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SI
18S Octobecr 3996 TRtANSCRWT OF THE PRIMI( MINISTFER
TI IE~ IION. J01 IN 11OWARD, UIP
AI) DR~ eSS TO TI IF NATIONA, UIBE RAI, WOM) IN'S CONFERFNCFI
DJACKJACJCS ROOM, WAREST POINT 11OTRhL CASI NO
HODART, TASMANIA
FA 0
Chr~ i McI~ wov, Margarcr COuffoyle, other distinguishcd guests, ladies, and gentlemen. it is
a grcat dcliilit to address t06% coniference as past of the Ifrst Federal Council meeting of the
new era of I~ ibcrad guvununt. I rumenbdr the day of the launch or our womnen's policy,
remcrnlvr vety well and what a surxessraI policy it was and what a great~ sucuom~ we had
in securine, thc electioun of a record number of wconen to the national Pzirliamnent.
If ever a poUlical party dcemonstrated in relation to something that acticin speaks louder than
rhvtuziu, tLhc l. ibvral Party demonstrated it with female representation. As it has been in so
mainy other arcas, aftic rcpivsentation, miany other areas vf svprcstntaliort. so it has been
in Motaion to fomrale represenaution in the national Parliamcni. We don't bdlive in the
parniing symibolism of quotas, we believe in the practical reality of treating women on
their~~~~ nnirlvnt by increasingly barte numbmr of them will elected as LIbeal
members of the national Parliament. And just before I canto here I spoke on the phone to
one of those wonicrt who was swept into office on the 2nd of March and one who is very
much in our droughts at the preset time. And if ever a memnber of tho I iral Party, if
cvsr a candidate for office is in our thnughts, and if ever a candidate descrvs ftta preat
Austraian commodity of a fair go, it's Jackie Kelly. And if tomorrow tho pcoplo of
Lindsay fix on a choice betn sromebody new, wmrebody igorous, wmfcbody acfive and
somrebody whoe rprm~ nis ( bk' futurc and discards somebody who's part of the failed pat
tlueJ they WMl indeud vote for Jackie and vore for her dircely tomorroW.
-7=
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LWkse and Ccnil~ mnii I'd Nkc, at the commtrncnicni or my addrcsa, to ; ongraulalo Citais
Meciven on licr re-eleotion at Chairman of the l'cdcral Womcn a CUMrrSitt1. And I want
to 1hafli all of you 1br the great Work that you lmavv donr. owi-OKc last ycAr. Tho way in
which so many of you and I Mnow m~ y fonno-uaiw wo~ eiigu, Mar~ rct GuUfoyla, has
played a major rolo in ais, the way in wbivb you havo, oloouragcd aim inorvxiui number ofT
Wom in the cwmWity tu n~ ot only join thc Liberal P" rt, but to become out candidat.
And ir Woii a SIMPIO 1meSSage that I Would BkO~ to SUnd f( raM1i hdietng, arid I'd Jilt-, 14
scad tn the womm of Auirala out of tiW JustiFederal Council ( if the new Iliberal era, that
shnply is, com. 9 and join us. Come and share the new dircctioft4 tt the I jhihcaI Fay has
for tho women of Auaa as wet) asfor all the people OV014rabstla.
It's natural, when threc't at cango of Sowrmnin. for people to aslk quesiicrns about the
Airection at The ncw govcnmt. ANi I Want tway a vuujle or " Wn~ aboit out ; tcncral
dircclions in ft areas of geat con'. ena to wosneui. We aw a new g ninlont, we area
lfl'rent sovenunent. andi we wont be daing things the iiau'w way & 3ti e governmecnt we
Irepacd. l that dmcn't Aican to say that we'll be turning back thu cloc. ThU world has
vlwnWe roieves so tar aa thr, womcit, not only of AustrAi, but women all around the
world = r concernod. And when I talk about taking a difterent direction, I don't tal~ k about
turn*% Wa4 the alo; S, I don't Wak about trvliug notions that inay hnve been 1clevant to
womon Venerally of earlier genem tonc, I talk ahnat doing things diferntly in the ttkze
but doinS them in ant equAlly progrextive way, and in a Way CM arti ehs thc agplraiuis of
womn of alt ap~ aM we nlovc towards the ncxt illcnxiuin.
