Acting Shadow Minister for Women Jenny Aitchison has again called on the Premier to sack her disastrous Minister for Women.
During questioning in Budget Estimates today, Minister for Women Tanya Davies showed confusion regarding her responsibilities in relation to stopping sexual harassment and bullying of women. In her answers, the Minister failed to distinguish the difference between sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace and appeared to be unable to see a relationship between sexual harassment and women’s poor economic participation and empowerment.
Under questioning from Labor’s Courtney Houssos, the Minister kept referring to the fact that there were “two Ministers” working on issues around women, and spoke of “four documents” addressing women’s issues, but could not point to a single initiative in the recently released Women’s Strategy (or any other Liberal-National Government document) in relation to stopping sexual harassment at work. The Berejiklian Government’s Women’s Strategy was released at the end of August, which was 8 months later than originally promised.
The #MeToo Movement has been a global game changer highlighting the issue of sexism at work. It has been a catalyst for the establishment of Now Australia and Unions NSW has recently prepared a major discussion paper on the issue, which was discussed at a roundtable with women’s groups, solicitors and barristers who specialise in sexual harassment claims, and union activists at Parliament House last week on the issue.
Quotes attributable to the Acting Shadow Minister for Women Jenny Aitchison
“According to Minister Davies, we have two Ministers working on women’s issues, with four documents, but she can’t point to one single initiative to prevent sexual harassment in her “whole of government approach”.
“It beggars belief that in the first year of the Women’s Strategy focusing on Women’s economic empowerment the Minister has done nothing to address workplace sexual harassment which is a key barrier to women’s economic participation and empowerment.
“This Minister is incompetent and out of touch when it comes to the concerns of ordinary working women.”
Quotes attributable to the Hon Courtney Houssos MLC
“Despite its global prominence, the #MeToo movement has just passed by this Minister. Under questioning, she couldn’t point to a single initiative to address sexual harassment in her signature policy.”
