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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-07 Daily Xml
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (17:06): Earlier today I spoke about the Pacific conference of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, and as part of my consideration of the events there, I have been looking with different eyes at some of the work that my staff and I have been doing in preparation for our International Women's Day event. At our dinner we are celebrating, as mentioned earlier, 100 years of the achievements of women since the first International Women's Day. Sometimes we forget what some of those achievements are, so I want to remind the house. I will also be providing this to some of our Pacific friends so that they can see the struggle that we have had to achieve as much as we have and recognise that we, like them, still have a long way to go.

One of the first things that I found interesting was to read, for the first time, about Millicent Fanny Preston Stanley. Millicent Fanny Preston Stanley, who lived from 1883 to 1955, was the first woman elected to the New South Wales parliament. The fact that I had never heard of her was, I thought, a little distressing. However, the context in which I learnt of her was through an article entitled, 'Love wins with feminist leader but politics may claim her again; Miss Preston Stanley's future'. It states:

Speculation is rife concerning the plans for the future being made by our leading feminist, Miss Preston Stanley, whose marriage to Mr Crawford Vaughan, a former Labor Premier of South Australia, was celebrated in Melbourne this week.

Will marriage mean the end of her political career? Her friends refuse to believe it will. She made political history in Australia, and they believe she will write a still more sensational chapter to the story.

What do we say all the time, we women fighting for continued rights for women? We say that women's stories are ignored. The fact that I only recently learnt about Millicent Preston Stanley I do not think is just my fault. I think it has something to do with the way our history is written.

Millicent Fanny Preston Stanley was involved in a wide range of issues, most of them about ways in which women were able to be more economically independent. When I looked her up in Wikipedia, rather than when I was reading TheAustralianWomen's Weekly for her achievements, one of the things mentioned is that she castigated J.T. Lang for restricting the widow's pension to mothers with dependent children. She approved of child endowment and, though embarrassed by her party's opposition to the bill, redeemed the situation by publicly decrying Labor's offer to pass her bills if she deserted the Nationalists, so she did move about a bit in her political allegiances.

Ms Bedford interjecting:

Ms THOMPSON: Thank you, member for Florey. From TheAustralian Women's Weekly of 10 June 1933, I read an article entitled, 'Equal Social Rights For Sexes, Mrs Littlejohn outlines big issues to be fought for', and I am afraid that they are awfully familiar. It states;

When Mrs Linda P. Littlejohn returned from Adelaide last week, after attending the conference of the Women Voters' Federation, she revealed a greater determination than ever to fight for the establishment of women's social rights.

A full report of the conference will not be available in Sydney for some time, but Mrs Littlejohn has written for The Australian Women's Weekly the following summary of the proceedings.

And the article says:

Leading women from all states were present at the conference, and the resolutions discussed were varied and interesting. The conference affirmed—

(1) all positions and all posts in the Commonwealth and State civil services should be open to women as to men.

(2) that equal pace of the sexes should be established.

(3) that all laws, measures or regulations feeling of public morals should be framed so as not to differentiate between the sexes.

The evergreen subject of the equal guardianship of children was again on the agenda paper, and it is earnestly hoped that before the next conference, this longed-looked-for reform will be an accomplished fact.

At present Western Australia and Queensland are the only two states which consider a mother a suitable guardian for her own child.

How could we think, in 1933, that a woman was not considered, in all states, to be a suitable guardian for a child? I hear echoes of this generation when we see the repercussions of the Howard amendments to the family law bill, where they were advocating strongly for the rights of men in relation to their children, whether that man was a proper father or not. Fortunately, the Gillard government is revisiting that.

As we go through the decades: still in the thirties, we find that one of the most important things to women was keeping their undies like new with Lux.

Ms Bedford: Lux Flakes.

Ms THOMPSON: Lux Flakes.

Mr Venning: This is getting rather risqué!

Ms THOMPSON: Then in the 1940s, we find a lovely picture of a beaming girl with plaits and, we presume, rosy cheeks—but, seeing the Women's Weekly magazine was then in black and white, we cannot really be sure:

Future Australian mother, before you can turn around, these plaits will be up. She will be thinking of a home of her own, taking her place in the peaceful, prosperous Australia of tomorrow—

Ms Bedford: What year is this?

Ms THOMPSON: This is 1 November 1941.

Ms Bedford: During the war.

Ms THOMPSON: During the war, yes. It continues:

...but today, now is the time for you to make sure that she shall grow graceful and strong and well-formed. She needs food to build straight limbs, food to give her natural beauty of colouring, food to nourish her for the time when she passes from child to girl. Give her Ovaltine. Give her delicious Ovaltine in milk every single day, and she will have the food she needs to grow up the pride of your eye, A true Australian girl. Build muscle, bone and nerves. Hot or Cold Ovaltine is Food and Drink to you.

Through the 1940s, we did, of course, see a lot about the role of women in the armed forces, and the general defence and running of Australia.

When we get to 1956, we get an ad for: 'Enquire at any branch of the Bank of New South Wales'. We have to very smart women with their hats, sitting at what is probably a tea table, and it is titled 'Smart Girl'. One girl is saying:

'It was Daddy's idea. He says that a Bank is a much safer place to keep your money than a handbag. Money in your handbag has an uncanny habit of trickling away. With a cheque account, you can keep a watch on your finances.'

You don't need to be wealthy to have your own cheque account. It's a 'must' for the modern women in business. And remember, you can bank on the 'Wales'.

It's easy to open a Bank of New South Wales Cheque Account.

As we move on, we find, during the 1960s, more pictures of mum and happy children:

My wash needs good rich suds—and Rinso has them!

Rinso has the richest suds of all!

However, in the 1970s, there are some really solid articles, as well as some very telling cartoons. From The Australian Women's Weekly, 'Teenagers' Weekly', I have one of the cartoons, which is of two girls lazing about saying that neither of them has enough energy to do anything, can't get up—'oughta be helping with dinner, but I couldn't bear it; me neither...oh, that hot stove!' They come indoors to the mothers:

Tsk, Tsk! Isn't it awful what this weather does to those girls? Oh, I don't know...I find it kind of a relief in a way...days like this at least we don't have to listen to them wishing they were married.

However, during the 1970s there are some very strong articles about the anti-ageing pill, introducing the benefits of oestrogen and how it can slow the ageing process, in many ways foretelling much of the criticism and scaremongering that has been used about hormone therapy.

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