NSW women going backwards under O'Farrell

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GoinG backwards

Report on the status o women in NSW ater the frst year o the O’Farrell Government

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GoinG

backwardsReport on the status o women in NSW ater the

frst year o the O’Farrell Government



GoinG backwards


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March 2012

This research paper has been compiled by NSW Labor. Printed and authorised by Sophie Cotsis MLC, NSW Parliament.

No taxpayer unds used or the design or printing o this document. For more inormation visit www.nswalp.com

introduction

Message from

Linda Burney,

Deputy Leader

of the Opposition

More than 2 million

women voted at the 2011

State Election. Many voted

or Barry O’Farrell and

the Coalition. Few could

have predicted that the status o women would

go backwards under a Coalition Government.

In just 12 months, we have seen women’s issuesmoved rom the heart o government, women’s

rights in the workplace go backward, and the

emergence o a pattern o bullying behaviour

toward women in Parliament by the Premier.

No one voted to see women’s status in NSW go

backward. Instead, we have a government that

is incompetent, uncaring and untrustworthy

when it comes to women’s issues.

Message from

Sophie Cotsis,

Shadow Minister for

the Status of Women

The NSW Government

has a crucial role to play

in addressing women’s

issues, such as workplace

participation, the provision o

childcare services, domestic violence and addressing

the retirement savings gap or elderly women.

The rst year o the O’Farrell Government has seenwork on these issues not only stall, but go backwards.

The Oce or Women’s Policy has been moved

rom the Department o Premier and Cabinet, the

Premier’s Expert Advisory Council or Women didn’t

meet or 12 months and was then abruptly disbanded,

and the O’Farrell Government’s draconian workplace

laws have inringed on the pay, conditions and

exibility o emale NSW public sector workers.

This is an appalling record on women’s issues

ater the rst year o the O’Farrell Government.

Linda Burney

Deputy Leader o the Opposition

Sophie Cotsis

Shadow Minister or the Status o Women



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women’s role inGovernment Goesbackwards

1. m h o w’Py h h G

As one o his rst acts in Government, Barry O’Farrell

moved the Oce or Women’s Policy rom his own

central agency – the Department o Premier and

Cabinet – to NSW Families and Communities.

This undermines the Oce or Women’s

Policy’s strong inuence and role coordinating

policy issues across government.

2. F mBarry O’Farrell’s Cabinet only includes

ve women. Beore the 2011 State Election

there were seven women in Cabinet.

3. spp h q

Barry O’Farrell has removed the requirement

that 50 per cent o all new appointments to

Government Boards and Committees be women.

4. ah h P’ exp

ay c w

The O’Farrell Government has abolished the

Premier’s Expert Advisory Council or Women.

The Premier’s Expert Advisory Council provided

advice to the Premier and the NSW Government

on a wide range o women’s issues, and is the

successor organisation to the Women’s Advisory

Board established by the NSW Coalition in 1975.

Neither Premier O’Farrell or Minister or WomenPru Goward convened the Premier’s Expert

Advisory Council in their rst year in oce.

In March 2012 Minister or Women Pru Goward

announced the Premier’s Expert Advisory Councilhad been disbanded and replaced by a “Council

or Women’s Economic Opportunity”. This new

body is narrowly ocused and will not address

other women’s issues such as domestic violence,

ageing, community services, sexual assault, housing

services or elderly women, healthcare, indigenous

women’s issues or migrant women’s issues.

Premier’s Expert Advisory

Council for Women

m linda burneY: My question is directed

to the Premier. Ater almost a year in oce,

why is the Premier yet to convene a single

meeting o the Premier’s Expert Advisory

Council or Women?

m barrY o’Farrell: I am happy to getadvice on that and come back to the House.

But the member could have asked the

Minister or Women, who has oversight o

this body.

Legislative Assembly Question Time,

22 February 2012

5. s p

Since coming to oce, Barry O’Farrell has orced

out seven senior women in the NSW public service.

When asked about the Premier’s Expert Advisory

Council or Women in Parliament, Mr O’Farrell

denied being responsible or the body:



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election Promisesbroken

b p #1: ehg

b w’ s

Beore the State Election, the Coalition promised

to establish a Bureau o Women’s Statistics.

Ater their rst year in oce, this has not happened.

