With New South Wales heading to the polls in just seventeen days, voters would be forgiven for thinking it was a battle between two men, Liberal Leader Dominic Perrottet and Labor Leader Chris Minns.
A closer look at the makeup of each party tells a different story.
NSW Labor have historically been ahead of the coalition when it comes to female representation in parliament, and the current makeup is no different.
In Shadow Cabinet Chris Minns leads a team made up of 48 per cent women, with Prue Car as his Deputy.
With Matt Kean as Perrottet’s right hand man, the Liberals and Nationals’ cabinet table has just 26 per cent female representation.
In the Legislative Assembly, where Labor has 41.7 per cent female representation, the Liberals have 30.3 per cent and the Nationals just 25 per cent.
However, this election, it’s the Upper House which is seeing women lead the way.
If you are one to vote below the line, this March 25th you will notice that leading Labor’s Upper House ticket are two women who are reshaping what women in politics looks like.
Courtney Houssos and Rose Jackson, both members of Labor’s Shadow Cabinet (and both working mums with small children) will lead the ticket.
If successful in securing the eight Upper House seats they are predicted to, with four women on the ticket, NSW Labor will have the highest percentage of female representation of any major party historically with 40 per cent. The Liberal Party currently has 27.3 per cent female representation.
Courtney Houssos – Shadow Minister for better regulation and innovation, Shadow Minister for natural resources
In 2015, scraping into parliament at the bottom of NSW Labor Centre Unity faction’s ticket, Courtney Houssos was the youngest NSW Labor MLC to have ever been elected. In 2023, she will be Labor’s lead candidate.
During her time in Parliament Courtney has been a vocal advocate for modernising politics to make it more accessible for women.
Notably, Courtney ran a four-year campaign to make NSW Parliament House a more accessible place for women and mothers to work. Shortly after being elected, Courtney tried to vote in the Parliament carrying her 15 month old daughter Anna, but was unable to bring her in, as she was no longer breastfeeding. In order for Courtney to be able to vote she had to call her husband to come and hold her daughter so she could enter the chamber.
After a 4 year campaign, a parliamentary inquiry and Courtney had her second child, the changes were finally adopted in 2019. The rules were changed to allow children up to the age of four to join a Member of Parliament on the floor of the Upper House.
Speaking on the 2023 election, Courtney Houssos said:
‘I’m honoured to be leading the ticket for Labor. We still have a long way to go to ensure women have equal opportunities, but I’m proud to be a member of a party who are putting two working mums are their lead candidates.
‘We understand the challenges working families, particularly mothers, face every day. That’s a very importance perspective to have when making decisions that will affect families right across NSW.
‘We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us, who fought for our right to vote, for our right to be in parliament, to be in the rooms where decisions are made. I’m passionate about doing my part to make it easier for the women who come after me and inspiring the next generation of young women to get involved in politics.
Rose Jackson, NSW Shadow Minister for water, housing and homelessness
Rose Jackson entered the Upper House in 2019, filling a vacancy left by Lynda Voltz when she entered the Legislative Assembly.
This election Rose holds the top spot on the left faction ticket and will be the number two on the Upper House Labor Ticket.
Rose has a long history of activism for gender equality, serving as Women’s Officer of the University of Sydney SSRC when she was younger where she led a campaign calling out sexism and sexual harassment on campus.
Speaking on her position on the ticket and women in parliament Rose said:
‘This is one of the most important elections we have had in a long time and I think it sends an important message that Courtney and I are sharing the top of the ticket.
‘We are a party who get it.
‘Since New South Wales last went to the polls there has been a reckoning, so many inspiring women have spoken out and shone a light on the sexism, harassment, discrimination and assault women endure every single day on the basis of their gender.
‘I won’t say it’s easy, but I will say it’s completely worth it and encourage every single women to consider getting involved in politics.
Speaking on sharing the ticket with Courtney and the support women offer each other in politics Rose said:
‘I honestly could not imagine being in Parliamemt without Courtney in the Legislative Council with me (many of the other women in caucus are lifesavers as well). It’s an absolute highlight and game-changer in terms of my capacity to remain calm, focused and positive in what can be a challenging and aggressive work environment.
‘It’s not just the policy and political collaboration, which is a daily source of inspiration and fortitude, it’s the quiet side chats about our kids, the guilt you sometimes feel at missing things or late nights. When we have those moments we remind each other of the fact it’s such an honour to be in Parliament and that it will all be ok. We absolutely have each others backs – personally as well as politically.
“Courtney and I don’t share exactly the same politics, we’ve taken different views on the odd thing that has come before the Parliament, but the mutual respect and support we give each other makes managing those things so much easier.”