nsw women going backwards under o'farrell
TRANSCRIPT
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GoinG backwards
Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
1
GoinG
backwardsReport on the status o women in NSW ater the
frst year o the O’Farrell Government
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GoinG backwards
Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
2
March 2012
This research paper has been compiled by NSW Labor. Printed and authorised by Sophie Cotsis MLC, NSW Parliament.
No taxpayer unds used or the design or printing o this document. For more inormation visit www.nswalp.com
introduction
Message from
Linda Burney,
Deputy Leader
of the Opposition
More than 2 million
women voted at the 2011
State Election. Many voted
or Barry O’Farrell and
the Coalition. Few could
have predicted that the status o women would
go backwards under a Coalition Government.
In just 12 months, we have seen women’s issuesmoved rom the heart o government, women’s
rights in the workplace go backward, and the
emergence o a pattern o bullying behaviour
toward women in Parliament by the Premier.
No one voted to see women’s status in NSW go
backward. Instead, we have a government that
is incompetent, uncaring and untrustworthy
when it comes to women’s issues.
Message from
Sophie Cotsis,
Shadow Minister for
the Status of Women
The NSW Government
has a crucial role to play
in addressing women’s
issues, such as workplace
participation, the provision o
childcare services, domestic violence and addressing
the retirement savings gap or elderly women.
The rst year o the O’Farrell Government has seenwork on these issues not only stall, but go backwards.
The Oce or Women’s Policy has been moved
rom the Department o Premier and Cabinet, the
Premier’s Expert Advisory Council or Women didn’t
meet or 12 months and was then abruptly disbanded,
and the O’Farrell Government’s draconian workplace
laws have inringed on the pay, conditions and
exibility o emale NSW public sector workers.
This is an appalling record on women’s issues
ater the rst year o the O’Farrell Government.
Linda Burney
Deputy Leader o the Opposition
Sophie Cotsis
Shadow Minister or the Status o Women
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GoinG backwards
Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
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women’s role inGovernment Goesbackwards
1. m h o w’Py h h G
As one o his rst acts in Government, Barry O’Farrell
moved the Oce or Women’s Policy rom his own
central agency – the Department o Premier and
Cabinet – to NSW Families and Communities.
This undermines the Oce or Women’s
Policy’s strong inuence and role coordinating
policy issues across government.
2. F mBarry O’Farrell’s Cabinet only includes
ve women. Beore the 2011 State Election
there were seven women in Cabinet.
3. spp h q
Barry O’Farrell has removed the requirement
that 50 per cent o all new appointments to
Government Boards and Committees be women.
4. ah h P’ exp
ay c w
The O’Farrell Government has abolished the
Premier’s Expert Advisory Council or Women.
The Premier’s Expert Advisory Council provided
advice to the Premier and the NSW Government
on a wide range o women’s issues, and is the
successor organisation to the Women’s Advisory
Board established by the NSW Coalition in 1975.
Neither Premier O’Farrell or Minister or WomenPru Goward convened the Premier’s Expert
Advisory Council in their rst year in oce.
In March 2012 Minister or Women Pru Goward
announced the Premier’s Expert Advisory Councilhad been disbanded and replaced by a “Council
or Women’s Economic Opportunity”. This new
body is narrowly ocused and will not address
other women’s issues such as domestic violence,
ageing, community services, sexual assault, housing
services or elderly women, healthcare, indigenous
women’s issues or migrant women’s issues.
Premier’s Expert Advisory
Council for Women
m linda burneY: My question is directed
to the Premier. Ater almost a year in oce,
why is the Premier yet to convene a single
meeting o the Premier’s Expert Advisory
Council or Women?
m barrY o’Farrell: I am happy to getadvice on that and come back to the House.
But the member could have asked the
Minister or Women, who has oversight o
this body.
Legislative Assembly Question Time,
22 February 2012
5. s p
Since coming to oce, Barry O’Farrell has orced
out seven senior women in the NSW public service.
When asked about the Premier’s Expert Advisory
Council or Women in Parliament, Mr O’Farrell
denied being responsible or the body:
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GoinG backwards
Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
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election Promisesbroken
b p #1: ehg
b w’ s
Beore the State Election, the Coalition promised
to establish a Bureau o Women’s Statistics.
Ater their rst year in oce, this has not happened.
A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government
will create the Bureau o Women’s
Statistics(BOWS) within the Oce or
Women’s Policy. BOWS will be responsible
or compiling various statistics which can
be used to inorm government and the
public o the status o women in NSW.