A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government

will create the Bureau o Women’s

Statistics(BOWS) within the Oce or

Women’s Policy. BOWS will be responsible

or compiling various statistics which can

be used to inorm government and the

public o the status o women in NSW.

NSW Liberals & Nationals Women’s Policy,

Status of Women – A Coordinated Approach

b p #2: Pg

p h

Beore the State Election, the Coalition promised

to produce an annual report on the status o women

in NSW.

Ater their rst year in oce, this has not happened.

A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government

will ensure the Oce or Women’s Policy

produces an annual report on the status o

women in NSW.

NSW Liberals & Nationals Women’s Policy, Status of Women – A Coordinated Approach



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PusHinG womenbackwards at work

bg “-”

As a consequence o the O’Farrell Government’sindustrial relations policies, women working

in the public sector could be orced to “trade-

of” lactation breaks or pay rises.

This is bad or women working in the NSW

public sector, and sets a bad example or

private sector employers in NSW.

Making lactation breaks the subject o industrial

negotiations contradicts Pru Goward’s

statements beore the 2011 election supporting

the ‘explicit right o women’ to breasteed.

Before the election:

sg p

x g

p p

The O’Farrell Government have excluded public

sector workers who are surrogate parents and

oster carers rom receiving paid parental leave.

Breasteeding is, o course, important or

children’s health and or maternal health.

It is an explicit right o women.

Pru Goward, Hansard, 16 October 2007

n pp q py

Beore the 2011 State Election, the Coaltion supported

the Australian Service Union’s campaign or equal

pay or social and community service workers:

In Government, the Coalition reversed their

support, with Minister or Women Pru Goward

incorrectly telling Parliament that the ASU “ailed

to make their case” to Fair Work Australia.

“Pru Goward, as Shadow Minister

or Women has stated that a Liberal

Government would commit to supporting

the outcomes o the case. Ms Goward has

been a long term and vocal supporter o

equal pay.”

Women’s Electoral Lobby, Pay equity – where do

the parties stand in NSW? 22 March 2011

After the election:

You will nd that, as the Premier has said,

these trade-ofs are a perectly acceptable

part o industrial relations.

Pru Goward, Hansard Thursday 26 May 2011



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m barbara PerrY: I direct my question

to the Minister or Family and Community

Services. Will the Minister ollow through

on her pre-election commitment to

support the outcome o the Australian

Services Union pay equity case and commit

to und pay increases awarded by Fair

Work Australia to employees delivering

programs unded by the Minister’s

department?

m Pru Goward: The Government would

deliver i the Australian Services Union

made its case. It ailed to make its case.

Hansard, 10 August 2011

MP refused time to drop children

Workplace exibility is yet to make it to the NSW

Parliament. Labor’s Tania Mihailuk - a mother o

three children aged six and under - ound that out

the hard way.

“[Liberal MP or Parramatta Geo Lee] says I

don’t understand what it’s like to be in business

but I worked or large companies like Leighton

Contractors and they were ar more understanding

and exible,’’ Ms Mihailuk said.

‘’It’s beyond belie they can’t move the meetings

back by 15 minutes. They’re living in the dark ages.’’

Sun-Herald, 26 February 2012

A wasted opportunity for women

Last week, this newspaper reported the dilemma

acing Labor MP Tania Mihailuk, who requested a

regular meeting o the legislation review committee be

pushed back 15 minutes to 8.45am to allow her to

get her three kids to school and day care on time and

make it to Parliament House rom Bankstown.

Goward’s Liberal colleague Geo Lee, the stand-in

chairman, reused.

I asked Goward’s ofce whether the minister would

support Mihailuk. Ater an attempt to duck therequest altogether, I received this one-line statement:

‘’The time o the meetings is a matter or the

committee and the Parliament to resolve.’’

Actually, minister, it was a perect opportunity to back

a woman fghting a crystal-clear case o workplace

inexibility - even i it meant conronting a male

colleague.

Goward’s reusal to act shows a lack o leadership

and makes a mockery o the dozens o speeches she

delivered as sex discrimination commissioner.

State political editor Heath Aston,

Sun-Herald, 4 March 2012

n pp p fxy

Minister or Women Prue Goward has reused to

support exibility or women in the workplace

where she works – the NSW Parliament.

Fg py $10,000

The O’Farrell Government has decided to orce

nurses to pay $10,000 or a course to re-enter the

NSW health system. In South Australia, re-entry

courses are provided at no charge to the nurse.

