30 Years of Affirmative Action

Labor Party Adopting Affirmative Action in September 1994

VIDEO

I rise as the 1,122nd member elected to this House and the 175th woman elected to this House. I rise as the 700th Labor member elected to this House and the 92nd Labor woman elected to this House. I stand here because of the tireless efforts of pioneering women within Australia's oldest political party, who 30 years ago advocated for greater representation within the Labor Party, ensuring that our parties truly reflected the diversity of the community and the nation that we seek to serve.

The pivotal moment came at the 1994 National Conference of the Australian Labor Party, where Labor women successfully championed the cause for gender equality in preselection processes. As the formidable Joan Kirner eloquently said at the 1994 Victorian state Labor conference:

"We can no longer be embarrassed as a party which says that other people have to have equal opportunity, other people mustn't practice discrimination and yet in our pre-selections for seats, we don't practice it ourselves. Comrades, it is no longer good enough to give women the seats to win them—it is essential that we give women winnable seats"

Since then, the implementation of quotas and targets has led to a significant increase in women's representation within our caucus and this parliament.

Today, I proudly stand as part of Australia's first female majority government, where diverse voices have enabled us to deliver meaningful change for women across the nation—from pay rises for feminised industries to real action to increase workforce participation, from support for women fleeing domestic violence to superannuation being paid on PPL. The legacy of affirmative action within the Labor Party is a testament to the perseverance and the dedication of countless women who paved the way for future generations.

While time constraints prevent me from acknowledging each individual, I must pay tribute to my predecessor in the electorate of Lalor, Julia Gillard, our first female Prime Minister, whose leadership paved the way for more women into politics and into this parliament. As a born and bred westie of Melbourne, I'm proud to be from a part of the world that is also home to glass-ceiling breakers such as Victoria's first female premier, Joan Kirner, and the first female attorney-general, Nicola Roxon. I also want to pay tribute to two remarkable women I am lucky to call not only colleagues but also friends: Tanya Plibersek, the member for Sydney, who this year became the longest-serving female Labor member of parliament, and Minister Wong, who this year became the longest-serving female cabinet minister in Australian history.

The success of affirmative action within the Labor Party is undeniable. In the 92 years between Federation and these reforms, only 28 Labor women had been elected to this parliament. In the 30 years since, 109 Labor women have been elected. That's three times the number of Labor women elected in less than a third of the time. If you look at our gender equal government, you will also see enhanced inclusion reflected in terms of faith, ethnicity and prior life experience, because if you break one ceiling, you break others.

As we celebrate the progress made within our own ranks, it is disheartening to see fewer women on the coalition benches than when I joined this parliament. In fact, while Labor has gone from strength to strength since 1994, in this parliament the Liberal Party has recorded its lowest female representation since 1993, something that disheartens us on this side. It is a stark reminder that the fight for gender equality is far from over.

I look forward to celebrations tonight to honour the legacy of those who came before us in fighting for affirmative action in the ALP and paved the way for the future generations of women I sit alongside today in the Albanese Labor government. In case anyone needs reminding, a woman's place is in the House and in the Senate. I commend this motion to this House.