You have choscni w a mcm rn dh& i pm tiurn wafiuteu, th:, eonmomit; indepondonge of
women. SUClnnhhg iztcidMalaY lytat WA3 in the, spodliht cartior this week when % vi had the
OTi ALdulOus P0t0on put forward by somo of our po~ ioaI opponents " ht tiwr was
somthing odd about women indapenduntly hatvig aaaets whun thrir husbands happen to
bec in POliticsIttP isOM vcsY strae, you know, that padtis thait speak tie lotidtxt and arecI
poisiest in the flietoric about independence When it comes to J! Ak~ np a cheap politica
polnt they grab the rliatoric of earlier Becrahion and it is wry typical of the Labor Party
of t1he 1990s.
But when wo talk aboot Worn~ s policy for 1hr, rutire, ws aren'it takIng about tun&~ n
back' the clock. Ther are now "-alhla gist have bevandi toa for akv eay 1on lime a& M
ty Wiill atWilt, of C-Ouim be replared as the gcncratina go by, by other now mq* itiQs.
Buat l; 1n9e cItiee0 invclv the m~ a~ dmwn emphasis on freedom of zndi'. iduat choice. The
new reAlitics in1vlvc us, providin to the women of Austreia, the imum, uboice it,
orgmising tlic diffront recponsibiiics and aspirations and hopes within their lives. A..
wvith mann wom90 Will always hAve a 9pccia Place in their lhvs tor thir tarnify and their
Otherf relationships. The ideva ihai ruiine a career, putsuing the achimvment of indi-, duai
Soalit and playing out to the limnit the individual talents ihar women have, the idea that AhU.-;
sir uneasily with fardly rcsponsbflts a tho in urial dtire uf peple to n1wturc f~ uanlis
And tO raise chIMdn has alwayr, struk inc as a lan woijuuz, slotina. Alld wo 9110uldno
ba in ths; Iusittis uf tnakiiig judgenicnts about tbls or that way in vWrih somebody ives
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out hi~ q or her life. Our goal oupht to be to cvaitz to tho n ximutn ehtof( thal 8gvmieals
can do. a ranpc of iial jjboics, not nominal ohrnimo, not unaclu'vable Chioi= e. A choice
ducmnI exist if you can't afford to aspire to it, it's nicrely a pi= c of emrply rhetntic and we
hawe to Lirvaingly provido people Mobl choice.
I can romernbcr talking to a eicnar in Parliament hlouso In the mhldlu of last yvor
orphfisOd by Judi Mq) 1i, one of quie a number of the meibcm of riy MWnitry. And in
dat seminar I thoughi I could heal encapsulate the change tiat had wins ovcr AustralIAD
society by telling it that when I attended llio Sydney Untvmaity Law School beteri 1957
heave"'& above and 1961, thert; wet;, I Iliink, 10 womn out of 180 in the Ent year.
When myl) daitp,? ier enrio Ot-, firt yeu of a cornhinod lAw/ ec~ omis icours at Sydncy
' I Unlvuriy i 1993, 51 per cont of the student in thast first year we= e women. AMl in that
apacex of what, 34, 35 yv* rs 34 yvaM it had chand to that exitt. And so it is ini to
flamly other arcas of life.
If you took al thc differcrit policies aw we havv tried to bing dmwn you lovs4, at owr
industrial relations policy, something very, vewy closo to my pulilkel Jicaut. Otic of thc
great benelils of te industrial relatons policy ibal we hav birought dowri, and I fcrvendy
hmope wrill Vim~ the Senate and the suvond eadliug dobato was approvad by t Senate Wnl,
two days ago one of the Sreal btawfils of that policy s tAtl it will allow pvUPte to mnorc
efrbezively blend their workqlace and their fxnily rusponslblity. And that is not only
frnNfl1nin for wonion, but it's also important tot mon and for hurbands and fathorm because
sharing family mcspotsibilties and sharn8~ tie mripoflibilitset of pavlhihf( d ik t~ iletthinl*
that is vety, very much a comimitmen so far 3s otir policice are coernei. The iea, Itat
the rtaponsibhifies of iriing children are inherently pealcr ont wonv tha on nicit is a
voton of an caslior 5cneratian, Theiy are t'hanm4 rtsponsibires, they = i shasrd affwt. iotw
= 4d they oughit to be khaivcd rcsansihilitic&.
