And here we are again—one step forward, ten steps back. It’s draining. It’s infuriating. It’s 2025, and yet the Victorian Liberal Party and men in male-dominated sectors seem to have learned absolutely nothing.
To say I’m angry after seeing vile, misogynistic slogans plastered on a fire truck at a protest on the weekend against the Victorian government’s emergency services levy is an understatement.
Let’s rewind to 2011. Tony Abbott stood in front of the now-infamous “Ditch the Witch” poster, aimed at then Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Whether you agreed with her politics or not, Gillard endured relentless sexist attacks targeting her appearance, her voice and her decision not to have children, all dissected and ridiculed. That wasn’t political critique it was misogyny, plain and simple.
Fast forward 14 years to 2025 and the slogans were upped a dial.
At a protest over the past weekend, attended by Brad Battin, leader of the Victorian Liberal Party and Peter Marshall, secretary of the United Firefighters Union (UFU), we saw slogans plastered on a fire truck by a group of volunteer firefighters, like “Ditch the Bitch,” “Truck Jacinta,” and most grotesquely, “Raping the regions for the ring of steel.” That last one, referencing pandemic lockdowns, is not just offensive, it’s violent.
If people in attendance were truly committed to gender equality they would have called it out immediately. They would have walked away and not addressed the protest. Peter Marshall claims he didn’t see the slogans. Brad Battin won’t say whether he did. But let’s be honest if the media hadn’t raised the issue, would we have heard a word of condemnation?
This protest was about a legitimate concern for those in attendance—the emergency services levy. But now it’s overshadowed by the acceptance of sexist, violent rhetoric. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
And this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Sexual harassment, sexism, and misogyny remain rampant in Australian workplaces and institutions.
Just this year, the Human Rights Commission released its updated strategy to combat workplace sexual harassment.
In the Australian Defence Force (ADF), the numbers are staggering: over 5,000 reports of abuse, including sexual abuse and serious harassment, have been lodged since 2016. Defence’s own figures show nearly 800 sexual assaults reported in the past five years, with an estimated under-reporting rate of 60 per cent. In 2022 alone, 52 per cent of female ADF members reported experiencing unacceptable behaviour.
And let’s not forget family violence. It continues to rise, with women disproportionately affected. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that one in six women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner. These are not just numbers they are lives shattered, safety compromised, futures stolen.
So, when people at a public rally think it’s okay to use slogans like “Raping the regions,” it’s not just offensive, it’s dangerous. It normalises violence. It undermines every effort we make to teach respectful relationships in schools, to support survivors, to change culture.
You have a problem with the Premier? Fine. Challenge her policies. Debate her decisions. But don’t resort to sexist slurs.
We would never see slogans like “Boot the Bastard” or “Flush the Fool” aimed at male leaders. The language is gendered and the intent is clear. Why would anyone woman consider entering politics or pursuing public leadership roles if this is what they are faced with?
We keep hearing that we’ve come so far. That women have more seats in parliament, better education outcomes and improved workplace conditions. But if society still thinks it’s acceptable to use misogynistic slogans to make a political point, then we haven’t come far enough. Progress is not just about numbers it’s about culture. And culture is shaped by what we tolerate. This isn’t just disappointing. It’s exhausting.
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