2015-04-14
Chilla Bulbeck
On 16 February Associate Dean at Murdoch University, Dr Janice Dudley, presented Giz Watson to the Chancellor of Murdoch University for the award of honorary doctorate.
Dr Dudley noted that Giz is a foundation student at Murdoch, where she completed a degree in Environmental Science in 1980. Janice described Giz's activist career prior to becoming a lawmaker: opposing the Vietnam War, bauxite mining in the south-west jarrah forests, Section 54B of the Police Act (which prohibited meetings of more than three people without a permit), and campaigning for peace and gay and lesbian rights.
'Giz was the first openly lesbian Parliamentarian in Australia, and she has played a significant role in lesbian and gay law reform in Western Australia,' Dr Dudley said. 'Her Parliamentary career also included an active role in the achievement of Abortion Law reform in Western Australia. Her service and contributions were recognised in 2011 when Giz was inducted into the Western Australian Women's Hall of Fame.
Giz Watson… epitomises what we want a Murdoch student to be — an excellent communicator, a critical and creative thinker, a lifelong learner, someone committed to ethical politics and an ethical society, with an awareness of, and commitment to social justice, and with an interdisciplinary and global perspective.'
In reply Giz offered insights into the necessity for interaction between community campaigners and progressive legislators to mobilise significant law reform:
'Awards nights are a rite of passage, of a sort, acknowledging a few who have put their heads above the ramparts and survived. But it's also one of the ways an institution such as Murdoch can signal the kinds of things it values, and this tells us something about wider societal values — the kinds of things we think are worthy of awards.
'I think it is highly significant that Murdoch has chosen to acknowledge my work in the area of GLBTI rights. Older audience members will remember when such subjects were not topics of polite conversation — let alone honorary doctorates! In fact, in our lifetimes, diverse sexualities and gender identities could qualify you for a place in a psychiatric institution or even a prison!
'Law reform, at its best, is a reciprocal process driven by community expectations and values and then, in turn, when the legislation is passed and put into practice, it legitimises and embeds these new values more widely, creating “social change”.
'Governments often don't feel safe at the cutting edge of social change — it has to be seen to be safe enough to make that change. Part of my role was in rallying enough community support, and providing persuasive arguments to make the once-improbable become possible.
'I particularly salute those hardy souls who sat in the public gallery, bearing witness to seemingly unending vilification and ignorance before the final vote. The community campaign, combined with the unwavering commitment of then Attorney General Jim McGinty, and of my former Parliamentary colleague, Louise Pratt, meant that in the area of gay rights WA went from the most discriminatory to the most progressive state in Australia.
'There is still more work to be done, to break down prejudice, particularly within the area of education, in the aged care sector, and of course marriage equality.
'During my 16 years in Parliament I also greatly enjoyed participating in Murdoch's Parliamentary internship program, recognising that having closer links between students and our parliamentary democracy has great mutual benefits.
'To younger people thinking about roles in the broader social and political environment, I would invite and challenge you to be courageous — speak out if you see or hear things that you feel are unjust — and seek out the tools, the knowledge and the friends that can empower you to work together for a more compassionate and cooperative world. See you on the barricades!'