In other arcas we have sought to create a mome wtigqdul so~ iWt for wormn Violonoo of
any kind Againt Women and childiven i p" Wcuar, but Wo gnly, apfingt fl pwop, is
somothing dial I kntow is repugnant to ovorybody. And I am vary proud of the fact that
ottovof dics gftAle achkvvmcnl3 of the now Govramqnt i its 1frst caven mofltIV, And I
bbv is i3 an achievemet that will rebound to the credit or thte ouvenmnn throuh t
year no muaftr how long Rt remainx ; n officz, it what we were able to do in the wake of
that awful Iragody here in Tasmania to gwc national Sun lawo. And don't anybody
kn& rcstznate thd pailicular Supprt we had from the Women or AusTalla for tIN= laws.
The witnmbcr of tifnes people, Women caMe Up to mi and said, ' don't lakv luoy mIutice of
% ome of the stuff in the necwspapmr and on the me~ io, wo'rv vry siojgly ht favour of
what you're doi& g' And tha applied to women i ihe tw-al aramu of Australia. And I was
mninftd Of that two daps ago whbcu I nict a dftcation of women rapem otIng die rral
vounnunifirA Of Auht( Alia at a National Rural Wlommo'a Sumit in Con'berra. And amntp
t. many subznissions they put to mte was the strong = expesion of support for the uniform
sun laws that we'd boon able to bring In. 7
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I'nI Very happy to say that in a bUd& Ct WhiCh, in Other areas contain Some Very Signifficant
arnd stringmn spending dcisonx, wo were able to mnake more mnircy " Avable for
counsolling in relation to duniestic iolcnce. We were; able to make mare moncy . vailablc
for counselling in rolalion IA) p arenting skilti and we wcrc Abis to mAlc more money for
mnanigc and rulationship guidance. If prevcntion irs bett than curc in matters of Straigh~ t
health policy it is Also better-prcvention is beter than oure in areas whome if'o the
bmeadnwn of lii. relationship and Itsq negativu liostilo, violent attitudes that c~ ugc
unuiappinoss and caurm abuse.
I'm particularly prqud of my GovormniVs initiatives in thc area of small business.
Women in small bumincss now conprise somethingj like 30 to 35 per cent of Mhe total small
businoss swcor and it's growing at a very rapid rate. Thw successful entwy of women into
the smull business component of the servicc sector of our eeonoiny is particularly rapid.
Nowhere do you~ Soo the transformation of Mhe workforcc from that old paradigm of bluecollar
malc employod in niatifaetaring, woiijn to a foruman in one Lurgo afta where
most of the employces congregate. than in thre ara of wnall businms with woman. And
the way in which in rctail, in computing servioms i marketing, in certain areas of
manufacturinS in tourism, in trade promnotion, in just so many othe. r areas, thate has been
a spoctalr growth orft participation of women And our polioia for the all
businoss community of Australia arc very mtuch designod to crihaneu the growtih of small
busincis". And I look forward to the day when I hops it's not too distant when tt
industrial relations bill dme pass and we will have swepi away thoso ridculous wtfir
dismissal laws.
Ilic reality of courso, ladicq and gentlemen, is that as timc goes by and we move into the
ar;-M century lucr; will be fewer and fewer Australiats aniployod by big companies and
therC Will be proportionately morm and more employed by smnall companies. I don't tMink
the modemn community has Yet understood fully thu impact of the ommznrurications
revolution on fth role of tmall businesses in our society. The way in which thoso Ijiree
tools of that revolution the personal computer, the mobile telephoac and the facsinileo
machine havc absolutely rwoltifordse the doing of business by small firms. Those, three
tools alono ive to wntail firnis, including in particular and this is relevant wo many women
as it is to mon including a greater capacity to work out of your own home. Thu way in/
which those three tooLs have revolutionized the circumstances in whivch you do business, I
don't think has been fully undmtood.
It used to be tho cane in the 1970s that bUS was bcautiful that utless you becarne bigger
and biggcr then you couldn't got the economies of scale, you couldn't Sav yourself a
sufficiently Atrong conomic. base to penietrate 3 worldwide maket, and unless you cohered
with another unit to form a larger unit you were't going to mAlc. ii. But modem
conuunications have altered so much of that, and to use the currentI idiom, those changes
hmv empowered Small business and ame of necessity there for women in small bwsncss to a
remarkable degree. B~ ut of course providig women and indeed all people with puawe
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oppomrsuhk for Ghcgix in arm lSik eidustiial meius. and arm a uch as small business
nvjuorf iv altv3 11i; foit dial tlicr Pa a patloular and opeolal ttotwork ri and
01o111nnity role which womun bring wiiq9t skilla and ditferant oopaoteas thAn mon, and
WWh~ i's Of 5Q tnUh imprln11 and Of So MUoh Volue to tho LAIbea Uaty
Since i ncoption t I . bura Party has tcviod very bcavll on the Advice ant lbe
p3rtieipation of the women of Austrahn. In MIL'ent circeimsdanco. wheo there wcrc fewer
women in the paid workforce the tire and sole And Mhe strangh of the Ltberal Party
organisalion depended vwy heavily on tho parricipalon of womn. And in a m= wcr mid
ditrereni age such as we now fte wc ghoukldnt be shy to acknowlc4e die coonnowa
omiribufion of tluse wiuier iz an cailict goncration who madc that contribiin In lhcir
otqiaid wify, and I tUti it's ' vey imiportant. I um tho propcily Inature and sophisticated
rProarch to thcso thitgs is to recogise that wc an; a Party Ih waetois career woman,
welorno wovion that blend careor vwitb thek farmly rospornibilitics. We welcomle women
who ehoota to be full time homemakcr, indeed we welcome womecn no anaffer what their
Choice$ Mre. Thlcre is room within the Liberal Party for a rxW~ or choices and for won
to exerre that range of choices. The onl Miop forw which there is no room in the I Aherl
Paruty are those who displayed an intolerane towards The cholce that ifas bme 1a~ n by
othmr. I 11aVV f0WId dIe adVICicad MiC coW-aCl Of W011101 thron. WUIa MnY pOlItC41 "= ee A3
absoLUtey IndiSPOnsble. I not onl refer to t. Advicc and coungel that I rooCiwV from ray
own itif and my daughter bat also the counsol anid advice that I reoevd from my
many wornen 1fiands that I've mado u~ m tho yomr in tho IberAl Party, and of gourse mor
rocently from thw membmr of my staff and I think I'm the first Pyinic Ministcr of Autralia
liAv Af eMAIC C'Jticf of -Staff and alto from thc Iinaeeru mber of my Cabinet and my
Minisary. it can bc uia without any luetainn that we bsve a latrge " Imnhcv or women ot'
9= 13 tlent anid Smat ability mt our r= Mk.
We havv nrad; the Labor Party Iuvk fwu" s bweause we; bavr put dcod,' bafrer words and
wevev put a& lia Womw Axwlod. We, haval's potroiid wowen tiby e'Aablwaliuii quotas.
that ame 5oin to crcatc fasoinat i affic jams on the road to gcnder equalt in t ealy
YOMn Of the nvxt 0ceritwy. I m= a it is going to be fascinating waitching somc of tIhw
Prcelaotiona in * w Labor Party as lhay mrivo Ito got lowarsh that 35% by about the year
2002. 1 MCaU, if evwt a POlitica Patty hai dcrmofttrited the trulh of' the old Anastinian
1bdunction of ' Lord, make nit pure but not just yot' as faf as the quota is concrd. it is
tht Labojr PartY in Celation t hulr quota. We All remmbcr tha noise and the bells
and wists and the dancing i th is 510 jutt ovot tir, row4 hr when tikJ rMolution was
PAWoe A COUPIC Of ycars ago. W4ll, that was the nyt, ilt ath ( 110 folu~, tho reality was
on the 2nd March. But we 60g1t not bc, omplaccnt about thAt, and w* ought to %% vAvacy
bar& L We need At ut MOTO WOMan in feeral Poaliamont, we need 11lo t mome Women,
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in State ParIMImt. We oupht ncvcr to sell Oi~ elvcs short 1ho~ h In reltion to pons :
aehicvvmcnis. Wo should T ncmbcT Mhe significant nitsuos as fist w~ Ow vis) znw of
equal achlcvmnrt and equal oppurtuniky ky wsn tMat hav been put down thr
Llbcral Fatty.
WO rIVCMbrcr of OQWMO tiw pi. al contribudon that Marprot Glhiloyle mnade a a sonior
nwcriftr of the PrasRo Govorment. Romomber Eike Damec Rnid Lyons, we remecmber
matoy othoMs t Tanicy', Bulfilds anid to the lEst goos on. And Just ' as tlia I Ahcral
Paty was the fat Party in Australia to hav an Aboritric am one cat'its nmhars, We We= e
the first Party in Auistralia in hive a nn. 1ngth spcalWi1 person of owrsrcas bifllt as a
membher of fcdcral larliamnern in tho pemnn of MMUh LAJO.
