The 2022 federal election was a win for women candidates, and a historic moment in Australia’s journey towards a parliament that truly endorses and promotes gender equality in all its work. At this...
By Sonia Palmieri
Will the Jenkins review fix parliament’s toxic culture?
In the wake of Brittany Higgins’ shocking allegations about being raped in a ministers’ office by a colleague, Prime Minister Scott Morrison initiated multiple inquiries. Arguably, the most...
Where are the women MPs in the coronavirus crisis?
On 23 March, the Australian House of Representatives looked vastly different to its usual format. COVID-19 measures meant that instead of accommodating its usual 151 MPs, the House operated with a...
Increasing women’s electoral representation – Whose job is it?
When it comes to Australia's progress towards gender equality, the general perceptions on how we're doing don't often match the reality. In a recent lecture to university students, I found the...
So who’s a ‘Lady’ then? Speaker calls for ‘Ladylike’ behaviour!
As I usually do on a Sunday morning, I sat down to watch Insiders. I was expecting to hear the nation’s top journalists mull over the week’s much-discussed gender politics issue concerning sexual...
Dear 46th parliament… A gender equality wish list
Dear 46th Parliament,I know you don’t technically exist yet, but your imminent arrival is greatly anticipated. Perhaps there will be a ‘handover’ of sorts between parliaments 45 and 46; perhaps...
En Garde: Sexism and misogyny in Australian politics
Since the watershed moment of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s sexism and misogyny speech in 2012, the Australian public has benefited from a much franker debate about the reality of women’s...
Parliamentary gender bullying: Why is Australia shy of solutions?
In March 2018, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s annual reflection of progress and setbacks of women elected to the world’s national parliaments redirected the #MeToo spotlight – with its focus on the...
Embracing feminism: the case of Finland
Creating a feminist stateThe Finns see gender equality as a cornerstone of development and economic progress, and have been significant supporters of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s...