Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .
Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (8 March) . . Page.. 701 ..
MS TUCKER (continuing):
We chose women because our community social audits indicated that they are disproportionately affected by changes in government policy and programs. Women make up a large part of both the workforce and service user groups in the areas of education, community services and health. And it is these areas that have been significantly affected by government changes.
Women are generally recognised as being a critical element in creating the social fabric of a community and commonly fulfil the role of carer in all aspects of their lives. The need for women to take on the role of carer, whether it is for a partner, parent or child, is increasing, as difficulty in accessing services heightens.
So there you can see another impact. I would argue that the Federal Government's policies are similar to Victorian policies under Jeff Kennett. This is happening across Australia now. Women are carrying the load for government policies, and they are not being properly supported. We need to see very clearly what is happening when we do an analysis of women in Australia.
The findings of the audits demonstrated that women were under increasing pressure and stress and that the changes that had occurred over the past five years in Victoria, on the whole, had made life increasingly difficult for women in all aspects of their lives.
I can tell you a story of a woman in Canberra I spoke to recently. She is a single parent who has raised two daughters on her own. She has been physically unwell. She has had major invasive surgery in the last couple of years. Because her youngest daughter is now 16, she has been put onto Newstart and has had to endure some incredibly incompetent interview procedures. She has had to go into detail about her physical condition because the person involved has not been able to find the last file.
This woman has given her life to raising her children. She will not receive the benefits of superannuation. She will not receive any thanks from the Government of this country for experiencing extreme hardship. She is a physically frail and unwell person who is having to go through hideously complicated forms and showing proof of looking for work, unless she wants to get herself classified as totally disabled, which she is too proud to do. I think it is incredibly unjust and I am so incensed that this Federal Government calls itself family friendly when I see a woman like this, who has devoted her life to raising children for the good of the whole society, being punished to this degree.
We need a change in attitude to people who take on these challenges by themselves. Of course the man pissed off. He has not had anything to do with the children. He has another job; he has money; he has superannuation. This is an issue for women in Australia. While I agree with Mrs Carnell, we have real concern about what is happening for women in developing countries, and I have real concern about what is happening for impoverished women in this country. We need to be very clear on what is happening.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .