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The Forum > Article Comments > Women on top > Comments

Women on top : Comments

By Brett Bowden, published 30/1/2006

Brett Bowden asks why Australia has had so few female politicians and no prospect of a woman as prime minister any time soon.

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Hear Hear, Three cheers for Brett!

So, how is it to be done ?

Is 'Affirmative action' approriate to Australian politics.

Has it got something to do with the 'bullish mateship' that we see during parliamentary question time?

Wise Women Leadership, instead of the flagrant sexual display of 'male aggression', is something we could all do with.

Women have healthy emotional responses, so because women have not blunted their emotions,it is a barrier to Power.

Emotions have always been devalued along with everything female; yet science now proves that decisions are best made when emotions are part of the process.
Posted by Coyote, Monday, 30 January 2006 11:55:06 AM
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"Merit" is the only parameter for leadership.

Merit is where all attributes of all applicants are considered (and gender is not a meritorious attribute, merely an accident of conception).

Gender is as irrelevant as cast, class or colour.

Coyote Australia should be ready to accept the best and only the best leaders our political system can produce, regardless of gender.

“Affirmative action” will not deliver what it is designed to prevent.

The outcome of affirmative action, regardless of its goals, is to inhibit the opportunity of potentially the most capable simply because they lack the prescribed skin pigmentation, social background or “wedding tackle”.

Margaret Thatcher had something to say on the matter (I was pleased to see she receive honourable mention in Brett’s article).

“I owe nothing to Women's Lib.”

She interestingly observed in 1974 “It will be years - and not in my time - before a woman will lead the party or become prime minister.”

For these and more quotes from an inspirational female, world class politician with the gonads to take on the British Union movement and Win for the benefit of all.

Go to

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/m_thatcher.htm

If Australia lacks female leaders it is simply because female leaders are not yet ready for the task. When they are, Australia, I am sure, will welcome them but forcing females to the fore before they are suited or simnply becasue they are female will ruin their careers and more importantly, stuff the country or the State (at this moment Joan Kirner springs to mind and her disastrous premiership’s influence in “running the ship of state aground” in Victoria (although “gender” seems to be no barometer for mediocrity if we look at what Bracks & Co are doing presently).

Treat individuals as individuals, regardless of gender. Then select the best individual for the role.
Posted by Col Rouge, Monday, 30 January 2006 12:54:40 PM
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I would have thought Julia Gillard must be a fairly high propsect for leadership of the Labour party (and hence potential Prime Minister), and I don't think that is a particularily novel thought at all. So I don't see "no prospect" at all.
Posted by rc, Monday, 30 January 2006 1:04:26 PM
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Brett Bowden asks why Australia has had so few female politicians and no prospect of a woman as prime minister any time soon.

Sorry, but I don’t think this is a significant issue. Much more importantly, we should be asking why Australia has had so few truly environmentally- or sustainability-oriented politicians and no prospect of one becoming prime minister any time soon.

While there are quite a few examples of women reaching state premierships, there is perhaps only one example of an environmentally-friendly government in Australia, and that was Wayne Goss in 1989. But while he was somewhat green, he certainly wasn’t sustainability-oriented.

There is a single example of a truly sustainability-oriented politician reaching a high level and that is former senator and leader of the Democrats, Dr John Coulter. Bob Brown is a highly respectable environmentalist but falls well short on sustainability.

This terrible lack of balance is the sort of thing that we need to be very concerned about, not the gender balance
Posted by Ludwig, Monday, 30 January 2006 1:24:21 PM
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Women ruling the world! Hmm...

Look, here's something interesting about that -

The Daily Targum
A case for feminism
http://www.dailytargum.com/media/paper168/news/2005/10/03/Opinions/A.Case.For.Feminism-1006530.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.dailytargum.com&page=1
"So there you have it, a list of some of the biggest names in the sphere of female rule. And what do we have? A series of war, oppression, torture and intrigue. Hardly what I would call a "better world."

Wow! Who would have thought?

And what's this in The Australian today, 30/01/06 -

The Australian
Democrats fear Hillary too risky
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17975685%255E2703,00.html
"Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign is running into a hail of opposition from within her own party after a poll showed last week most Americans would "definitely" not vote for her."

Isn't all that just so dreadful?
Posted by Maximus, Monday, 30 January 2006 1:30:11 PM
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There is no better personification of this problem in Australian politics than Julia Gillard. After Mark Latham retired, the ALP had a real chance to elect a female leader for the first time. Instead they went for the tried and tested and mostly detested Kim Beazley. It is instructive that even the (so-called) left party in Australian politics would rather have a two-time loser as its head than a woman. Indeed it is pretty hard to imagine Julia Gillard doing a worse job than Beazley managed in 2005.

I'm not one that thinks that simply being female would make Gillard a better candidate - instead I think she WAS the best candidate, but still didn't get the gig. What does that say about Australia?
Posted by Count0, Monday, 30 January 2006 5:05:04 PM
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