Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Moore, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the International Day of the Girl is celebrated each year on 11 October and the focus of this day is on unleashing the power and potential of girls all over the world,

(ii) as part of 2017 Day of the Girl, Plan International Australia partnered with Wellcom Worldwide to interview more than 1700 Australian girls aged between 10 to 17 years – the report gives rare insight into how girls experience their world and the areas where they want to see change to improve the opportunities available to them to live rich and fulfilling lives: girls want to see action, including to:

(A) address sexist advertising, to prevent girls and boys growing up with unhealthy and restrictive gender stereotypes,

(B) fight the gender pay gap, which continues to demonstrate that women are valued less than men, and

(C) measure our progress towards eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and girls,

(iii) despite a commitment to gender equality, set out in the Sustainable Development Goals, there is an absence of evidence about the situation for girls,

(iv) this year, Girls Take Over Parliament has involved 17 girls aged between 18 to 24 years, with the support and participation of members and senators from across the Parliament, and

(v) the Girls Take Over Parliament program:

(A) takes in the possibilities of what girls can achieve when they break the stereotypes that hold them back,

(B) shows that when girls have a political voice, they can demand action to ensure all girls can learn, lead, decide and thrive, and

(C) shows that empowerment is not enough, instead significant political and social change is needed that makes girls and their lives visible to governments and policy makers; and

(b) calls on the Australian Government to listen, count and consider girls' experiences and unique needs, and to work to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement on this.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute, Senator Roberts.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Although we acknowledge the sterile, middle-class-type platitudes intended by this motion, One Nation cannot support it and briefly states that that is because a motion such as this should highlight the plight of all little female children, especially those subjected to the barbaric and backward rituals of the Islamic ideology. This motion should have sent a message of hope and encouragement to each and every girl, but sadly it hasn't.

Australian and international Islamic girls face religious and state-sanctioned genital mutilation, forced marriages to much older men and the constant sexual assault and suppression of women. This motion fails to address any of the challenges faced by young Islamic girls, because the tired old parties will not want to risk the votes of middle-aged Islamic men, and frankly that's disgraceful. We cannot support this motion until the plight of all little girls everywhere is addressed.

Question agreed to.