5 reasons why Dave Sharma's flower delivery service on IWD was so egregiously tone deaf

5 reasons why Dave Sharma’s flower delivery service on IWD was so egregiously tone deaf

Dave Sharma

Liberal MP and member for Sydney’s seat of Wentworth, Dave Sharma spent the morning of International Women’s Day at Edgecliff station handing out dahlias to unsuspecting women walking past.

Because, despite a glaring gender pay gap, rampant violence and sexual assault rates, skyrocketing childcare costs, mass job losses and the ever-growing burden of domestic labour, all women really want is some pretty, pink flowers, right?

FFS, NO.

Here are the top reasons why Dave Sharma’s gesture was so egregiously tone deaf:

Your party– the government– is in the middle of a culture crisis & women are calling time:

The government has spent weeks trying to mop up a mess that keeps growing by the second. Rape allegations raised by former LNP staffer, Brittany Higgins exposed the sordid reality of being a woman in the Liberal Party right now. Then four other women came forward pointing the finger at the same staffer accused of assaulting Higgins. This was just the beginning.

Because when new allegations surfaced suggesting that a federal cabinet minister was at the centre of an historic rape of a 16-year old girl, the whole nation was forced to spend a week wondering who the mystery man was. Eventually Attorney General (the highest lawmaker in the country) Christian Porter came forward to reveal himself. He denied the accusation and flat rejected the prospect of stepping aside for an independent inquiry. A decision so far supported by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

So, Dave, women are reeling. And rightly so. A flimsy flower (not even a bunch, I might add) ain’t doing much to soften that blow.

YOU have the capacity to champion policy reform that could make a difference

I’ve not heard much from Dave Sharma about the myriad policy areas that would actually make a difference to women.

Not a murmur on childcare reform, paid parental leave, flexible work practices, the gender pay or superannuation gap, action against domestic violence, Indigenous women’s incarceration rates, homelessness, ageism, job insecurity, care burdens, and the list goes on…

As a Minister in the government he holds sway. Maybe he should start using that constructively rather than wasting time and taxpayer dollars at the florist.

No woman I know enjoys being accosted by a stranger

Why? Because it’s uncomfortable. And frankly, we’ve spent our entire lives trying to lay low in public settings so that strange men don’t come up to us.

You probably don’t understand that because it’s unlikely you’ve ever felt threatened by a man leering at you, wolf whistling or worse, actually attempting to grope you as you walk past. This is what WE put up with every day.

It’s fake

Flowers are nice when they hold meaning; when they come from someone we care about as a gesture of effort and thoughtfulness. That impact is lost when they come from a career politician aiming to get a publicity shot for the gram. We see through you, Dave.

It’s sexist

Want to give us something other than policy reform? How about chocolate? Or coffee? Or a Bunnings gift card?

When you handed out those pink dahlias, you may as well have attached some laundry powder to the wrapping. Or some lipstick. Or bubble bath. Maybe some spray n wipe? Odds are Dave Sharma wasn’t handing out flowers to men on International Men’s Day.

Yet another example of this government failing to read the room…

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