On Sunday night a group of women I was involved in shared a video, calling for Safety, Respect, Equity. There has been some criticism that the group isn’t diverse which is important to hear and not ignore. As a member of the group I want to personally respond and offer additional context.
This video was not created, led or spear-headed by Grace Tame. It was a collective effort that came about after a set of conversations that started last year. Those conversations were not focused on trying to speak for all women in Australia. They focused on what we might be able to say about the urgent need for systemic change to meaningfully address the ongoing injustice and inequity that women in Australia face.
The twelve women who appear on screen include women of colour, First Nations women, women with disability and women who identify as LGBTIQ+. Another two women who could not appear on screen are from and represent marginalised communities.
The group is clearly not fully representative of the Australian population but it’s not without diversity. Overlooking the inclusion and contributions of Yasmin Poole, Madison de Rozario and Larissa Behrendt, seems to diminish their important involvement.
Notwithstanding the various traumas some in the video have endured, these women cannot be described as anything other than immensely privileged and relatively powerful. They certainly weren’t all born that way but at this moment they are more powerful and privileged than not.
That is problematic. Being able to speak up and be heard is not an opportunity afforded equally.
The women visible in this film are not the only women involved in the group. Why other women weren’t able to be visibly represented is their story to tell but the truth is this. If you are from a more marginalised community, the target on your back for speaking out is bigger. It is, sometimes, easier or safer to speak out in a group but even then it is simply not safe for all people to do that.
That’s why we’re calling for systemic reforms with the capacity to dismantle the current structures that entrench and perpetuate endemic injustice and discrimination.
Inequality is built into the structures around us. For First Nations women, trans women, migrant women, women with disability, women living in poverty, CALD women, the barriers to safety, respect, justice and equity are infinitely higher.
Every single person in Australia deserves access to a safe place to live, learn and work, fair and equal pay, quality free early childhood education & care, and a justice system that works for survivors.
Collectively, that is not the reality for women. Individually, though, how problematic being denied any one of those tenets depends on a number of factors including race, class, cultural background, sexuality, identity, ability and more.
For me, a white, straight, able-bodied woman born to a middle-class family, without violence or addiction or trauma, having not experienced sexual violence or abuse, my starting point in accessing safety, respect and equity is as close as it gets.
The changes this group of women are seeking are not tweaks designed to merely improve the lives of women who are already privileged. We are not asking for board appointments for more women. We are asking for changes with the capacity to render the intersectional layers of a person’s identity less definitive.
Implementing the full 55 recommendations in Kate Jenkin’s Respect@Work report, and specifically creating a positive duty on all employers to ensure they provide a safe workspace would radically and fundamentally change workplaces everywhere. Having the capacity to work somewhere safely is inextricably linked with the capacity of women to live safely.
Supporting and funding the seven recommendations in June Oscar’s groundbreaking 2020 Wiyi Yani U Thangani Report would fundamentally address the endemic injustice First Nations women and girls face. The work has been done. What’s needed is commitment.
The Safety Respect Equity video is an attempt by a group of women to use their combined voices to build public support for change. It is not without problems. Recognising the hurt it’s inflicted is important. Sitting with the discomfort of what it reflects is important.
So too is seeking a commitment to demand changes to help ensure ALL women can enjoy safety, respect and equity.