WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:28): I stand here today to bring to the attention of fellow members the extraordinary situation likely to arise in this place after the next election. Members will recall I recently alluded to the number of women in our parliament. It is astonishing to me that in this day and age there may be only one woman—that is, only one, Mr Acting President—on the opposition bench in this place after South Australia goes to the polls. How is that for an example of the arrogant disregard of those opposite for more than 50 per cent of the population!

The Hon. Caroline Schaefer is departing this chamber at the next election and, while I gather she wishes to be replaced by a female candidate, there are, as we know, no guarantees in politics. It could well leave our esteemed colleague, Ms Lensink, the sole woman of the Liberal persuasion in this chamber.

I think it is arrogance and contempt for the electorate, Mr Acting President, when a party wins three seats in this council in the last election and then would assume that the electorate is going to give it more at the next election. I think it holds the electorate in contempt.

As much as I appreciate our exchanges and the occasional abuse from Ms Lensink in this chamber, I do think that this is a pretty poor state of affairs on behalf of those people who perceive themselves as an alternative government. Meanwhile, in the other place, men have already been selected for the two safe Liberal seats, Frome and Stuart, which will become vacant at the next election.

Preselection for the other safe seat, Flinders, is happening over the weekend. As Greg Kelton wrote in The Advertiser of 6 October 2007, 'There is a strong push among senior Liberals for her replacement to be a male.' That may explain why there are only two males going for preselection; there are no females there. That is another example of the strongarm tactics of the senior Liberals in the way they treat women.

The situation I have outlined certainly demonstrates the arrogance with which those opposite view women in our political arena. Let us not forget that South Australia led our country in giving women the right to vote and to enter parliament back in 1894. Jessie Cooper was the first woman to stand for parliament in 1918, and Joyce Steele became the first woman elected to the South Australian parliament in 1959.

Both were members of the late and unlamented Liberal and Country League. As we all know, the LCL ran this place like a fiefdom back in the middle of the 20^th century. Of course, things have changed considerably in the almost 50 years since, but women are still under represented in our parliament, and it looks as though they will be even more under represented on the opposition benches after the next election.

I note that the Leader of the Opposition in the other place was crowing in a recent edition of the Sunday Mail about getting his own group of golden girls. They include travel rorter Trish Draper (I understand that her name was up for the seat of Mayo; her name was also up for the Legislative Council; and now she has finally been preselected for the seat of Newland), Maria Kourtesis, running for Bright and Rachel Sanderson who will contest the seat of Adelaide.

Meanwhile, Jing Lee, Rita Bouras and Sarah Jared are seeking seats in this place in positions 4, 5 and 7 respectively. This sort of arrogance is characteristic of the way the Liberals and the opposition treat women. The approach of members opposite is total contempt, and they treat it as a joke. I will leave aside the fact that the sort of descriptor used by the Leader of the Opposition is demeaning to women in any sphere of endeavour in the 21^st century.

I will refrain from commenting on the leader's rather patronising remarks about gender balance and cultural diversity in the Liberal Party. I will say, with the greatest respect, that the House of Assembly seats for which Ms Draper, Ms Kourtesis and Ms Sanderson have been preselected offer them a less than optimal chance of election. When you take into consideration the talent of Ms Sanderson, you would have thought that the Liberals would go out of their way to actually get something a little bit more safe for a person like she. And one might relevantly inquire about the positioning on the ticket of Ms Lee—

Time expired.