I considered the stress it would take to get the position reclassified and decided it would be too much of a struggle. First I would have to get ALIA (the librarians group) to change their recommended pay scales, then I would have to get an external body to evaluate all the positions in the organisation, and agree that most needed to be steped up the pay brackets. Despite all this I would probably not get the support of other experienced librarians, because most of them began work in the 1960’s and are in the higher pay brackets because they have stayed in the one job for so long.

Then I considered that my library has the wonderful habit of keeping more junior staff on contract for as long as possible. (one lady had been on contract for 3 years for no particular reason).

From all this, I decided to vote with my feet. Low pay and no prospect of permanancy, did not appeal to me.

I’m now in another librarian contract position, and it’s starting to shape up in a similar way.

In the long term I don’t think I can continue to utilise my training as a librarian, unless I can get into a better pay stream, because this is really a dead end. I’m considering going back to uni (Yet again!) to retrain in an area that has a garunteed salary and permanacy prospects at the end.

However if I do go back to uni, my Fee-help debt will be so huge, that I will either have to give up on the idea of home ownership. Or immigrate overseas, where I can make a fresh debt free start. (this would be sad because I would have to leave all my freinds and family behind.)

It is important for Australian men and women to know that the vast majority of partner violence comes from an ex-partner after separation, lest they develop an unwarranted sense of fear of violence from their current partner.

Of concern to me is the national advertising campaign targeting violence against women and children by men, a campaign that deliberately omits any images or mention of violence against children by women. I find this deeply concerning for child victims of female perpetrated violence and wonder if the gender-based advertising campaign is discouraging children from coming forward to share that they are suffering violence at the hands of their mother or some other female in their lives?

Whilst I have no data on intimate partner violence, I have received detailed information about the gender of perpetrators of violence against children in Western Australia, obtained under an Freedom Of Information request. The 2006 data I have received from the W.A. Department for Child Protection finds that substantiated cases of ‘physical abuse’ against children were perpetrated by males in 57.4% of all cases, and by females in 42.6% of all cases. I have this data on hand and can share it privately with you if you would like to verify the data and source, as it is not available in the public domain.

As you are soon to begin your Listening Tour in Western Australia I thought it might be timely to provide the above data, and to ask that you please consider the ramifications of the current sexist approach to portrayals of violence against children in Australia. If we continue the misleading portrayal of women as strictly victims and not as confirmed perpetrators, then we are placing Australia’s children back into the 1950’s dark ages where they simply were not believed when they came forth to report abuse by a woman.

Very concerned

THE number of women accused of domestic violence has increased by almost 25 per cent over the past five years.

Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show police recorded 4918 women as persons of interest in domestic violence cases in the 12 months to September 2003, but by 2006-07 the number was 6056.

Of the women arrested in the five years to September, only 32 per cent of cases reached court, compared to 56 per cent of cases involving men.

BOCSAR director Don Weatherburn said the increase was likely to have been driven by more than one factor, including an increase in binge drinking or more men being willing to admit to being victims.

“It’s possible that people are becoming less tolerant of violence by women than they used to be,” he told Fairfax.
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Dear Elizabeth,

I note the rise in female perpetration of violence in the above data, but note that government funded anti-violence campaign overlooks this.

I trust this will be addressed at some stage, and that violence by women against men and children will be recognised?

Perhaps now a turn toward a less sexist approach, such as “Violence against anyone: Australia says no” is in order? I am certain that many children, males, and females who are victims of female perpetrated violence are waiting/suffering in silence for you to address this omission.

Sincerely

Paul

Which posts were from “men’s groups”?

Anyway, I’m not certain that posters here (that I’ve read) are trying to wind back the DV issue. From what I read it seems people are trying to take the hysteria out of the discussion and, might I suggest, refrain from winding the issue “up”.

Anyway its not my business to be judging others posts.

All I can say is different people seem to use different data sources, and there’s little point in trying to silence people…. I’m sure Liz Broderick is capable of sorting the facts from the distortions without duress.