Contrary to Ms Goward’s assertion, the ASU had made

its case.

On 1 February 2012 Fair Work Australia handeddown an historic decision granting substantial pay

rises to social and community service workers.

While the Gillard Labor Government had already

allocated $2 billion to und the Commonwealth

Government’s responsibility, the O’Farrell Government

has yet to commit a cent to und the pay rise that NSW

social and community service workers are entitled to.

The Coalition campaigned on attracting 2,475 nurses

to NSW hospitals, but this is never going to happen i

they are orced to pay $10,000 or a re-entry course.

The Health Minister has shown how out

o touch she is with the problem o orcing

nurses to pay $10,000 to re-enter the health

system:”I can’t see how there is a problem.”

(Jillian Skinner, 22 January 2012)



GoinG backwards


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GoinG backwardsin Parliament

F mP

Because o the Coalition’s choices o candidatesor the 2011 State Election, or the rst time

women’s representation in the Legislative

Assembly has gone backwards.

Women’s overall representation in the Legislative

Assembly has allen rom 28 percent beore the 2011

State Election to 20 percent ater O’Farrell’s win.

ippp h #1:

c l by “a H”

In Parliament on 15 June 2011, Barry O’Farrell called

the Deputy Leader o the Opposition Linda Burney a

hooker:

m barrY o’Farrell: There is some

criticism o the ront row o New South

Wales. The member or Wollongong and I

could add some het to that. I am not sure

which other member could be the hooker,

perhaps the member or Canterbury.

Hansard, 15 June 2011

c P Py rp

O 51 Liberal Members o the Legislative

Assembly, nine are women.

MALE

82%

FEMALE

18%

O 20 Labor Members o the Legislative

Assembly, nine are women.

MALE

55%

FEMALE

45%



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ippp h #3:

l c t

hg g

On 21 February 2012, Barry O’Farrell likened the

Member or Marrickville to a whining dog.

“What is the diference between the

member or Marrickville and a three-week-

old puppy? At six weeks a puppy stops

whining.”

Hansard, 21 February 2012

“It is untrue that the member or Hefron

is the Kim Kardashian o State Parliament.’

Hansard, 9 November 2011

“I repeat that government Kim Kardashian

style is over.”

Hansard, 14 February 2012

ippp h #4:

wg l by

On 9 August 2011, the Premier repeatedly winked

at Linda Burney during question time – enough to

prompt this exchange:

ms linda burneY: Point o order: I would

like the Premier to stop winking at me.

mr barrY o’Farrell: To the point o

order: I the member or Canterbury is

ofended by my eye, I withdraw. However,

it has been a long time since I have winked

at a woman other than my wie.

Hansard, 9 August 2012

ippp h #2:

l k ky

k kh

Barry O’Farrell has repeatedly likened the rst

emale Premier o NSW, Kristina Keneally,

to US celebrity Kim Kardashian:

“The Kim Kardashian o State politics

would not even go near the media.”


“There will be no more Kim Kardashians

or Warwick Cappers on this side o

politics. We will leave to others the Kim

Kardashians, who look good but deliver

disastrous results”


eh m o'F h h , h

h h yy. i h , h g h

ppp .



GoinG backwards


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internationalwomen’s daY 2012

w h Y a c

Ater six successul years recognising the contributiono women across NSW, the O’Farrell Government has

cancelled the NSW Woman o the Year Awards.

When asked why the Awards were cancelled, Minister

or Women Pru Goward stated:

“We want to… ensure that every person in the

community has the opportunity to nominate the

person o their choice. That was not happening.

It was a very tired award and it seemed to be

mostly Labor’s riends who got awards and we

want to make it much more inclusive”.

Pru Goward, 2UE radio, 4 March 2012

Contrary to Ms Goward’s claim, members o the public

and MPs rom all political parties have always been able

to nominate women or the awards.

Women’s awards underrug as Goward cans event Sun-Herald, Sunday 4 March 2012

G

Minister or Women Pru Goward has cut $52,000 in

funding available or local International Women’s Day

events.

Under Labor, all 152 local council could apply or

grants o $1,000 to host International Women’s Day

events in their community.

Under the O’Farrell Government, the unding

available has been capped at $100,000, which means

many communities will miss out.

Ms Goward hersel presented an award or Goulburn

Woman o the Year in 2011 beore the State Election:

NSW women going backwards under O'Farrell

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