16 September, 2010
Post election report – not a pink glow!
It is finally over and we have an elected female PM. This was something that a few decades ago would have been seen as improbable, but it has happened. We can take credit for it because WEL had made changes to the way politics happened in seventies by putting both issues and representation firmly on the political agenda. With the work done since by many we have increased the proportion of women in parliaments and put many of our issues on the political agenda.
Our strategy was always two fold: more women and more issues because we recognised that the public world of politics too often excluded those areas of social and personal well being that were seen as ‘soft’. Australia invented the femocrats, the women in the day to day management of government who would raise our concerns and critique the limits and limited views of those in power. It was obviously very important to have formal recognition of the need to counter gender biases, both by clear Ministerial responsibility for the status of women in Cabinet and in the public service, when there were no or few women in positions of power. The question now is whether these structures are still necessary?
Looking at the content and results of the last Federal election, few of the particular concerns of women were on the agenda of the major parties. Instead the campaign was a vision-less collection of policies that paid little attention to the type of society we wanted to live in, but heaps on slagging of at each other about how they would run the economy! Economics, which emphasise markets and self interested individuals, does not cover the relationships, trust, care and connections that are so important to our lives, and are too often seen as ‘women’s stuff’.
5 September, 2010
Women and the 2010 election
Marian Sawer, ABC The Drum Unleashed
3 September 2010
There have been two weeks of debate about the seemingly unfamiliar prospect of minority government – despite all those minority governments at state and territory levels over the past 20 years. Meanwhile something else has completely slipped below the radar. Read more… »
3 September, 2010
Equal Pay Day Saturday 4 September
Equal Pay Day 2010 – Saturday September 4…This year, we need to work 66 extra days to earn the same as men
31 August, 2010
Underpaid and undervalued : A woman’s work is never done
The growing pay gap between the sexes is now higher than it was at the height of the women’s liberation movement and three out of four Australians say they want it fixed.
18 August, 2010
The Fairness Agenda : How do the major parties rate?
At the end of a long 5 week campaign, the Women’s Electoral Lobby, as one of Australia’s enduring women’s activist organisations, has scored the major social policies of each party for fairness against a Feminist Policy Framework.
“Regrettably, there has been too little focus this campaign on good social policy.” said Kathleen Swinbourne, WEL’s Elections Coordinator “We are very disappointed that few of the issues that make a fair society and help women – and men – to lead their lives, have been discussed much at all. Issues like fairness in pay, child care, family law and workplace culture were sadly missing.”
The Greens performed better than Labor, which in turn outscored the Coalition in terms of fairness and equity in social policy. While Labor have made a commitment to pay equity and improvements in terms of workplace culture, there are some areas where they need a lot more focus. And apart from paid parental leave, which scored positively for the Liberal Party, most of its policies just don’t cut it.
Or download the postcard to hand out in your area. If you want hard copies let us know and we’ll do our best to get them to you.
