Thank You to those of you who attended our International Women’s Day fundraiser for St Kilda Mums and Ukraine last week.
We raised more than $4500 on the night which is a wonderful reflection on the generosity of our community.
It was also a great way to again consider the progress we’ve made and the work left to do on gender equality. By getting more women into parliament we can broaden the leadership base so that policies appropriately reflect the views and needs of 50% of the population. This will help enable women and girls to reach their fullest potential in safety, also boosting our entire community and our economy.
My position is that all 55 recommendations of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s Respect@Work report must be implemented in full, that sexual assault and child sexual assault laws must be standardised across the country, that we must revalue the care economy and provide flexible, broad based childcare and that we must repair aged care to alleviate pressure on women who are caring for both children and aging parents.
Paid parental leave, superannuation on parental leave and addressing the gender pay gap will expand options for young women, and help address the financial vulnerability frequently experienced by older women. The national plan for First Nations women and girls must be acted on, and more broadly, women from diverse cultures must be included in the conversation about gender equality.
All of these things will help us build a robust, optimistic society for men and women to reach their full potential together.
I spent some time speaking at the Asia Society last week about women getting involved in politics in the region. There’s lots of positive energy about the number of women stepping forward, something that was also evident when I spoke to a group of students, parents and teachers at St Leonard’s College on Friday. Thank you for the invitation. Speaking with our young people is always an inspiration and a privilege.
We have lots going on this week again so please sign up and attend one of our events and don’t hesitate to put your hand up or come forward if you have questions. We have a big “meet the candidate” event at Black Rock on Sunday 20th March which is family friendly too, so bring the kids!
See you there,
Zoe.
