A new website urging women to “use their vote” and offering a number of tools to help make an informed decision has been launched by the National Women’s Alliances.
According to Sally Jope, acting executive officer for economic Security4Women, womenvote.org.au highlights the democratic importance of women casting a vote that reflects their experiences and beliefs.
“In the 2010 election, one in five or 20% of eligible Australians were either not enrolled, were enrolled but did not vote or cast defective votes,” she said. “Our hope is that this website be a leap towards all women being informed, independent, effective and empowered voters.”
She said the National Women’s Alliances is placing policy front and centre for women. “The site will also provide links to party policies, to the ABC’s Vote Compass and to various other political spectrum tools so that women can easily engage with the campaigns leading up to the election,” she explained.
The six National Women’s Alliances include the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance, the National Rural Women’s Coalition, the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance, the Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA), economic Security4Women and the Equality Rights Alliance.
“The combination of the experiences of each of the alliances means we have been able to craft electoral material on enrolling and voting to meet the needs and answer the questions of all women,” said Zita Ngor, a board member of AMaRWA.
“Some examples of ways we have achieved this include using animations translated into four different languages, tailoring information on safe enrolment for women escaping violence and highlighting and consolidating information on voting in rural and remote communities.”
Ngor said the site creates a much needed space for all women to find important information on enrolment, election policies and voting.
By doing this, Jope said the site not only caters for the diverse experiences of women but also places great value on their contribution to and participation in public and political life.