NSW Liberals & Nationals Women’s Policy,
Status of Women – A Coordinated Approach
b p #2: Pg
p h
Beore the State Election, the Coalition promised
to produce an annual report on the status o women
in NSW.
Ater their rst year in oce, this has not happened.
A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government
will ensure the Oce or Women’s Policy
produces an annual report on the status o
women in NSW.
NSW Liberals & Nationals Women’s Policy, Status of Women – A Coordinated Approach
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GoinG backwards
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5
PusHinG womenbackwards at work
bg “-”
As a consequence o the O’Farrell Government’sindustrial relations policies, women working
in the public sector could be orced to “trade-
of” lactation breaks or pay rises.
This is bad or women working in the NSW
public sector, and sets a bad example or
private sector employers in NSW.
Making lactation breaks the subject o industrial
negotiations contradicts Pru Goward’s
statements beore the 2011 election supporting
the ‘explicit right o women’ to breasteed.
Before the election:
sg p
x g
p p
The O’Farrell Government have excluded public
sector workers who are surrogate parents and
oster carers rom receiving paid parental leave.
Breasteeding is, o course, important or
children’s health and or maternal health.
It is an explicit right o women.
Pru Goward, Hansard, 16 October 2007
n pp q py
Beore the 2011 State Election, the Coaltion supported
the Australian Service Union’s campaign or equal
pay or social and community service workers:
In Government, the Coalition reversed their
support, with Minister or Women Pru Goward
incorrectly telling Parliament that the ASU “ailed
to make their case” to Fair Work Australia.
“Pru Goward, as Shadow Minister
or Women has stated that a Liberal
Government would commit to supporting
the outcomes o the case. Ms Goward has
been a long term and vocal supporter o
equal pay.”
Women’s Electoral Lobby, Pay equity – where do
the parties stand in NSW? 22 March 2011
After the election:
You will nd that, as the Premier has said,
these trade-ofs are a perectly acceptable
part o industrial relations.
Pru Goward, Hansard Thursday 26 May 2011
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GoinG backwards
Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
6
m barbara PerrY: I direct my question
to the Minister or Family and Community
Services. Will the Minister ollow through
on her pre-election commitment to
support the outcome o the Australian
Services Union pay equity case and commit
to und pay increases awarded by Fair
Work Australia to employees delivering
programs unded by the Minister’s
department?
m Pru Goward: The Government would
deliver i the Australian Services Union
made its case. It ailed to make its case.
Hansard, 10 August 2011
MP refused time to drop children
Workplace exibility is yet to make it to the NSW
Parliament. Labor’s Tania Mihailuk - a mother o
three children aged six and under - ound that out
the hard way.
“[Liberal MP or Parramatta Geo Lee] says I
don’t understand what it’s like to be in business
but I worked or large companies like Leighton
Contractors and they were ar more understanding
and exible,’’ Ms Mihailuk said.
‘’It’s beyond belie they can’t move the meetings
back by 15 minutes. They’re living in the dark ages.’’
Sun-Herald, 26 February 2012
A wasted opportunity for women
Last week, this newspaper reported the dilemma
acing Labor MP Tania Mihailuk, who requested a
regular meeting o the legislation review committee be
pushed back 15 minutes to 8.45am to allow her to
get her three kids to school and day care on time and
make it to Parliament House rom Bankstown.
Goward’s Liberal colleague Geo Lee, the stand-in
chairman, reused.
I asked Goward’s ofce whether the minister would
support Mihailuk. Ater an attempt to duck therequest altogether, I received this one-line statement:
‘’The time o the meetings is a matter or the
committee and the Parliament to resolve.’’
Actually, minister, it was a perect opportunity to back
a woman fghting a crystal-clear case o workplace
inexibility - even i it meant conronting a male
colleague.
Goward’s reusal to act shows a lack o leadership
and makes a mockery o the dozens o speeches she
delivered as sex discrimination commissioner.
State political editor Heath Aston,
Sun-Herald, 4 March 2012
n pp p fxy
Minister or Women Prue Goward has reused to
support exibility or women in the workplace
where she works – the NSW Parliament.
Fg py $10,000
The O’Farrell Government has decided to orce
nurses to pay $10,000 or a course to re-enter the
NSW health system. In South Australia, re-entry
courses are provided at no charge to the nurse.
