Members Statement - International Women's Day

2017-03-07

I will offer some reflections as the Greens spokesperson for women as I give this topic an awful lot of thought around women's representation in all walks of life. While there are so many challenges that Victorian and Australian women face on a daily basis, today I would like to reflect on this house and take stock of our own progress. Looking around this chamber I see many women, but frankly not enough. Women's representation in Australian politics has improved over the past 20 years, but progress has been sluggish.

In Victoria women make up less than 40 per cent of both houses of Parliament. The figures in our federal Parliament are lower, hovering around the 30 per cent mark over the past two decades. The UN regards 30 per cent representation as the minimum level that enables women to systematically influence decision-making in Parliament. The Inter-Parliamentary Union has ranked Australia 50th in the world in terms of women's representation in national parliaments. I think we would all agree that 50 is not a great place to be on this list.

The move towards equal participation for women in politics has seen some gains of late, particularly in the wake of the recent local council elections in Victoria. Women now make up 38 per cent of all Victorian councillors. These statistics relate to one particular aspect of Victorian life, but they resonate much more broadly. We must all drive towards equal representation of women and equal decision-making by women in all aspects of life, from the home through to the boardroom and the Parliament. When we achieve this, we will have taken a huge step towards a stronger, more inclusive and more productive society.