March 4 Justice

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:48): On Monday, I joined many of my caucus colleagues and thousands of women and men in Victoria Square to protest for equality and to demand an end to sexual violence, discrimination, harassment and abuse against women. There were at least 8,000 to 10,000 people there and the atmosphere was electric. There were many very inspiring speakers, and I would just like to go through some of the comments from the speakers:

Evil thrives in silence. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored is behaviour endorsed. The start of the solution is quite simple—making noise.

That was sexual survivor and Australian of the Year, Grace Tame. Next:

We are all here today not because we want to be here but because we have to be here. We fundamentally recognise the system is broken, the glass ceiling is still in place and there are significant failings in the power structures within our institutions.

That was alleged rape survivor, Brittany Higgins. Then:

Every single woman who is here today is here because she knows and she has experienced the pain and suffering that comes from being treated unfairly.

That was barrister Claire O'Connor SC. Lastly:

I am furious that women are being treated so badly in 2021…young women who face harassment every day, and older women who are tired and furious that we are still fighting this fight.

That was national founder Janine Hendry. There were a number of other speakers, including Abbey Kendall, Director of the Working Women's Centre South Australia, and their message was quite powerful. There were a number of demands that the national March 4 Justice rallies were making. The national demands are:

1. Fully independent investigations into all cases of gender violence.

2. Implement the Australian Human Rights Commission's Respect@Work 2020 recommendations.

3. Lift public funding for gendered violence prevention.

4. Enact a federal gender equality act.

South Australians had their own demands as well, as follows:

1. Put the onus on employers to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination at work.

2. Establish and implement the code of conduct for members of the South Australian parliament.

3. Review the way that sexual assault crimes are reported, investigated and prosecuted in South Australia.

4. Fully implement the recommendations of the South Australian equal opportunity commissioner's review of harassment in parliament.

There were 100,000 people who marched throughout Australia, and their message is a powerful and simple one: enough is enough. We will no longer tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination, and any political party who ignores this message does so at its own peril.