Tonight I will be addressing the Senate on the important role White Ribbon Day is playing in educating the community about cultural change, with the ultimate aim of eliminating violence against women. According to the ABS, nearly half a million Australian women suffer violence in a one-year period. In the ACT alone, police attend approximately [...]
women
Labor Senator’s Celebrate Childcare for Parliament House
Joint Media ReleaseLabor Senator’s Trish Crossin, Convenor of the Parliament House Childcare Reference Group and ACT Senator Kate Lundy, today warmly welcomed the passage of the works approval for a 22 place childcare centre in Parliament House for children 6 weeks to 18 months old. “As one of the most significant work places in the [...]
CONDOLENCES – Ms Ruth Nancy Coleman
Senator Ruth Coleman, who died on 27 March, served in the parliament from 1974 to 1987 as a senator for Western Australia. When elected she was one of only five women in the federal parliament—four in the Senate and one, Joan Child, in the House of Representatives. A feminist and fighter for many women’s causes, [...]
Women in the Parliament
When I entered the federal parliament in 1996, I was one of 23 women elected to the Senate. At the time, this represented a huge increase in the percentage of senators who were women: 30.3 per cent, up from 21 per cent. The House of Representatives also gained 23 women representatives, up from 13 in [...]
International Womens’ Day
International Womens’ Day provides an opportunity for us to celebrate the achievements of Australian women. International Womens’ Day is observed on 8 March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, social and political achievements of women. It is also a time to look ahead to a future in which [...]
Quality and Affordable Child Care to Help Fight Inflation
Ensuring access to quality and affordable child care will be a key pillar in fighting inflation under the Labor Government. In an address to a Lord Mayor’s Breakfast in Perth today Prime Minister Kevin Rudd outlined Labor’s plan to implement practical measures to help people re-enter the workforce, such as providing more accessible child care. [...]
Netball series decider broadcast live tonight!
Labor wishes the Australian netball team the best of luck tonight in the series decider against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand. The ABC’s decision to reschedule and bring the game to Australians live (AEST) at 4:30pm today is to be applauded. It is rare that Australians get to watch our best netballers live on [...]
We want more netball on TV!
Labor wishes the Australian netball team the best of luck tonight as they take on arch rivals New Zealand in Wellington. The game is the first of a three match test series across the Tasman. The last test series was played in Australia with each team winning a match. I wish we could see more [...]
Labor supports the Drive for Maternity Reform
Federal Labor congratulates midwife Janie Nottingham on her ‘Drive for Maternity Reform’. Ms Nottingham is using her ‘Drive for maternity Reform’ to raise awareness of the need for maternity reform, covering issues such as: postnatal depression; the high rate of caesarean births in Australia; the gap in health outcomes and services for non-Indigenous mothers and [...]
Falling IT enrolments bad news for local skills
Despite the Howard Government’s rhetoric about investing in the ICT industry and the apparently ‘desperate’ need for skills, the number of students studying IT is falling. DEST figures clearly show there has been steady decline in the number of students enrolled in university level IT courses. Since 2002, enrolments in IT related courses dropped from [...]
