This weekend Victoria will hold its state election. Women make up half of the population and, as such, should be duly represented by those whom are elected. But does that really happen in a country where:
· a gender pay gap means women can be better educated than their male peers but will still earn $283.20 a week less (18.2%), based on average weekly fulltime earnings?
· a gender wealth gap means young men have up to 89 per cent more assets and are more likely to own their home than women of the same age?
· unpaid caring responsibilities and lack of accessible and affordable childcare limit women’s opportunities of secure paid employment and career advancement?
· every week, on average, a woman in Australia will be killed by an intimate partner or ex-partner?
· men’s violence against women and financial abuse means women are not safe from men’s violence at home or in the streets? Where an estimated 80 to 90 per cent of women experiencing men’s violence also experience financial abuse, and often face the prospect of homelessness if they leave the abusive relationship?
· lack of superannuation and barriers to work for older women means women over 55 have less than half the average superannuation of their male counterparts, and have a higher risk of homelessness?
These are a few of the reasons it’s vital we hear more from our prospective politicians about what they will do for women. How they will address the inequality that women experience every day of their lives? That is why WIRE Women’s Information invited representatives from the three major political parties to tell us what they would do for women if they were elected in the upcoming Victorian election:
· Andrea Coote MLC Liberal member for Southern Metropolitan Region & Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services
· Danielle Green MP Labor member for Yan Yean & Shadow Minister for Women
· Colleen Hartland MLC Greens member for Western Metropolitan Region & holds portfolio for women
Over 30 women attended our panel discussion on in West Melbourne. Here’s what the representatives said about the following key issues for women.
On improving economic security for women through employment and training opportunities
Andrea Coote started by stating, ‘We are not going to have anything for women unless we have a strong economy’. The Coalition government has provided the $400k Pathways employment program for 180 women over two years, run 26 workshops and seminars to help 50 women set up new businesses, as well as $800k on course enrolments; they have also spent $120m in building and upgrading early childcare.
Both, Colleen Hartland and Danielle Green focussed on public transport and child care, and in particular, focused on what they saw as the negative impact this has on women’s employment opportunities. Danielle Green said that TAFE cuts had been ‘borne disproportionately by women and girls’ and has diminished their access to education and training. She said a Labor government would bring in a TAFE rescue package including campuses in Lilydale and Greensborough and that Labor would also commit a $50m investment in childcare centres and hubs. Colleen Hartland spoke about how TAFE many years ago enabled her to find employment but now TAFE is too expensive for many women.
On fully funding the Community Services Equal Remuneration Order (ERO)
The Fair Work Commission found that community sector workers were being underpaid due to gender inequality. The Fair Work Commission awarded workers a wage increase to bring community sector workers wages in line with similar professions. The ERO wage increases occur every December until 2020. However State funded Community sector organisations are not funded in full to pass on these wage increases. Danielle Green said a Labor government would be committed to funding the State’s proportion of the ERO increases. However she was not optimistic about a ‘conservative Federal government’ meeting this commitment.
Andrea Coote said the Coalition government has committed $213.5m over three years to assist community organisations in Victoria meet these increases. Colleen Hartland said she would continue to campaign for the equal remuneration pay increases to be fully funded.
On housing and homelessness
Currently there is no public housing being built and any current housing stock should not be sold, said Colleen Hartland. She also said renters should not have to put up with poor minimum housing standards and should have the right to secure longer-term housing by increasing tenures beyond the current two years.
Danielle Green emphasized the need to invest in new public housing and refurbish existing housing stock. She added that the recommissioning of Victoria’s mental health services put already vulnerable women at greater risk of homelessness.
Andrea Coote said the Coalition government spent $2.6m in 2011 on early intervention and prevention of homelessness and emphasised the work the coalition had done regarding youth homelessness. In addition to budgeting $220m for services this year, the Hon. Mary Wooldridge Minister for Community Services has also initiated the use of gender specific areas for women in mental health facilities.
On family violence – men’s violence against women
As one would expect family violence featured heavily in discussions as everyone acknowledged that cases including the murder of Luke Batty, and Rosie Batty’s campaigning, has made family violence an election issue that cannot be ignored. Andrea Coote described family violence and financial abuse as being ‘endemic and ‘insidious’ and reiterated Victoria Police Chief Ken Lay’s call to speak bluntly about ‘men’s violence against women’. She said the Victorian Government has led the fight against family violence on a national level with the establishment of the National Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, recently renamed Our Watch, chaired by Natasha Stott Despoja.
