Imagine how good the political competition would look if the opposition was led by women. Imagine if, instead of another man standing opposite another man in Parliament and apologising for the constant cases of sexual harassment, sexual violence, bullying and misogyny across party lines, it was a woman standing there explaining exactly how her party would address it.
Women in Parliament have been spoken over and ignored, bullied and harassed. They’ve had their desks masturbated on, their underwear photographed, and their staffers raped, groped and forced into relationships they felt they couldn’t leave.
Would a female leader fix this? Absolutely not. Is it up to women to fix the behaviour of men? Absolutely not. But has a female politician ever masturbated on a colleague’s desk? Has a female staffer ever been accused of raping a colleague? Has a female politician ever paid sex workers to give them a blowjob in parliament? As far as we know, no.
Both Labor and the Greens have plenty of senior women in their ranks. Labor has 45.5% female representation and the Greens have a female majority at 58.3%. This makes it even more startling that the parties, with a few historical exceptions, are constantly led by men. Labor’s Tanya Plibersek, Katy Gallagher, Penny Wong and Kristina Keneally, or the Greens’ Larissa Waters, Lidia Thorpe, Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young are all examples of potential leaders.
A female leader won’t fix everything. Feminism is not a magic key. In fact, as I pointed out in last week’s #MeTooWhere series, many women have reached their positions on the basis that they are unlikely to challenge the status quo or Parliament’s culture. Many women, including Liberal MP Karen Andrews, have been accused of bullying and intimidation. There is a risk a female leader could be more of the same under a different name.
A further question is, would any woman want to lead a political party following Julia Gillard and Julie Bishop’s treatment? The gaffe at Gillard’s thighs and breasts being served up at dinner, along with former prime minister Tony Abbott’s “ditch the witch” campaign, happened less than eight years ago. Bishop, Julia Banks and Nicolle Flint’s resignations are still raw.
But having a female leader would send the message that we trust women to hold the highest office in Australia, and that we trust women to lead by example. And that Australia, finally, is ready for change.
Totally agree with the assessment of the female politicians in the labor party – but would they want the job after Gillards treatment? Many of us – male and female – have been shocked and stunned at behaviour in the parliament that is (thankfully) no longer tolerated in any other workplace. It makes me think it has a lot to do with our adversarial – conflict – winner takes all – take no prisoners – gotcha – approach to politics, where compromise and collaboration is seen as weakness. That needs to change above all else.
The latter approach to politics is mostly due to the importation of US GOP tactics and strategy of past decades by the LNP.
One feature has been ‘oppositionism‘ used by Abbott (on behalf of supporters or sponsors even when in govt.) to stymie any forward looking reform e.g. carbon emissions pricing, net zero etc.. Can be taken further (like elsewhere), conservative MPs not being seen to be friendly or collegial with opposition MPs in public, to further reinforce the division of good over evil etc..
The conservative side of politics and its modus operandi needs various enemies and threats, real or confected, to get the anxiety, fear and anger happening….
Think tactic is about appealing to the negative sentiments of mosty baby boomer and/or ageing conservatives of left and right…. especially social issues to then allow corporate sector friendly policies to remain free of constraints (e.g ‘left wing’ tree hugger Turnbull, appointed, then not, by Kean to the NSW Net Zero Board).
Great point. Tabloid politics with a 24 hour policy cycle.
An interesting article I read focused on the design of the new parliament & how it contributes to this. It was interesting. Sorry now I didn’t save the link.
Well past time. Leaving aside the LNP cabinet train wreck for the moment, Labour has a number of first rate candidates for the Prime Ministerial role who, on their shadow cabinet performances, are better credentialed and better performers than most of their male colleagues.
Female Ministers in the LNP cabinet all suffer from the deleterious personality and leadership impacts of “blokes first and foremost” long ingrained in LNP culture and party management.
In a Party political sense in the current climate, exposing and fighting the widespread discrimination suffered by women, the LNP would hopefully not countenance a repeat of its disgusting and shameful performance of the Gillard Prime Ministerial tenure. I did say, hopefully, but such sexist views and gender discrimination are so native to LNP tribal identity it not likely we will see any significant change in the life of any Federal Parliament over the next decade.
Please Tanya, your country needs YOU!
Isn’t she a little too far left?
No one in the ALP is left at all!
