Gillard's legacy
Patrick Baume,
What's the idea of reminding us of that dreadful period in the history of Australia ? Do you get some perverse sense of satisfaction out of it ?

runner,

Gender equality is not guaranteed simply by the
presence of women in parliament. It also depends
on a parliament's policies and infrastructure.

"gender equality" will be real when we have a female muslim in parliament; without a burqa!

Dear cohenite,

Australia has a secular government and no
official or state religion. However you
do raise a valid point. Our governments
should treat all citizens as equal
regardless of religion (or lack of it).

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1754532/First-Muslim-woman-to-enter-Parliament

You miss the point Lexi; the 'election', actually replacement, of the muslim lady is a measure of the tolerance and strength of the Western democratic model. It reflects nothing on the nature and character of islam or its adherents.

One needs to look at islam nations and consider how their idea of democracy measures up. Start with Turkey which, despite the brilliance of Ataturk, is now descending down the Islamic black hole.

Dear cohenite,

We're not discussing religion on this thread.
I responded to runner's post about women in the
Australian Parliament and his reference to the
Liberal Party. I was surprised
by your response and reference specifically to Muslim women -
but conceded that you had raised a valid point. However
lets stick to the topic of this article and not divert it.
If you want to discuss the topic of Islamic fundamentalism -
why don't you start your own discussion on the topic in the
General Discussion Section of this forum. I'm sure
it will prove popular.