Andrea Coote said the Coalition government has spent $205m on family violence including $42m on a statewide behaviour change program in 2012, $61m to keep women and children safe through triage services and housing, and $42m to hold perpetrators to account. $90m has been budgeted annually to deal with family violence, with $140m set aside for this coming financial year (2014/15).
Danielle Green said that this amount was not enough, and that the deaths of 29 women and 8 children in Victoria from family violence in the last 12 months clearly show that a larger budget (at least comparable to the $400m spent on Protective Services Officers) was needed.
Two audience members questioned why the Family Violence Clause was not in the Victorian State government awards. The family violence clause provides people experiencing family violence with paid leave and support in the workplace to assist them to deal with their family violence situation. While Andrea Coote acknowledged that ‘much more needs to be done’, she said she stood by what the Coalition government had achieved in terms of legislation and funding: ‘We’ve put in real laws and backed that up with funding and programs… We have put money where you’ve told us it is needed.’
Both Danielle Green and Colleen Hartland said they supported Victorian public servants having the family violence clause in their industrial agreements.
On financial abuse
‘Financial abuse is what keeps women in abusive relationships,’ said Colleen Hartland in response to WIRE’s question about how each party would address this prevalent but often hidden problem.
When pointing out recent funding cuts for financial counselling in Victoria, Danielle Green stressed the importance of financial counselling in providing women the financial knowledge and independence to recognise and manage their own financial abuse situation. She said that financial counselling ‘future-proofed’ women from getting into such abusive relationships again.
All representatives commended WIRE on its ground-breaking research report “Relationship problems and money: Women talk about financial abuse” launched in August 2014. The report’s recommendations included making financial counselling available, improving organisational response through training and developing a diagnostic tool. Andrea Coote welcomed the research findings and stressed the importance of building on ’empirical data’ for further research and inclusion in programs such as the Coalition government’s state-wide $7m financial grant program in 2013/2014.
Danielle Green said that WIRE’s important report should be a ‘direct submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence’ which a Labor government would seek to establish through legislation within their first 100 days of government with the aim of it being as being as influential as the royal commission into institutional child abuse.
Danielle Green spoke of Labor’s commitment to implement programs that would enable more women to safely remain in their homes by removing perpetrators instead of the woman and her children. She spoke about trialling the use of CCTV and safety cards to keep women safe in their home and conducting an audit of magistrates courts as they were ‘simply not safe for women when they decide to leave the relationship’.
Andrea Coote questioned the cost and productivity of running a Royal Commission and suggested the money used for a royal commission could be better spent. Colleen Hartland suggested using Parliamentary Committees instead of conducting a Royal Commission into Family Violence.
On women’s representation
Andrea Coote held up the Foreign Affairs Minister and only female in the Federal Cabinet the Hon. Julie Bishop as a model female leader who has effected change internationally and had been chosen based on individual merit, not gender quotas. In response, Danielle Green said, “We need not just one women in leadership, it needs to be across the board – women in leadership needs to be common.”
Danielle Green highlighted the importance of having gender quotas in the Labor Party which ‘throws the doors wide open’; to date the quotas have not needed to be invoked. Competing for the 45 seats needed to win the state election, the Labor party has 22 female candidates; the Liberal party has 10 female candidates.
Only you can make your vote count.
Living in a democracy in which every adult including women can vote is a privilege. Unfortunately millions of women do not have this privilege which many Australians take for granted. Throughout the panel discussion all three representatives spoke about their values and what was important to them. Whatever party you vote for, this election, it should reflect your values and the type of society that you want to live in:
· How will their commitments affect women like you and me in Victoria?
· Will their policies and action bring us closer to a society in which women are free from men’s violence, have economic security and are truly equal to men in terms of rights and opportunities?
Since Victorian women became eligible to vote in 1908, we’ve come a long way with Victoria’s first woman State Premier Joan Kirner in 1990 and Australia’s first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2010. As a Victorian woman it’s now your turn to keep the momentum going and make your vote count!
WIRE Women’s information has been part of the Victorian landscape for 30 years. WIRE has supported countless women as they work their way through life and the issues that confront too many women such as men’s violence, homelessness, relationship breakdown and financial insecurity. WIRE offers information support and referral to all Victorian women on any issue. You can call WIRE’s support line, Monday to Friday 9 – 5pm on 1300 134 130 or email [email protected]. WIRE website www.wire.org.au