its forms exist across all segments of the Australian community. There is little wonder then that 79 per cent of girls and women believe gender stereotypes affect their day-to-day lives. But we can make the choice to change the story. We can create a future where women and children can live lives free of violence. This shared national approach to ending violence against women and children will take time. Attitudes and culture do not change overnight; but, with persistence and a united message, together we can save lives and create a future for women full of hope—starting now.

This year the Central Coast International Women's Day Expo is being held this Saturday at the Ourimbah Campus of the University of Newcastle. With the hashtag #MakeltHappen2016 and the tag line Step It Up for Gender Equality the event is sure to attract an even larger crowd than last year. The 2016 Central Coast International Women's Day event is sponsored by Wyong Shire Council, Gosford City Council, District 9685 Rotary, Central Coast Lions Club, the University of Newcastle, Zonta, Sea FM, 2GO, the Soroptimist Society, Central Coast Women's Health Centre, National Home Doctor Service, Hunter TAFE, BPW Australia, Women of Wisdom and the Avoca Beach Picture Theatre. It is great to see all of the community coming together for this great event.

The day will include stalls and activities as well as presentations from various organisations—a day of celebration, information and entertainment. Saturday's event will see attendees from all over New South Wales converge on Dobell and celebrate the great achievements by women in our community. There will be seminars conducted on the day by local speakers who are committed to making a difference. Topics include the Days for Girls project and ways to create sound financial futures. The official opening will include special guest speaker, Central Coast icon and Paralympian Liesl Tesch. She will talk about her life in the spotlight and how she has overcome her challenges to become a Paralympian and a gold medallist. She is truly an amazing women. But, as usual, this event would not possible without the fantastic volunteer efforts of the International Women's Day Committee. I would like to thank the Central Coast committee for their great work again this year. Their effort and dedication is truly to be commended.

Being able to advance the economic welfare of women, domestically and internationally, can only provide a sound baseline for the growth of any country. International Women's Day is about being able to celebrate all that women have contributed to society and to our community. After all, without women, what would there be? However, we as a society need to make the necessary changes to make our world safe for women and children.

I commend this motion to the House.

Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am excited that the parliament will not be meeting on 8 March this year, and I look forward to joining with women in my electorate to mark, celebrate and share stories on International Women's Day. I look forward to attending the Zonta Club of Bendigo annual dinner. On the same night, there is dinner held by the Zonta Club of Kyneton. Every year we have a great guest speaker. It is a chance for women to come together, network, support one another and share stories.

International Women's Day is an important day for all of us to mark, whether we are men or women. Its roots began in the labour movement on 8 March when New York garment workers went on strike calling for decent pay, an end to sweat shops and an end to child labour. As previous members have reflected in this discussion today, there are still many parts of the world where women are still taking this action. We saw in Cambodia, last year and the year before, garment workers striking for very similar reasons to those of New York garment workers in 1908. Cambodia garment workers took industrial action and are now the first workers in their country to have a legal minimum wage—women in women's industries standing up to say not only that they will not have child labour and sweatshops but that they need a minimum wage. In Cambodia there are still lots of challenges when it comes to gender equality, whether it is the issue of wages and treatment in the workplace or education levels, which are incredibly low, particularly for young women and girls, because they are quite often asked to stay at home to care for younger children or to help with household chores.

In our own country we have our own challenges, and this year, on International Women's Day, I would like to acknowledge the campaign by our early childhood educators calling for equal pay. Early childhood educators are people with qualifications, predominantly women who have minimum cert qualifications; some of them have diplomas. Yet their wages are shockingly low compared with those in male based industries with the same qualifications. The importance of their work cannot be underestimated. They are educating our next generation of Australians—education and care from nought to five—yet their wages remain incredibly low. So, this year on International Women's Day I call on all people in this place to sign onto their campaign for equal pay. They are calling for the gender pay gap in their sector to be closed. And it does need government support. We cannot continue to expect parents to pay for early childhood education. Government has a role to play to partner, to help fund this sector to ensure that these educators, these women, earn decent pay—that their work is recognised and that they are paid professional wages.

