PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTEAk
LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL AGENDA FOR WOMEN
BONDI JUNCTION 29 FEBRUARY 1988
Premier Barrie Unsworth,
Ministerial colleague Margaret Reynolds,
Parliamentary colleagues Jeanette McHugh and Pat Giles,
Edith Hall, Convenor of the National Women's
Consultative Council
Ladies and gentlemen.
Three years ago, an extraordinary gathering took place in
Nairobi, in Kenya, which brought to a climax an
extraordinary decade in the development of new policies and
new hopes for the women of the world.
The conference in Nairobi was convened to review the many
achievements of the United Nations' Decade for Women, and to
work out how to keep the momentum going.
Australia was represented at Nairobi and our delegation
endorsed the conf~ rence's conclusions. Those conclusions in
effect threw down the challenge to the governments of the
world to abolish, by the year 2000, all obstacles to the
full and equal participation of women in all spheres of
society.
Today, three years later, we are gathered to show that, in
Australia, t'hat challenge is being met.
Those obstaZ~ les are falling.
Full and equal participation by women is certainly not yet
attained. But it is -on the way.
And this document that I have the honour to launch today
the National Agenda for Women is
a demonstration of what we have achieved;
a proof that we are on the right track; and
a guarantee that we will achieve our goal. 004664
In 1985, in a statement to Parliament, I announced the way
in which the Government, in attempting to meet the challenge
of Nairobi, would continue to raise the status of Australian
women. The best resource at hand for advice on this matter the
most accurate source of information about the needs and
priorities of women is of course the women of Australia
themselves. So in our search to create a National Agenda for Women we
embarked in 1986 on a massive process of consultation with
some 25,000 women throughout the nation.
This led in 1987 to the report Setting the Agenda, and in
turn that has led to this report on the N& tional Agenda.
This National Agenda goes further than an previous
statement by any Australian community group, political
party, or Government.
It is the most comprehensive series of commitments to women
and of strategies on women's issues ever produced by an
Australian Government.
It sets a new high water mark for our thinking, and our
planning, as a nation, about how we can realistically
advance the interests of women.
The catch-cry of the National Agenda is " A Say, A Choice and
A Fair Go"
A Say which is about involving women in the planning
and implementation of policies which will affect them;
A Choice which is about ensuring women in fact have
real options to enlarge their lives through full and
equal access to education, employment, training;
and A Fair Go which underlines the need for full and
equal access to all the opportunities which our society
offers
This formulation provides the structure of the Report
supplemented, as it should be, by sections on Australia's
international links on the advancement ot the status of
women links which hark back to the initial impetus given
this process by the Nairobi conference.
The Report spells out in detail the initiatives my
Government has already taken to advance these goals of A
Say, A Choice, and A Fair Go.
It sets out the way in which we will make further progress
or these g6als as we approach the year 2000. 004665
And it has an action plan for more immediate work over the
next five years, which will be monitored and modified as we
move towards the long-term objectives for the twenty-first
century. We recognise of course that mwany women choose to seek
fulfillment within the home. That is their right and it is
to be respected
our achievements already on behalf of all women those
within the home and those in the paid workforce are not
insignificant. Indeed in five years we make the proud and
the entirely accurate claim that we have done more than any
preceding Government to advance the interests of Australian
women.
We have passed the Sex Discrimination Act in fulfilment of
our commitments following ratification of the United Nations
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Against women. This Act prohibits discrimination on the
grounds of sex, marital status or pregnancy in employment,
education and other areas.
We have passed the Affirmative Action Act which requires
companies and higher education institutions to develop
strategies to give women equal employment and promotion
opportunities. These are landmark legislative acts and I want to pay
tribute in passing to the work of the former Minister for
the Status of Women,* Senator Susan Ryan, for the diligence
and vision she displayed in creating them.
We have elevated the office of the Status of Women in my
Department of the Prime minister and Cabinet, so it can
provide input at-the highest level of government.
we have established the National women's Consultative
Council to make sure Australian women do indeed have A Say.
I pay tribute to Edith Hall, the Convenor of the Council for
her consistent and effective hard work ove~ r the last four
years.
We have created more childcare places than any previous
Commonwealth government, allowing thousands of women to
enter or re-enter the workforce with the knowledge that
their children are being adequately cared for.
we are funding women's refuges, we are undertaking a
campaign to eliminate domestic violence, we have established
a Child Support Agency to help ensure single parents
usually single mothers receive the help they deserve from
the non-custodial parent.
We have taken a number of other initiatives in the areas of
education,-trainiing, health, and others which are itemised
in the report. 004666'
And let's not lose sight of the fact that in addition to all
these programs specifically directed at women, my Government
has ensured through its overall policies, that Australian
women are not left out in the cold.
For instance, we have created, in our nearly five years in
office, one million new jobs in the Australian economy and
women have taken their fair share of them.
we have lifted the number of school children staying on to
complete their secondary schooling from about one-third in
1983 to over one-half and many of these students are
girls.
We have revolutionised assistance to less-well-off families
by introducing the Family Assistance Package late last year
which is to direct new, tax-free, cash assistance to those
families typically to mothers. May I take this
opportunity to seek your assistance in ensuiring that this
payment indeed reaches those for whom it is intended.
Not as many people as we know are eligible for this payment
have applied for it and I trust you will pass the word on to
friends or work colleagues who you think may be eligible.
So reviewing our progress, we can take satisfaction with
what we have done. But on the other hand we cannot promise
that remaining discrimination against women will vanish
overnight. What we can offer is our commitment to work over the long
haul for economic security and independence and equality of
opportunity in all spheres of activity.
Today I am pleased to announce another step forward, of
special importamce to the many women who, during the
consultations leading up to the National Agenda, told us of
their concerns about income security.
In the past, very few women have had access to
superannuation schemes. Yet women retire earlier than men,
are more likely to live longer, and often spend part of
their retirement-years living alone.
As part of'f. a five year plan under the National Agenda, we
intend to ensure that women in the fulltime permanent
workforce have equal access to superannuation schemes.
Up till now super schemes have been totally exempted from
the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act.
Cabinet has decided to eliminate the general exemption which
will have the effect of removing many of the discriminatory
aspects of these schemes.
The removal of this general exemption will pave the way for
the overall elimination of discrimination against women in
superannuation. 004667 1:
Ladies and gentlemen
Awareness of the legitimate needs of women is well
established in the Australian community an achievement due
in no small part to the growin,, g numbers of women's groups
working across a range of issues.
It is due also to the steadily growing number of women who
have won election to office at the local, State and Federal
level including, as this gathering makes very clear, in
this part of Sydney.
The growing awareness of the needs of women has also been
due to the steady progress made at the State level.
I want today to make special mention of the important and
innovative policies in this regard of the New South Wales
government. Barrie Unsworth recently announced the establishment of the
NSW Women's Employment Company to boost business
opportunities for women.
The NSW Government has enacted significant legislation to
improve protection for the victims of dom~ stic violence a
complementary measure to the Commonwealth's recently
announced research and education program to combat domestic
violence. And just one year ago, to mark International Women's Day,
Barrie Unsworth launched a policy statement which covered
100 specific women's policy issues including housing,
health, employment and education.
Problems that remaain at the State and the Federal levelscannot
be solved overnight. Progress will require of all of
us patience, hard work and commitment.
But the National Agenda shows us the way forward and gives
us confidence that solutions will be foun6i.
4 . V, 004668