Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to welcome the 37 new members to the people's house for the 45th Parliament. On this side of the chamber we have 22—11 women and 11 men—in the Labor ranks joining us now. On the government side we have 14 new members and, of course, we have one new crossbencher, in the member for Mayo. In the shadow of the Day of the Girl Child, I particularly want to welcome the women members to the people's house: the members for Burnie, Brand, Paterson, Werriwa, Cowan, Longman, Lindsay, Herbert, Macquarie, Dobell and Braddon; and, on the government side, the members for Boothby and Chisholm and, of course, the member for Mayo.

Finally, I would like to welcome the new coalition MPs—that sea of blokes; the sea of 12 opportunities missed to add gender balance to the government's benches. I do so with much amusement today, as I find that it has been reported that the Deputy Prime Minister has been out today talking to the press about the National Party building the women's ranks in the National Party and only naming three blokes in the same interview. So, as usual, they are paying lip-service to gender balance on that side of the chamber but we get no real action. We see a sea of blokes. Welcome to the chamber; pity you are not more girls. (Time expired)