She’s part of the left on paper only, like Gillard she was loving the turn the boats away, refoulement and lock up refugees to appeal to racists.
ha ha ha
Not on a world scale in my opinion. Apart from the Greens, the major Australian political parties hover around the central ground these days having drifted towards each over the last 70 odd years. The tight political fight is for the center/swinging vote these days – unless a party gets that vote its good night Irene. Relatively, the parties could be ordered in a left wing-right wing order but the differences are for the most part paper thin in a global context and over egged for domestic brand identification.
The enduring difference in the last two decades have been on social policy issues e.g. around women’s rights and combating male sexual and violent offences against women. In that sphere the male-centric LNP continues to run a dispiritingly distant last.
No, she is too hooked on the Langley, VA telexes for mine.
Seems that genghis khan would be a liitle too far left these days… according to murdoch’s minions and his gamble-drunk-responsibly brigade.. pfft.
Progressive vs Conservative are more accurate descriptions. But everyones trying to appear to be centrist these days thats why there is so much angst in politics.
American language.
You mean Regressive, nothing progressive about the Left, the World is not a better place from the rise of the Socialist Lefties.
You might find that you are a little too far right if you believe this.
Reichwing, no I don’t think so.
LEFT? The CIA spokesbot?
Yes! And I think Labor might have been able to win the last election if Tanya had been at the helm. She would have been so much better at reaching the Queensland electorate than boring Bill from Melbourne.
The implications of the policies did it for QLD. Irrational indeed but such is …
Then imagine Stoker leading the Liberal Party? … Hume? … Price? … Ley? … Payne? … Cash? …Ruston? Reynolds? … “Better late than never” Andrews?
Which one would influence you to vote for the Liberal party if Labor still had a male leader?
“Julie Bishop’s treatment” – the serial crook things she did while in office – she was giving just about as good as she got – remembering too, her “attacks” on Gillard.
Banks? In her entitlement?
Flint’s “over-egged victim” rubbish?
What happened when Labor tried Gillard – education, welfare/single mothers, Assange, Collaery/K?
I reckon Wong would be great Treasurer, but since she won’t “drop down” to the lower house, what about Finance?
I find Plibersek too wishy washy – and I reckon a lot of other people do too.
Personally, I think Aly has quite some leadership qualities, straight talker, direct, intelligent…. Why isn’t she being countenanced?
Greens :- SH-Y, laughable. Waters? Yes, absolutely.
I agree about Anne Aly and I would add Linda Burney as another extremely competent Labor woman in addition to those named in the article.
What about giving Brittany Higgins a sake Labor seat, that would leave the coalition totally flummoxed.
Add to it Grace Tame.
i like Kristina. She suffers no fools.
All the ALP and liberal national women are happy to torture and abuse other women. As a 68 year old woman I have no trust in any of them.
Is there anyone or anything that you do not hate?
I think Marilyn loves being a hater, and by extension, being hated….
Well the electors have spoken regarding Kristina – track record not that good.
Disagree… Keneally was handed a poison chalice by the Sussex St boys club…. she’s a great communicator, smart and direct… wish she would consider it… Claire O’Neil is another talent for Labor. Albo a good man but he’s not going to cut it against Morrison… its not going to be a Drovers Dog election…
Given that until early this year she still had hopes of preselection for a safe LNP seat it seems that her reality index is a bit skewiff.
what are her qualification apart from a complaint of non consenting sex [ that is sexual assault] whilst drunk in a Minister’s office ?
Given her former job, a degree in something. Likely a grade above a real estate agent or fish shop proprietor turned politican but as for critical thinking : dunno. Similarly for judgement.
“Then imagine Stoker leading the Liberal Party? … Hume? … Price? … Ley? … Payne? … Cash? …Ruston? Reynolds? … “Better late than never” Andrews?”
Yes, looking at these names more women in the NLP as a solution to the party’s women problem’ doesn’t sound great. They’re all awful and more of that won’t change anything for the better. Certainly not for other women.
And Julie Bishop… Now she complains, after she’s out, and only because men stopped her from fulfilling her ambition. Where was she when her colleagues were treating badly other women? Where was she when they were tearing into Gillard? What did she ever do for other women, less privileged than herself?
Trampling them to get ahead?
And using her red high heels to place on the necks of other women. Her silence while Gillard was hounded tells us all we need to know about Bishops’ concern for other women.
I find Tanya steely, determined and also appears to have a sense of humour (see photo opp with the spluttering Craig Kelly). She would have to put up with a lot of shit given her husband’s unfortunate record but her country needs her to step up to the plate and I hope she does!
The blokes in parliament are currently pretty useless – it wouldn’t hurt to give the women more of a chance … they would have to be real duds to be worse and wouldn’t have to be all that good to be better.