Women have the right to equal respect, responsibilities, opportunity and outcomes in society and the right to enjoy equality to men in all spheres of society and their human rights, experience, knowledge, work and other contributions to society should be recognised and valued equally to men.
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
- Women have the right to equal respect, responsibilities, opportunity and outcomes in society.
- Women have the right to enjoy equality to men in all spheres of society and their human rights, experience, knowledge, work and other contributions to society should be recognised and valued equally to men.
- Women have the right to equal access and participation in decision making processes in all areas of political, social, cultural, intellectual and economic life.
- Women have the right to, and must be able to, live free from harassment, fear, coercive control, violence and abuse.
- Institutional responses to women's complaints, especially of domestic and sexual violence, must be free of biases and prejudice.
- Social and cultural attitudes which fuel discrimination and violence against women cannot be addressed without dismantling the structures of inequality of employment, pay, education, housing and carers’ responsibilities.
- Women should be empowered to participate in and lead the development and implementation of policies, programs and services which affect them.
- Women have the right to equal pay for work of equal value.
- Women have the right to live free of direct, indirect and systemic discrimination.
- Women have the right to make informed choices about all aspects of their lives, including education, health, sexual identity, reproductive health, birthing and child-rearing, and how they participate in paid work and any caring responsibilities.
- Unpaid caring responsibilities, which are still disproportionately borne by women throughout their lifetimes, should be acknowledged and properly valued.
- Child rearing is a whole of society responsibility. All parents should have the opportunity, employment protection, income and encouragement to be carers for their children.
- Long term, fundamental cultural and social change is required to end the systemic disadvantage currently faced by women.
- Awareness of, and addressing, the complex intersecting challenges facing women in different circumstances is necessary to meet their diverse needs.
- All individuals, organisations and governments have responsibilities towards achieving gender equality and equity.
- Men have an active role to play in creating and promoting gender equality and equity.
Aims
The Australian Greens want:
- All public policy and legislation to be consistent with Australia's commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and other international human rights instruments.
- Affirmative action initiatives which facilitate the equal representation and participation of women in public life, employment, and cultural and social opportunities, including women from diverse backgrounds.
- Nationally-coordinated, well funded and consistent strategies to address violence against women, including the Australian family and domestic violence crisis, that:
- provide primary prevention and early intervention programs that are culturally responsive, inclusive, accessible and safe;
- include women-led health and education programs that address the negative impacts of violence and abuse;
- include the development and greater support for national campaigns against violence; and provide immediate and ongoing pathways to access financial, legal, housing and mental health support to those affected by family and domestic violence; and
- undertake annual qualitative reviews to ensure consistency and efficacy of legislation, policy and practice relating to violence against women, their children and other dependents.
- A minimum of 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave as part of the National Employment Standards.
- Measures to address the objectification of all genders, as well as sexism, gender and sexuality-based bullying and violence, and rape culture across the media and entertainment industries and online platforms.
- Measures to address sexism, gender- and sexuality-based bullying and violence, and rape culture online.
- Equal pay for equal work, equal opportunities for promotion or advancement, and women to be free from systemic discrimination in the workplace.
- All Australian workplaces to actively support women being promoted to senior and leadership positions, with public targets and transparent disclosure on progress towards reaching parity.
- All women to have access to safe and confidential health and well-being services, including reproductive health services, with the legal prohibition of forced sterilisation.
- All women to have access to legal, safe and free termination of pregnancy services. In particular, improved access for rural, regional and remote communities, removing barriers of travel. Non-directive pregnancy options counselling available nationally at no cost for those who require it.
- To promote, protect and advance the sexual and reproductive health rights of women both in Australia and in partner nations through international development assistance programs.
- Strong, nationally-consistent legislation prohibiting forced female genital mutilation.
- Women to have equal access to appropriate, well-resourced education services - from early childhood education through to higher education - which recognise the specific barriers women face in accessing education.
- The principles of gender equity to be taught in schools.
- Specific initiatives in schools, vocational education and universities that promote careers in, and provide positive interactions for, women and girls in traditionally male-dominated careers.
- Women, their children and other dependents to have access to adequately funded, non-discriminatory, government-run or community-based crisis services - including financial, legal, housing, mental health and other specialist services, - recognising the particular need in rural, regional and remote areas.
- Women to have access to safe, secure and affordable accommodation through a comprehensive housing policy and the provision of adequate crisis housing.
- To ensure that all services - crisis, support, health, education and any other government funded service - do not impose a religious choice or obligation on women or children.
- Policy and legislative reform to support the full decriminalisation of consensual adult sex work.
- To ensure workplace health and safety standards and anti-discrimination protections for sex work are implemented across the industry.
- Access to culturally appropriate crisis services for First Nations women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, disabled women, and women of diverse sexualities, gender identities or intersex variation.
- A comprehensive and gender-neutral paid parental leave scheme.
- Family-friendly workplaces and public spaces.
- Community-based, free, publicly-provided and operated, accessible, quality early childhood education and care.
- Incentives for on-site early childhood education and care facilities in workplaces.
- Community recognition of the value of domestic, care and volunteer work and the inclusion of these activities in the calculation of national economic measures.
- Adequate income support for carers and single parents.
- To end the gender wealth gap, and provide a universal, equitable income that effectively and adequately provides women with financial independence, including in retirement.
- The maintenance of the federal Office for Women, including its position as part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet supported by a separate Minister or Parliamentary Secretary.
- The federal budget to include a mandatory, detailed Women's Impact Statement and an independent analysis of the gender responsiveness of the budget measures.
- To actively promote and support women and gender diverse people to stand as candidates for election with a goal of having diversity to reflect that of the general community.
- Strategies, and adequate funding for implementation, to encourage girls & women of all ages to participate in active recreational pursuits for the purposes of health, well being and enjoyment, with emphasis on:
- accessibility, to include women with a disability, LGBTIQ women and culturally appropriate measures for women from multicultural communities;
- and availability of designated facilities for women in regional, rural and remote areas as well as the cities.
(Gender Equity and Empowerment of Women Policy as amended by National Conference October 2023)