2021-03-29
The Greens say the Prime Minister’s reshuffle is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and won’t fix entrenched cultural and systemic issues in parliament or improve the lives of Australian women.
Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:
“A whole one additional woman in Cabinet will not change the rank and sexist culture in this government, the Liberal Party, or the parliament.
“How is it possible that after all that has happened over the past few weeks, Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds remain in the Cabinet? If the PM thinks moving Porter to a different ministry will make Australian women forget the allegations against him he’s reading us wrong, again.
“The PM has shown that once again, his priority is to his mates, not women or victims and survivors of violence.
"If the PM was serious about fixing the culture in parliament he would appoint a Cabinet of 50% women, and ensure that it also reflected the diversity of our community by including people of colour and people of differing abilities, races and religions.
“The newly announced Cabinet taskforce on women's equality, safety, economic security, health and wellbeing should start with reinstating the women’s budget impact statement axed by Tony Abbott in 2014. For decades prior to that the statement had applied an essential gender lens on all budget decisions.
“That taskforce should also implement all 55 of the Respect@Work recommendations, fully fund frontline domestic violence and sexual assault services, legislate to end the gender pay gap, strengthen sexual harassment laws, make early childhood education free, build enough social housing and fund and resource compulsory whole-of-school consent training in all schools nationwide.
“These are practical and material steps that this government can be taking right now to end gender inequality, stop gendered violence and improve the lives of all Australian women.
“We need more action and fewer press conferences.”