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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-08 Daily Xml
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STATUS OF WOMEN

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question relating to the status of women.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The career of former treasurer Foley has shown how hard it is for a male minister to lose their position in the Rann government. In recent years, the Rann government has systematically lost six women from the ministry—the Hon. Lea Stevens, the Hon. Steph Key, the Hon. Trish White, the Hon. Carmel Zollo, the Hon. Karlene Maywald and the Hon. Jane Lomax-Smith—but only four men.

Women ministers have six times the attrition rate of male ministers. Labor's poor record on women was confirmed with today's ministerial appointments: only three of 15 ministers are women. The member for Bright was overlooked, the minister herself was leapfrogged as Leader of the Government in this house and none of the women ministers is ranked in the top half of the ministry.

The new Rann Labor ministry has provoked fierce criticism from traditional Labor supporters such as Janet Giles of SA Unions. She described it as a 'blokey boys club' and as 'boofhead politics', saying, 'They are extreme social conservatives and don't represent the interests of working people or women.' On ABC radio, Janet Giles was asked, 'Does it matter that all the leaders are males?' She responded:

As a woman I think it matters...We want a Government that actually represents the diversity of the community. We've got very few women in positions where they've got substantial power in the Government. It means that the voices of what it is like to be a woman aren't heard within the Parliament.

My question to the minister is: how can the Minister for the Status of Women credibly call for an increase in representation of women on state government boards and committees to 50 per cent, as demanded by target 5.1 of the South Australian State Strategic Plan, when the government's own ministry includes fewer women ministers than when the government was first elected?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (14:58): I find it quite incredible that the honourable member has enough gall to stand up and ask those questions in this place when his party, the Liberal Party, has the most disgraceful, appalling track record in this state—absolutely appalling.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: He has no shame. I just cannot believe he has—

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Wade might show some respect for the woman on her feet trying to answer the question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: As I said, I cannot believe he has the gall to stand up in this place when his own party has the most appalling, atrocious track record.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Justify those comments.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I have been asked to justify those comments, so I would love to take the opportunity to do that, given I have been asked to do so. So, let's start with boards and committees. Let's start with one of the later comments that he made.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Don't worry, we will get there. We have plenty of time on the clock. Let's start with boards and committees. When this Labor government took over, I think the number of women on boards and committees was sitting down around the very low 30 per cent (it might have been 32 or 33 per cent), and that was what it was sitting on. What is it sitting on today? Over 45 per cent. It was 30 per cent under Liberal, over 45 per cent under Labor. In fact, in South Australia, not only have we, through our very careful strategic planning and the setting of targets where we are publicly accountable—

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Which was started by Diana Laidlaw.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Diana Laidlaw did not start our strategic plan targets. The whole state sets clear public targets on the public record that we are publicly accountable for. One of those targets has been our 50 per cent representation on boards and committees, and it is through setting a target like that, in that open and transparent way, that has helped drive this agenda to bring about this very impressive result.

We have set it at 50 per cent; we have a way to go. We will keep striving but, as I said, you have a miserly old 30 per cent, as opposed to over 45 per cent. It is one of the highest percentages in the nation, so not only are we doing very well in South Australia but South Australia is doing very well at a national level. Let us just look at parliamentary participation. In overall terms the Labor Party has a total of 11 women in the South Australian parliament, as opposed to—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, I think it is 11 women—as opposed to five Liberal women in the South Australian parliament. Just in case that escapes the opposition: 11 women, Labor: five women, Liberal. That is less than half. It is an absolute disgrace. How can he get up and challenge this party? Eleven: five. In the South Australian lower house, 34.6 per cent of Labor MPs are women—that is nine women—while 16.7 per cent of Liberal MPs are women; so that is 34.6 per cent compared to 16.7 per cent. That is three women.

In the upper house, 25 per cent of Labor members are women, or two out of eight; 28.6 are Liberal members and overall Labor's representation is 32.4 per cent. So 32.4 per cent are Labor, 20 per cent of Liberal representatives are women. As I said, what gall! For the first time in history, South Australia has a female Speaker in the House of Assembly (Ms Lyn Breuer) and she is joined by the member for Bright (Chloe Fox).

The upper house has had a female presiding officer. Labor's Anne Levy, who became president in 1986, was the first woman to be a presiding officer in a house of parliament—the first woman and a great woman too. I pay homage and high recognition to the Hon. Anne Levy.

Federally, there are an additional two women ministers in the outer ministry; there are 12 parliamentary secretaries, of whom six are women; and there are currently 37 women from a total of 150 members in the House of Representatives. There are 37 women in the House of Representatives; 23 are Labor Party representatives, while 13 are Liberal. So, even at a federal level, there is the same pattern of lack of recognition for women in parliament: 23 as opposed to 13. The list goes on. It is the same thing with senators, where we are way ahead. The list goes on and on.

Just to recap, 37.5 per cent of all Labor parliamentarians in Australia are women, while 23.4 per cent of Liberal parliamentarians are women so that is 37.5 as opposed to 23.4, and of course 12.7 are Nationals. Of course, Family First has zero—

An honourable member: And d4d 100 per cent!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —exactly, d4d 100 per cent—and Greens in this place 50 per cent. So, it is an absolute disgrace. Other than Family First, the Liberals are coming a sad and sorry last when it comes to women's representation.

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