Contrary to Ms Goward’s assertion, the ASU had made
its case.
On 1 February 2012 Fair Work Australia handeddown an historic decision granting substantial pay
rises to social and community service workers.
While the Gillard Labor Government had already
allocated $2 billion to und the Commonwealth
Government’s responsibility, the O’Farrell Government
has yet to commit a cent to und the pay rise that NSW
social and community service workers are entitled to.
The Coalition campaigned on attracting 2,475 nurses
to NSW hospitals, but this is never going to happen i
they are orced to pay $10,000 or a re-entry course.
The Health Minister has shown how out
o touch she is with the problem o orcing
nurses to pay $10,000 to re-enter the health
system:”I can’t see how there is a problem.”
(Jillian Skinner, 22 January 2012)
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GoinG backwards
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GoinG backwardsin Parliament
F mP
Because o the Coalition’s choices o candidatesor the 2011 State Election, or the rst time
women’s representation in the Legislative
Assembly has gone backwards.
Women’s overall representation in the Legislative
Assembly has allen rom 28 percent beore the 2011
State Election to 20 percent ater O’Farrell’s win.
ippp h #1:
c l by “a H”
In Parliament on 15 June 2011, Barry O’Farrell called
the Deputy Leader o the Opposition Linda Burney a
hooker:
m barrY o’Farrell: There is some
criticism o the ront row o New South
Wales. The member or Wollongong and I
could add some het to that. I am not sure
which other member could be the hooker,
perhaps the member or Canterbury.
Hansard, 15 June 2011
c P Py rp
O 51 Liberal Members o the Legislative
Assembly, nine are women.
MALE
82%
FEMALE
18%
O 20 Labor Members o the Legislative
Assembly, nine are women.
MALE
55%
FEMALE
45%
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ippp h #3:
l c t
hg g
On 21 February 2012, Barry O’Farrell likened the
Member or Marrickville to a whining dog.
“What is the diference between the
member or Marrickville and a three-week-
old puppy? At six weeks a puppy stops
whining.”
Hansard, 21 February 2012
“It is untrue that the member or Hefron
is the Kim Kardashian o State Parliament.’
Hansard, 9 November 2011
“I repeat that government Kim Kardashian
style is over.”
Hansard, 14 February 2012
ippp h #4:
wg l by
On 9 August 2011, the Premier repeatedly winked
at Linda Burney during question time – enough to
prompt this exchange:
ms linda burneY: Point o order: I would
like the Premier to stop winking at me.
mr barrY o’Farrell: To the point o
order: I the member or Canterbury is
ofended by my eye, I withdraw. However,
it has been a long time since I have winked
at a woman other than my wie.
Hansard, 9 August 2012
ippp h #2:
l k ky
k kh
Barry O’Farrell has repeatedly likened the rst
emale Premier o NSW, Kristina Keneally,
to US celebrity Kim Kardashian:
“The Kim Kardashian o State politics
would not even go near the media.”
Hansard, 8 November 2011
“There will be no more Kim Kardashians
or Warwick Cappers on this side o
politics. We will leave to others the Kim
Kardashians, who look good but deliver
disastrous results”
Hansard, 23 November 2011
eh m o'F h h , h
h h yy. i h , h g h
ppp .
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Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government
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internationalwomen’s daY 2012
w h Y a c
Ater six successul years recognising the contributiono women across NSW, the O’Farrell Government has
cancelled the NSW Woman o the Year Awards.
When asked why the Awards were cancelled, Minister
or Women Pru Goward stated:
“We want to… ensure that every person in the
community has the opportunity to nominate the
person o their choice. That was not happening.
It was a very tired award and it seemed to be
mostly Labor’s riends who got awards and we
want to make it much more inclusive”.
Pru Goward, 2UE radio, 4 March 2012
Contrary to Ms Goward’s claim, members o the public
and MPs rom all political parties have always been able
to nominate women or the awards.
Women’s awards underrug as Goward cans event Sun-Herald, Sunday 4 March 2012
G
Minister or Women Pru Goward has cut $52,000 in
funding available or local International Women’s Day
events.
Under Labor, all 152 local council could apply or
grants o $1,000 to host International Women’s Day
events in their community.
Under the O’Farrell Government, the unding
available has been capped at $100,000, which means
many communities will miss out.
Ms Goward hersel presented an award or Goulburn
Woman o the Year in 2011 beore the State Election:
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