Tony Abbott wants paid maternity leave
Who'd believe it - but hallelujah, hallelujah! At last, an Australian political party is listening to what women have been saying they want for a long, long time. Just take a look at some of my blogs from 2008...and 2009...
A sorry story
Tony Abbott may be disappointed to learn that Pauline Hanson is moving to the UK, but on reading the findings of the Review into the Equal Opportunities in the Workplace Legislation I am almost tempted to go with her.
Women's rights are human rights
Securing a more equal footing for women in Australia cannot occur in isolation. I strongly believe that we need a Human Rights Act to strengthen the position of women and at the same time to address human rights abuses.
Australian women at the front
There has been quite a bit of chatter in the media recently because the Minister for Defence suggested that the current physical employment standards for the Australian Defence Forces might be changed in a couple of years time.
Feminism is not a popular word
My dictionary defines feminism as the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social and economic equality to men. In 2006 I discovered just how negatively this word is regarded by many young women through a survey conducted for a feminist organisation. I was recently reminded of this when 2020women's youngest Board member suggested that we refer to ourselves as a women's organisation rather than a feminist organisation.
Plus 63: women work 63 days more than men
On September 1, 2009 it will be Equal Pay Day again. The first Equal Pay Day was set by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in 2008.
Who remembers Mr Ed?
I couldn't help thinking about Mr Ed (you know, the talking horse from the '60s) the other day when I read that not only is 1st August the horses' birthday, it is also the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act in Australia.
Child neglect and social isolation
Social isolation has been identified as the cause of quite a few problems, not the least of which are problems faced by women. Some research undertaken by WIRE in 2007 linked women's social isolation and problem gambling. I thought of this research when I was reading Jenny Macklin's statement on the 'Wellbeing of Australia's Children' in which she paints a pretty dismal picture of how well we are looking after Australia's children.
Women's pay regresses further
The slippery slope of women's pay has taken another turn for the worse. Not only do we earn less, but the way we are paid also determines how much less we will earn.
Racism? Sexism? No worries, we have it all!
Sexism? Racism? No worries, Australia's got it all! It is good to see that the Human Rights Commissioner on Race Discrimination has finally made a statement about the attacks against Indian students in Australia. The claims of Australian racism from ex-Telstra boss Sol Trujillo and now from hundreds of students from India aren't exaggerated, and I'm adding sexism into the mix.
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