So Tony Bill Shorten has realised that it might be worth throwing a bone at the “women’s vote”. Maybe one of his advisers said something?
In his address to the ALP on Friday he said: “Our goal should be nothing less than equal participation for women in work, equal pay for women at work and an equal voice for women across our parliament. So let this conference decide and declare, that within the next ten years, by 2025, 50% of Labor’s representatives in parliament will be women.”
Stirring stuff, and impossible for anyone to reject. Could you imagine any ALP members standing up and yelling “NO, SEND THEM BACK HOME TO DO THE HOUSEWORK?” Even Joe de Bruyn wouldn’t waste time arguing with broad concept that includes no detail, no policy and no action likely to affect anyone for at least the next two terms.
50% by 2025? Seriously? This is supposed to get him milk and cookies?
“WHAT DO WE WANT?” “EQUAL REPRESENTATION!”
“WHEN DO WE WANT IT?” “Oh, y’know, not for a while yet…. Another 10 years or so will be fine….”
If he had said the ALP is going to field 50% female candidates for the next round of preselection, I would have taken him seriously.
If he has said that the ALP has some specific policies and set targets and reporting requirements for gender pay equity, I might have taken him seriously.
But this? No, I’m not taking it seriously.
To give Labor their credit, they have slightly better representation of women than the coalition do. There are 40 female MPs (21 ALP, 18 Coalition, 1 Independent) and 32 female Senators (16 ALP, 8 Coalition, 7 Greens, 1 Independent) in the current parliament. But we’re still looking at only 29% overall, and very few of them in leadership positions.
Women are not stupid. If you want to win votes by tackling “women’s issues” then you have to actually tackle them. Mouthing aspirational nothings and setting targets for a decade away doesn’t fool us, but it can make quite the fool of you.