On International Women's Day I would also like to call on this government to do more to support older women—women who have retired and are trying to survive on very small retirement incomes. For a lot of women who have retired or are about to retire and who are on their own, when they first started working there was no such thing as super. Quite often they were required to leave work the moment they married or fell pregnant. So, they do not have the superannuation that many of their male counterparts do at a similar age. Homelessness for women over the age of 55 is one of the fastest-growing homeless categories in this country. That is pretty alarming and pretty shocking. So, on this International Women's Day I call upon all of us to do more to advocate for older women who have retired and who are trying to survive on the single pension. As Maggie put it to me: 'It was okay whilst I was still working; I could afford my rent, could afford to go out to the movies occasionally. But the single pension today does not really cover the basics.' She said 60 per cent of her pension goes on rent. That is just how expensive it has become in the regions to survive.

On International Women's Day we should acknowledge the struggles and the challenges ahead, but we should also acknowledge the achievements of the past. It will take all of us speaking up for these issues to really bring about gender equality. On International Women's Day it is important that we remember these causes.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been a pleasure to be here for the contribution that each member has made in regard to International Women's Day. In 1935 my mother wrote out a cheque to the State Electricity Commission for an electricity bill for a store down the road from the corner store which my grandfather owned. You do not pay the electricity bill for a store unless you own it. You do not pay the electricity bill for the drapery store down the street unless you have invested into it. And my mum did. I make the point on International Women's Day that my mum, as a single individual at that time, went down the road after the 1934 flood—I suppose the owner was a bit knocked about—and purchased the business, which grew into a business that she created all over Gippsland.

When I came into this place I suggested in my maiden speech that women had played a major role in the fact that I was here in this place, and there was great hilarity amongst the members as I gave that address. The fact is that it is the truth. A major part of the inspiration for a lot of my political activity has come from the women around me in my life who encouraged me, who said, 'You've got to have a go—come into this place and be a parliamentarian.' I mentioned those women in my maiden speech. Outside of that I have been a business person all my life, along with my father and my mother, and there was never any discrimination with regard to how much a person who worked for you was paid. There was an award rate for an adult or for whoever it was. We paid over and above the award rate, but it did not matter whether you were male or female.

So, for me, the gender issue that is outlined in the motion today has not been a part of my concern outside the policy matters for the nation, because in my family we did not have an issue with gender equality. My sisters were treated in exactly the same manner as their brothers were. My cousins, whether male or female, were treated in exactly the same way, because our role models in leadership were both male and female—drivers and entrepreneurs and people who build up businesses. My mum took businesses from Korumburra right across Gippsland to Pakenham, to Berwick, to Nar Nar Goon and to Tooradin and did all sorts of things, but she was an entrepreneur. She was an absolute natural. She employed a whole lot of people, male and female, in all of those businesses. And I grew up in a society, in a family that did not have any gender bias whatsoever, because we accepted the leadership of the females within our community.

I see it now in my own electorate in the farming community. Gender equality in farming families is a known exercise—the contribution women make to our local government, to our state government areas. Melina Bath is a new member for the upper house in Victoria, working in my area, and it is great to have her onboard—she is a Nationals member—as a contributor to the governance of our area of Gippsland.

I understand that there are places where women have been held back and where barriers and walls have been put up, but I do not see it in the House of Representatives, in the organisation that is here. I am seeing less of it in parliamentary terms and I am seeing a positive outlook for the way women are excelling in academia and law—in all aspects, especially in this parliament. Some of the most talented people in our nation's history—I am reading a book on women who came to this foreign shore immediately after the tall ships came here and the struggles that they went through. I am reading the individual biographies of these people and how these women survived the trauma of coming to this nation, how they excelled and how they played a really big part in our wool industry and in the creation of the industrial future for Australia.

Not only have women played a part in the nation's life, in building this nation we have today, but also they have played a role in the individual lives of people like me. That has been an expression of a gender-free action. That is why I never get asked, 'Do you get it with women?' I do not have to be asked. They already know that I get it.

Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems ironic, doesn't it, that, in the 21st century, we need to have an International Women's Day to emphasise the fact that, despite it being the 21st century, we still have more women and girls being the victims of violence, particularly of the global violence of terrorism, which is now at its worst in international history. In Australia, we still have a 17 per cent difference in wages for the same work undertaken by men and women, and that pay gap is increasing, which seems incredible in a country such as ours. Of course, we as a nation are distressed and disgusted by the gender based violence, the intimate-partner violence, which is at such a level in Australia where there are so many women who fear for their lives and their children's lives every day.

I am very proud and pleased to say that, just today, we had the launch of Promoting opportunities for all: gender equality and women’s empowerment by our fantastic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop. This is a strategy which goes with our commitment that 80 per cent of our foreign aid annually will be directed towards the empowerment of women and girls in our region. When we say 'empowerment' we mean the reduction of poverty, particularly as it impacts on women and girls. We want to ensure that it is not women and girls who are least likely to have nutritional benefits in the household.

We have a region where we have the irony, again, of both obesity and stunting having an impact on a lot of our women and girls, and the children in our communities. I am proud to say that we are currently, in the Foreign Affairs and Aid Subcommittee, doing an inquiry into how Australia can better support the nutritional advances of the 21st century. In the Asia-Pacific, women and girls have always been particularly engaged in horticulture and agriculture and in providing food for their households, but, at this time, it is more likely that women and girls are either stunted or suffering from non-communicable diseases associated with obesity.

Let me also say that I am proud of the fact that Australia is pursuing a place on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. I believe we would make a major contribution to the commission, given our human rights record in this country. We were one of the first nations to ensure that there were absolutely no laws written into our governance, both state and federally, that allowed discrimination in any shape or form. It is against the law in Australia for women or girls to be discriminated against based on their gender. It is so important that we acknowledge that.

Of course, in our region we also acknowledge that Indigenous peoples often suffer, and that it is women of Indigenous groups who too often bear the brunt of discrimination, of poverty, of being captured into the sex trade or of their children being forced into labour without proper payment. In our region, we would like to say that the reproductive health rights of women and girls, particularly our women, are improving. We have certainly brought down instances of maternal deaths—that is a very good thing—through some of our superbly functioning NGOs in Australia. I mention Marie Stopes International Australia as one of those.

We are trying to make sure that we do not have a situation where women are not in control of the size of their families or the spacing of their families so that, instead, they can have healthy births and healthy children, who can be properly sustained and cared for according to their family's means. As a nation, Australia champions reproductive rights. I am also proud that our nation is one of the first to address issues like female genital mutilation. It is concerning that, in Indonesia, there appears to be an increase in some of these practices.

I am a very proud Australian woman who knows that gender equality and women's empowerment is central to the focus of this government and to the focus of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop. I commend this motion to the House.

Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the very short time I have available to me, I would like to thank the member for Griffith for raising this motion in parliament. International Women's Day is an important day to reflect on the issues around gender and on the role and the contribution that women play in Australia and around the world. I also want to acknowledge the work that is being done by the Minister for Women. I really look forward to the day that we do not need a Minister for Women, when we will have the same political, social and business status for all. I look forward to that.

I have come, today, from a launch by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on gender empowerment in the foreign aid program. I commend her and the department for the great work they are doing there. A great deal has been done to ensure that our foreign aid programs are embedded in health and education, and the economic areas, and to make sure that women are front and centre of those programs. We have come a long way but, sadly, there is a lot more to do, as the previous member has said. We have a lot more to do in our region, particularly in terms of the development of women and making sure that they have economic empowerment.

Last year, I attended a conference in Fiji where the domestic violence rates in our region, particularly in the Pacific, are at 60 to 70 per cent. There is more to do domestically in eliminating the scourge of domestic violence against women and children, and that has been a key priority of this government in implementing the $100 million Women's Safety Package. I hope that we will work together—both sides of politics—to make sure that those gender pay gaps close, that more women are on corporate boards and there is more representation in the political sphere, that these will be some things that we as a parliament can work on together in a bipartisan way.

Again, I thank the member for Griffith for this wonderful motion.

Debate adjourned.