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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-03-01 Daily Xml
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International Women's Day

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:11): Today week, we will mark International Women's Day. It should be noted that the Minister for the Status of Women moved today to begin planning for the 125th anniversary of dual suffrage in South Australia—the first place in the world to grant its female citizens such equality.

In talking about equality for women, it will come as no surprise to all here that the example of Muriel Matters has done much to inspire me over the past almost 10 years. It was as Muriel Matters, with members of the Muriel Matters Society, that I was proud to participate in the Fringe parade on 18 February along North Terrace. I thank the people involved in the Fringe parade for making this opportunity available to me. Although not scantily clad, I am able to let you know that we were welcomed by the crowd, and it was in response to cries for equal pay for women that we received the greatest acclamation—there is a tale in itself.

Muriel's example has become an inspiration to a wider group throughout the state and nationally via the activities of the Muriel Matters Society, especially at schools, and the society's soon to be published monograph, That Daring Australian Girl, will soon be distributed to all schools and libraries throughout this state, along with a copy of the DVD docudrama, Muriel Matters!, produced through Ronin Films, and I acknowledge their kind assistance in this initiative. The monograph text has been written by Dr Collette Snowden and the design is in the capable hands of Mr Mark Thomson.

Muriel will also be at the Western Australian and South Australian International Women's Day breakfasts. This year, as her profile grows so too does the influence of her example to us all. There are so many social justice areas and issues that she was attracted to and supported—assistance for domestic violence victims and quality education for all through her work with Sylvia Pankhurst and her Montessori school in the East End of London.

Sylvia was a remarkable woman, a daughter of the suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst. Sylvia's son, Professor Richard Pankhurst, recently passed away and we send our condolences and sympathy to his wife, Rita, and daughter, Helen, who is a life member of the Muriel Matters Society UK and who has been a great personal supporter of me, for which I am truly grateful.

Another link to Muriel and her advocacy for working families is her relationship to BHP in Broken Hill, for it is family lore that she was romantically linked with Theo Delprat, whose father, G.D. Delprat, became assistant general manager of BHP in 1899. There is a Bedford family link too, through George Randolph Bedford, a slightly older contemporary of Muriel's, as he was born in 1868, who was also involved in theatre in his early years, which no doubt contributed to his involvement with the Australian Workers Union, that mighty union associated with Broken Hill. George Randolph Bedford was their MP in the Queensland seat of Warrego, which was the union stronghold in 1923, a seat which he held until his death in 1941. I am pleased to see in his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography that he was 'rebellious against party discipline, so was never elected to cabinet', a true Bedford trait.

However, I do digress and must get back to International Women's Day. Muriel was also passionately involved in agitation for world peace through her work as a conscientious objector with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. This is a concept we all need to keep in mind as the world sees a rise in militarism. Muriel's early days in Adelaide bring me back to International Women's Day and what it means for us and all the young women we influence by our behaviour and example.

As we begin to focus on International Women's Day events here and all over the world, I urge members to become involved in events throughout their community and wherever possible. By fostering the ideals of equality, we lift everyone and we lend our voice and efforts to make the world a better place.

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