As a father I find the agendas of some of these comments from ‘Men’s groups’ to be disturbing.

Fair enough, there’s family law issues. But to try and say that it’s violence from women against men that’s the big issue is pretty far fetched.

And the agenda to wind back AVOs is a big worry.

I’d say to everyone - get some facts - sure you feel aggrieved but try and back them up with some research.

There doesn’t have to be a gender war. I don’t want my kid to grow up in a world that has as much violence in the world as now.

eg ABS is a good place to start - there’s shocking stuff in their stats -

Partner Violence -

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/ADE8C301B6BA85ABCA25732C00207E92?opendocument

“In 2005, an estimated 1.3 million women aged 18 years and over had ever experienced partner violence since the age of 15 years. This was 17% of all women aged 18 years and over in 2005.”

The issue that has had the most significant impact on my life is having being bullied and harassed at work. While the form of harassment is probably not covered by the legislation you operate under, it has had a significant and lasting impact on my life.

I have been bullied at work by three separate managers. All three managers have been investigated and found to have bullied me. This probably begs the question: what did I do to attract this?. The thing that all of the bullies had in common was that they were women. As women we do not think of ourselves as bullies. We see ourselves as the more human side of the human race. I believe the skills and attributes which make us so good at interpersonal relationships are the same skills which make us so effective at bullying and harassment. As women we need to accept that we have many aspects to our personalities and the capacity to bully is one of those.

As I have slowly spoken to people about my experience nearly all have a story to tell about being bullied at work and the impact this has had on them. While the impact has been huge on the person being bullied it is also huge on our children. My youngest child is 9 and would have stomach aches every morning until I stopped work and was on sick leave. His stomach aches stopped and he told me it was because I was nicer when I was away from ‘that place’.

As work places change and women climb the ladder, we need to confront this part of our natures. Women can be bullies too.

Masssive and rapid immigration assaults the status of Australian women. In regions such as Sydney, immigrants from poor societies are the dominant group. Their values are becoming the status quo.

Defamation law in Australia, with its defences defeated by proof of maliciousness, discriminates against women as traditional values paint women as malicious if they raise issues in the public interest.

Our immigration policy discriminates against women because skilled or educated migrants from second or third world countries are going to be men. They bring their wife, who brings the ironing board. Their wives disappear behind closed doors.

A citizenship test should be an ethics test. It should test for an understanding of western government and the first class citizenship of women. There is no benefit of reproducing bad government and the second class citizenship of women here.

The idea that immigration is in the long term national interest of a nation, whilst it is acknowledged there are disadvantages during the first and second generation, is a neo-liberal premise. In the first and second generation of unsustainable rapid and massive immigration women are getting raped and immigrant men are putting restraining orders on women to get around the rule of law.

Anyway. Interesting to note, as often is the case, the ‘victim’ is the one that has to move. What kind of ‘discipline’ did her work mates get? Why did they not get moved? They got to keep the relationships they had. The woman has to begin again, even though she’d probably want to.

As much as I like this to be taken seriously, I also like to think there’s room for more of a sense of humour-and winning. Win-win: you’re singles profile outed in the work place? For goodness sake, I hope she’d get a date! By someone who’d name and shame the other guy for being a creep.

Back to serious. There is an inherent, anti-intellectual, ‘not too bright’ culture in Australia, which celebrates being a lout , swearing and drinking. It’s a big thing.

In my own relationship, I constantly struggle with the notion that this is what ‘Australians do’ and particularly, as this partner came to Australia when he was 10, seems out to prove himself that he is one of them. Being born in Australia, I actually find it more difficult to relate to this macho culture.

I’m actually really happy that with the change in government, we have a prime minister who’ll say sorry, who listens to the public wanting something done for the environment and who is known for his diplomatic skills. It seems to reflect a maturing culture, one is which men and women will raise the bar about what is good and what is best.

This site is probably doing some great things, giving people a voice and an outlet, inspiration for change.