Some of you will have seen the news coverage relating to the gender composition the Australia 2020 summit steering committee. I am concerned, like a large proportion of Australians, that the 11-person steering committee announced yesterday has only one female member.

Neglecting women at this pivotal part of the summit planning could very easily lead to women’s experiences not being represented at this important opportunity to shape Australia’s future. It may seem an obvious point to make, but women make up half the population of this country and if we assume merit is distributed equally among the sexes, women like men make up some of our best and brightest.

As selection of the discussion groups will be drawn from the nomination process, I urge women of all ages and backgrounds to put their names forward. Women interested in nominating for the Australia 2020 summit should nominate by close of business this Friday, 29 February, by going to www.australia2020.gov.au

Opening the 52^nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon launched a seven year campaign to end violence against women.

As the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner I give my support to this campaign and I urge all Australians to sign the Say No to Violence petition at http://www.saynotoviolence.org/. The United Nations Foundation has committed to donate US $1  for each of the first 100,000 signatures to the campaign.

Violence against women is a serious and pervasive human rights violation in Australia. Violence has a tremendous personal cost for affected women, as well as social and economic costs for our community as a whole.

• As many as 1 in 3 Australian women are affected by domestic and family violence[1]
• Domestic violence is the leading contributor to preventable death, disability and illness in Victorian women aged 15 to 44[2]
• The estimated total annual cost of domestic violence in 2002-03 is $8.1 billion[3]
• Nearly 1 in 5 Australian women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15[4]
• 80% of women who have experienced sexual assault know the perpetrator[5]

In his address Secretary-General stated, ‘Violence against women is an issue that cannot wait. A brief look at the statistics makes it clear. At least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. No country, no culture, no woman young or old is immune to this scourge. Far too often, the crimes go unpunished, the perpetrators walk free.’

There are no excuses for violence against women. Everyone has a role to play in challenging this violence: individuals, communities, governments and business. I look forward to working with the new federal government to ensure that women in Australia can exercise their right to live a life free from violence.

Elizabeth Broderick

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[1] Mouzos, J. and Makkai, T. (2004) Women’s Experiences of Male Violence: Findings from the AustralianComponent of the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS) Research and Public Policy SeriesNo. 56, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.[2] VicHealth (2004) The Health Costs of Violence: Measuring the burden of disease caused b intimate partner violence, Vichealth, Melbourne.

[3] Access Economics (2004) The cost of domestic violence to the Australian economy, Australian Government, Canberra.

[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005) Personal Safety Survey, (Cat. No. 4906.0).

[5] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005) Personal Safety Survey, (Cat. No. 4906.0).

Some of you may know that the Federal Government has recently announced a Productivity Commission inquiry into the introduction of a paid maternity, paternity and parental leave scheme. You can read the terms of reference of the inquiry here.

I am pleased that the terms of reference include all forms of paid leave to accommodate the diverse work preferences of parents and encourage shared care. Given that it is women who give birth I think it is particularly important for the inquiry to examine how any scheme will impact on the health of mothers after birth and workforce attachment for women.

We have previously recommended as a minimum, a government-funded 14 week paid maternity leave scheme paid with two weeks paid paternity leave, at the level of the federal minimum wage. This proposed model ensures that small to medium businesses do not bear the financial and regulatory burden of an employer funded scheme. You can read my predecessor Pru Goward’s 2002 report, A Time to Value - Proposal for a National Paid Maternity Leave Scheme, for more information on HREOC’s recommendations.

It is time for Australia to play catch up and get on with the task of introducing a system of paid leave for mums and dads to deliver both long term economic growth and social well being. I encourage you to stay informed on the progress of the inquiry through the Productivity Commission website. Information on how to make a submission can also be found on this site.

Liz

Asian Women at Work focus group participants, Sydney, December 2007.

Adelaide Community Consultation, Elizabeth Broderick with Michelle Hogan (Safe Work SA), November 2007.

YWCA young women’s focus group participants, Adelaide, November 2007.

Today I am proud to be part of a country that has finally listened to the stories of thousands of Indigenous people who told us about their horrific experiences of being separated from their families. As a mother, I can only start to imagine the nightmare of having your child taken from you. I can only start to imagine the grief, the loss and the pain that continues across communities and generations for many years. For the injustices of the past, I would like to convey my heartfelt sorrow to members of the Stolen Generations, and pay my deepest respects to you for your determination and resilience.  

In my meetings with Indigenous women and men as part of my Listening Tour, I have heard many stories of  prejudice and discrimination. I have heard about the difficulty in accessing appropriate services and frustrations with governments who consult but don’t listen. I have heard of struggles to get jobs, and struggles to be heard. I have heard about racism, and pre-judgment that continues to be a shared experience amongst Indigenous Australians.   

It is my hope that today is the start of a new era where we not only hear the stories and experiences of Indigenous people, but as a nation we listen. Because it is only when we listen that we learn. And when we learn, we begin to understand.  I am looking forward to my upcoming visits to Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland where I will continue to spend some time listening to Indigenous communities.  

Today I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and determination of my colleague Tom Calma, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.  I am humbled and honoured to be his colleague.  Tom’s unit has produced a range of resources supporting the 1997 Bringing them home Report including the Us Taken-Away Kids, a magazine launched in late 2007 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the report. I highly recommend these to you. You can access them here [www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/bth_report/].  

I encourage us all to listen, to learn and to understand.   

Liz