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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-28 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Joint Committee on the 125th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (16:01): I move:

That the interim report of the committee be noted.

I rise to note the interim report of the Joint Committee on the 125th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage, which was established through a motion in the House of Assembly on 31 May 2018 and was similarly agreed to in the Legislative Council on 6 June 2018. I commend the member for Florey for having moved this motion on that occasion in the House of Assembly, but also in 2017 prior to the election.

The member for Florey is well known to have a very particular interest in the matter of women's suffrage and clearly is very keen to ensure that these matters are noted and that we have appropriate activities in 2019 to celebrate the 125th anniversary. I think both motions were passed prior to the election, but we did not have an opportunity to come together to undertake any collection of evidence and so forth, but we have done so following the election.

I commend and thank for their interest and commitment in this area the following members of the committee: Ms Frances Bedford MP, the Hon. Connie Bonaros MLC, the Hon. Tammy Franks MLC, Mrs Carolyn Power MP, Ms Katrine Hildyard MP, Ms Paula Luethen MP and the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos MLC. I also acknowledge our staff, Lauren Williams, and our research assistant, Dr Meredith Brown, for their support.

An eight-member committee was not an easy group of busy MPs to get together. However, we did manage to have a number of meetings and a number of witnesses, so we have therefore tabled this interim report. In terms of the evidence we received, members can peruse that at their leisure. I understand that the evidence is being placed on the committee's website on the parliament's intranet.

We heard from the History Trust of South Australia, Mr Greg Mackie OAM, and the State Library of South Australia. The Centre of Democracy also provided evidence and a range of events are being organised, particularly around the month of May, which is the traditional time for history week. I think it is fair to say that the Office for Women is taking a lead role and already has its skates on in terms of having a range of activities. There has been a logo design competition and the result of that should be announced shortly. That logo will be associated with all the activities of the year of suffrage.

The Office for Women will be hosting on their website a range of events, which include nominations for national honours for the Australia Day Council; events with women artists associated with the Adelaide Fringe; a panel to discuss gender equality associated with the Australia Day Council; social media campaigns, such as 'What does suffrage mean to you?'; Women's History Month in conjunction with History SA; the Gladys Elphick Awards; a gender equality symposium; a symposium on past research by Catherine Helen Spence Memorial Scholarship recipients and other women academics; and, of course, Youth Parliament.

The Department for Education is also warmly embracing suffrage and will be organising activities with schools in terms of prizes, essay competitions and the like, which we are familiar with. A big part of the intent, without putting words into the member for Florey's mouth, is to ensure that members in both of these places would also engage on this matter, so we have also written to all members to ensure that they are aware and engaged. A number of members of our committee had the benefit of being involved in the 100th celebrations, so we were keen to ensure that we had some significant events that reflected that.

In terms of the recommendations that the committee has come up with, we are recommending that the Joint Parliamentary Services Committee organise a particular event and that we are able to engage with school-aged young women as well through that process, and that we have a re-enactment of the 1894 debate. As I have already mentioned, we want members of this place and the other place to be engaged in the 125th celebrations, which I am sure everyone will embrace; that there be promotion through the parliament's electronic media; that there be funding made available—this is a particular recommendation to the state government—to assist community organisations; and that we have an audit on ways that the parliament can become more family friendly.

We are not just focusing on ourselves, but we think it is also important for visitors to the building and our own staff—indeed all staff of the parliament—that those things be progressed. We will also seek that the Standing Orders Committee, in collaboration with the clerks, undertakes a review of standing orders for gender neutrality and to ensure that orders do not impede women from entering political life.

I think it is fair to say that it is often said that politics is a fairly robust place but, as we know from other discussions, boundaries need to be maintained. In this day and age, the standards expected of us are much higher than they have been in the past. Certainly in my 15 years in parliament, I think things are greatly improved, but there is always room for improvement. With those words, I commend the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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