Melanie Fernandez (NSW) and Sarah Brasch (ACT) represented WEL at the annual Equality Rights Alliance Face-to-Face Meeting 20 and 21 June in Canberra.

About 30 women from ERA’s 54 members attended from all over Australia, including several from regional and rural areas. The group was complemented by several young women from the Human Rights Law Centre in Melbourne who are keeping a close eye on proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act and developments with the Human Rights Action Plan (also of interest to WEL).

The idea of the annual face-to-face meeting is to prepare for and then spend a day lobbying members of Federal Parliament.

The first day was spent in briefings on three of ERA’s top priorities: affordable housing, a particular concern for older women many of whom will not own their own homes by the time that they retire; consolidation of the four anti-discrimination acts announced by the Government last year (no exposure draft or draft bill as yet) and approaches to income management (building on the experience of the NT Intervention with extension soon to those receiving welfare payments in Bankstown NSW; Logan and Rockhampton Qld; Shepparton Vic and Playford SA).  This is likely to affect over 730,000 people in the broader community including small businesses, community organisations, schools and health services used by income managed families.  For further information including ERA’s commissioned independent research on NT Income Management outcomes due to be published in July,  check out the ERA website where you can also sign up for alerts and news from ERA.

The delegates were organised into small groups of two or three women to lobby on these three topics in about 30 meetings with politicians from all parties and from both Houses of the Federal Parliament.  This happened on Day Two which was spent at Parliament House.  We had a convenient base in one of the Senate Committee rooms sponsored by Senator Claire Moore (ALP Qld).  We also spent some time brushing up on lobbying techniques and how to work effectively with parliamentary committees, both in making appearances before committees and in getting our interests pursued by committees, particularly Senate Committees.

ERA has been particularly active on affordable and social housing, calling for a national policy with long-term vision and increased funding for rental housing to address the growing crisis in housing supply.  In February this year, ERA in conjunction with the Economic Security for Women Alliance, the National Foundation for Women and the National Rural Women’s Coalition (also a government-funded national women’s alliance), hosted a workshop to discuss investment in affordable and accessible rental housing which brought together a wide range of government and financial interests including the banks and credit unions, the latter have been quite active in supporting investment in social housing over the last few years.

This theme was continued at the ERA meeting with Dr Andrea Sharam from Swinbourne University of Technology as the guest speaker. Her topic was “Affordable  Housing: Building Women’s Home Security”. This was very valuable to assist the delegates prepare for lobbying politicians.  Housing was a popular topic and ERA’s practical recommendations, including putting all federal responsibility for housing under a single Minister, were well received by all members of parliament with whom the ERA representatives met.

WEL at SlutWalk

On Monday 13^th June, a thousand women and men took to the streets of Sydney for SlutWalk. Check out Convenor, Melanie Fernandez, on The Drum discussing the global phenomenon that the marches have become and the feminist perspective on the walk.

WEL joined others marching to condemn the culture of victim-blaming that persists in discussions of sexual assault. Speakers included WEL’s own Eva Cox who set the march in the broader context of the right for women to choose what they wear, whatever that may be; and Nina Funnell a member of the NSW Premier’s Council in Preventing Violence Against Women.

Convenor Melanie Fernandez and Executive member Anne Barber also shared their thoughts on SlutWalk with The Sydney Morning Herald.

Anne Barber

Where will you be on Monday June 13?  I hope you will be participating in the organised flash mob for the “Slut Walk” that will be occurring in most Australian capitals and around the world.

The walk has been organised by young women who have been outraged by Canadian police remarks around an event which occurred in Canada, suggesting that the dress of a particular young woman was the cause of her problems. In January, 2011 a representative of the Toronto Police gave a shocking insight into the Force’s view of sexual assault by stating, “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.”

In Sydney the mob will be assembling from 1.30pm at Sydney Town hall for a 2pm start.  Dress is optional and depends on what you think a ‘slut’ would wear – I understand that there will be many in fishnet stockings.

On a cold, windy and possibly raining day in winter in Australia, this is dedication with a capital F for feminism – yet some participants may not even think of themselves as feminists.

The organisers appear to have run into the St. Andrews’ view of appropriate use of their 2/3rds of the Town Hall Square, (Sun Herald p.2, June 12, 2011/ Slutwalk hits Sydney) as happened to the organisers of the International Women’s Day march in March this year.  The church’s archaic view of women’s place in the world is an excellent reason to continue to use Town Hall square as a meeting place for feminists and other uppity women.  Our place is everywhere and we must protect our right to protest in public spaces.

As a long-term WEL member I am interested in observing the response of normally quiescent members of the public to become engaged and galvanised into political activism by organisations such as GetUp (which I admire and of which I am also a member).  GetUp (like the Slut Walk organisers) has shown an ability to harness and mobilise short term enthusiasm for issues and events – a flash mob if you will.  Equally of interest, is the political parties’ responses to such political activity, eg the government immediately banning live animal exports following the GetUp campaign.

I encourage you all to become politically active and join the Slut Walk and also to discover what WEL can offer in your new-found activism.

Anne Barber and WEL NSW Convenor Melanie Fernandez shared their thoughts on Slutwalk with The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Board of Premier Brands has appointed Mark McInnis as its Chief Executive with a potential pay of $5.2 million. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mark McInnis quit his job at David Jones last year after a sexual harassment scandal in which Mr McInnes admitted to conduct “unbecoming a Chief Executive”.

No-one suggests that McInnis, who received $1.2 million on quitting his David Jones job, should not be employed. However the decision by Premier Brands to employ him so soon demonstrates a lack of respect for female customers and employees on whom Premier Brands relies.

Many women suffer sexual harassment which affects their confidence and job satisfaction. The 2008 Survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission found that 22% of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in their lifetime.

A further 22% reported unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing, inappropriate physical contact, actual or attempted rape or assault, sexually suggestive comments or jokes a well as intrusive questions about their private life or physical appearance that made them feel offended.

WEL was pleased to see greater protection against sexual harassment introduced recently with the passing of the Sex and Age Discrimination Legislation Amendment Bill 2010.

However, this appointment and the high number of incidences of harassment that still occur shows there is still a long way to go before Australian workplaces are free of this behaviour.