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- 22 March 2005
International Women's Day Functions
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The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK [5.22 p.m.]: Last Tuesday, 8 March, I was honoured to be invited to address a breakfast at Broken Hill to mark International Women's Day. The Broken Hill community was one of the original New South Wales communities to mark the event in 1931 during the Great Depression. Next year will be its seventy-fifth celebration. A relative of mine, the author Dymphna Cusack, was an English teacher in Broken Hill about that time. She was part of a remarkable generation of women whose views were shaped by two world wars and the Great Depression. I have read Dymphna's moving accounts of the hardship experienced by Broken Hill women and their families who were battling drought, depression and a cutback in investment by mining companies. The International Women's Day breakfast was an opportunity to reflect on the great struggles of early suffragettes and feminists—the campaign for the vote, property rights, peace, rights to the custody of children, access to separate bank accounts, the right to work after marriage and the ongoing campaign to stop violence against women.
The day was organised by Eleanor Blow of the Immigrant Women's Association, and I thank and congratulate her on her deep commitment to her clients and community. During my visit I met informally with women's service providers, who raised a number of issues including the lack of local apprenticeships for youth in Broken Hill. This is forcing many young people to relocate to Adelaide—a very costly exercise. More important is the dislocation from family and community. It is a very difficult challenge for a young person aged 16 to 18 to move from the support of family and friends in a remote community to live independently in a major city.
Indeed, I heard the story of an outstanding Aboriginal youth who was offered the rare opportunity to play for a major Adelaide Australian Football League [AFL] club. This offer is the dream of almost every boy playing AFL. So he accepted it and moved to live in Adelaide. However, a few weeks later he gave up the opportunity and moved back home because he missed his family too much. I understand that both the club and the boy's family made many efforts to try to relieve his homesickness in Adelaide—to no avail. He is back playing great footy in the local competition and happily living with his people at home. The story highlights the hardship experienced by young people and their families when they are forced to seek education and training opportunities away from their home towns.
I also had the privilege of meeting with Aboriginal women from the Menindee and Broken Hill communities, organised by Tanya King, who is the regional violence prevention specialist for the lower far west region of the Department of Community Services. We had very positive discussions on a number of issues including access to health, education and transport services. We talked at length about the justice system, housing and other issues affecting their communities. These impressive women shared their time, their views and their humour, for which I was most grateful. On a previous visit to Broken Hill I met with a woman who became famous throughout Australia as Janine Whitehair. Janine took on the issue of women being allowed to work after they marry. It was a very significant antidiscrimination case. Janine is a warm, intelligent and delightful person who played down her accomplishments for women. It was a privilege to meet Janine and I wish her every success in her future career.
On the afternoon of 8 March I returned by air to Sydney to attend the Premier's reception at Government House. Having spent the day discussing serious issues affecting the quality of life of women and the life chances of their children, I was surprised to find that the Premier's theme was sport. The Minister for Women, Sandra Nori, reannounced a program to attract women to non-traditional sports. I assume that means sports such as football. This is not a credible agenda for women and not an appropriate theme for International Women's Day. International Women's Day is a day of protest and for remembering the heroic work of past feminists, whose radicalism and bravery changed the world for all of us. I do not believe that women in Australia wish to become a separate race of football-playing Amazons.
Their issues continue to emphasise the welfare and future of their children—their sons as well as their daughters. Australian women oppose violence in the home and want greater safety in public places. Women's health, access to financial resources and women as carers are also great and continuing causes. I urge the Carr Government to adopt a serious agenda for women, to realise that there is a continuing role for advocacy within the Government. The lack of innovation and performance by the current Minister for Women is eroding support for the very idea of a women's agenda. It is evidence of a tired Carr Government that has run out of ideas. It is now grasping at marginal issues such as football in order to construct a so-called strong and detailed plan for women. It is a great shame that the gains women have made over so many years are being squandered in this way.
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