women in politics

The conversation we need to have about Kate Ellis’s “choice” to leave politics. The prospects for women in politics are dire if she can’t make it work.

Kate Ellis to quit politics: ‘I can’t bear the thought of 20 weeks away from my son’

The rise of Trump’s regime and the re-invigoration of misogyny worldwide we’ve seen how quickly the progress for women in politics can be undermined.

Over the weekend Sweden’s deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lovin shared a photo to mark the signing of a Climate law which binds all future governments to net zero emissions by 2045, ‘for a safer and better future’.

Last Wednesday I received an invitation from the Prime Minister’s chief spinner John McTernan to attend Christmas drinks at Kirribilli House.

I was recently phoned by a journalist and asked to reflect on what the Labor government had done for gender equality.

Recently, debates about policies have disappeared under an avalanche of sexist, misogynist nonsense and the commentary on it.

Nicola Roxon’s valedictorian speech to parliament on Tuesday got me thinking about success and how our definition of success can and should shift according to our changing circumstances.

The press gallery will be happy: there’s been a leadership spill, a prime minister dumped, mass cabinet resignations, plenty of action.

When we discuss gender in politics we focus a lot on women.

During a recent interview with Ann Sherry, who is arguably the architect of paid maternity leave in corporate Australia, she expressed her disappointment that the government paid parental leave debate has been “hijacked by politics” – a debate about privileged women versus ordinary working women.

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has been slammed by outraged women and men from all sides of the political landscape for the lack of gender diversity in his ministry.