Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Labor Party took action 30 years ago to affirm the rights, the abilities and the potentials of all human beings in Australia. Back then, in 1994, decisions were often made without hearing or even considering women's opinions or perspectives. Labor decided that our parliament needed to reflect our nation—action was needed. That's what Labor does. We don't sit around telling Australians that things will work out in the end in some mysterious way; we work the problem. We set goals and targets and get on with it. The first goal then was to have female candidates in 35 per cent of all held and winnable seats by 2002. Labor achieved that in 2004. In 2002, we decided that by 2012, 40 per cent of held and winnable seats should have female candidates. In 2015, the ALP National Conference adopted a new target: half of all MPs and senators should be women by 2025—and that was achieved in 2022. Today, 50.2 per cent of all Labor members of parliament are women.

Labor is working for women in five particular priority areas: women's safety; sharing and valuing care; women's economic equality; health; and decision-making and leadership. In each of these areas, we will make things happen. We have the track record for this because we listen, we develop the policies in consultation, and then we fight for them. The Liberal Party, on the other hand, is going backwards. In this parliament it has its lowest percentage of women in 30 years.