3o many of thcse area whon yuu wavually ui ii Iba4 tt pagcs of history, you find that wo
wvCv thsati~ an md yot somehiow or other aovr t1 ycars our political oppoawnta bovt boon
al1; tQto a111Ce notion that We' 1VQ bccn dr*& Ong tho chain and that we've boon fOllOwen
rtihr tOw leaders in so mAny of the". arez., 1 don't Obini they've been able to do that
since the 2nd Marh, bacause nothing~ can deny the force of tt, I thirl, givat glood of
female talent snd ability that came into federal parliamtmt on the 2nd March and it 1' A
sothilsng of which I am ixmmqcsly proud and I know 1Wa & Holf my P~ arliamecntary
collcaguc ame fnmew'ely proud. Andi it is important Ouat women in the Libmrl Party speak
in a very Circe fashio to Issme Thai are relevant to t" but most particua~ y to thre
commrruniTy of which thvy aru fll and iwivc and Vayicipza'tin jizl~ ituo.
Ladics and gcntlcvucn, w, al0 haw our ideals oft he way socicty ough1t to be. My Ideal of
an Australi& n soolety includos and very = 6c lnvolv e notion of women ha'ing the
eppurtunity to livu out tiwir vhoiw to the fuliwi extcztt us I hsope would always be the ease,
of all citizwns of our society, providing their unique capacity aind Waent to provide the
Ourtuuina role anid that qpeial ompastion and siabiy and affection that they can bfing to
relationships and thea reqpornitt~ c along with men as lmrentx. Firclng a wiciety wliere a
PrOpur babrne can bW rutId for thoso who want both carme stisfaction and also to Mwil
to the zuaXfntUn their nspOnlbiltles if they choose as parmit o be parents, but also
CWeo4ss~ nj that Mcmr will be ani whu wMl wazet Lu vwv thch-cenlbv wviiimit Lk die,
boav te omee thAt. will wa1it t1 0 their antic, " OCmrtint In the, Paid wov1morcc.
71= r is not a hicramhly or virix whoi it come o t ei chloics && awIo mcu Mkcte 1he
only thnt bknan dd oryitue ttIsipout ft a iy sould hvWthe
Maxinum) freedom of cOW00 that we Cant Sva i& Vm.
INow, lAdieS And SCDpnTlMe, let Me tConclt~ de by 11aanking You for your participation in this
conft-rcncC. I wSnt to tUink you for the wark tat you've clone. I walit toa thank the
I'cdcral Women's Committee, I want to thank Chris melPxve ant all of her cofticss for
the bclp that ty povc to rme. I wat to thank ivwiy Hilp in my own' ofl; tc whio'; ben
PArtUlatl valuable as An advisr of, wwluci's issucs to ie. All of you hav playod a vvy
very 4afiollatt rMl. in biu ni us to the vinry hAppy n; imane. where wec Invi ar Ste
& gmti me in thirteen YOMr as Mcmbers Of fte SOMvAOn Party of Australia.
18/ 1/ 96 18: 46 PS: 7
As we took~ boik uvr ft; Wn yma, % v th" n 91 di.; usebL a GJvtnt of th@, m& Wtt oa
Zstd Mnmia. W; a1" 4v ivinmbor with perilmlar bMfowpur dcput~ d friand Dwmo Ni do
Mm~ ioswbo playd such a tuunivital volo in lhe lfo* Vfthe Libeal Party of Austr~ lia,
Wwon a groat firAd 4oiupanon and parn for I& f d, the founder of the Nlbrai Party
and Who anbodi so uiay oc( hetrt qualtis 9 our Party an~ d we think or the
' Contaibwollo ist at WW= e Lberal Party 14 Tlir,% itory on 2nd March.
Ladies md genen ak O you d I dn " np that ir yoarn to come thea cnibution
of ate redemt Women'sl CAMMittee WMl Cm~ on10 M and remain as It Is today. a vry.
NVO4Ina" pm rtO the mechandgm Of prol4# 4poucy advic and oansadiona
a= Ud mud to ftu btiar m'ay,
Thank, you iod.
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