TRANSCRIPT:
It is with great pride that I rise today to speak on International Women’s Day as a member of the National Party, the parliamentary party in this building with the highest percentage of women in its ranks, a feat achieved without quotas –
A member interjected.
Annabelle CLEELAND: Let us not talk women down on International Women’s Day – without parachuting anyone into seats, purely through the votes of our grassroots members and on the merits of strong regional women who seek to come to this place to make a difference for their communities.
Our party has not only significantly grown since the last election, we have also added some fierce and determined women who I am lucky to call friends: the member for Shepparton, the member for Mildura and our new member for Northern Victoria in the other place Gaelle Broad. Alongside the current member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of the Nationals and our amazing member for Eastern Victoria in the other place Melina Bath, these inspiring women make up the majority of our party. The Victorian division of the federal National Party also boasts a 50–50 female–male composition through the member for Mallee and another female National in a leadership position, Bridget McKenzie, the leader of the Nationals in the Senate.
What is most significant to me is not just that the National Party is so representative of Victoria in terms of gender composition; more importantly the women in our party have experience in such a diverse range of careers. The six women in our party room have backgrounds in agriculture, health care, finance, journalism, local government, private sector business, education and politics. These are women who came to this place with fresh perspectives and new ideas from the community, for the community – life experience that is gained not through a lifetime of union or political work but through a lifetime of community advocacy and strong connections to the people who call their electorates home.
Our party has had a female voice in the deputy leadership since 2014. I note the member for Eildon and Louise Asher, a previous member for Brighton, both served in leadership roles within the Liberal Party for a significant period of the 21st century. I also congratulate the member for Bendigo East on the other side of the chamber, who as a regional MP and a minister is no doubt incredibly busy, without the added work of the deputy leadership of the Labor Party. It was pleasing to see the Labor Party last year finally appoint a woman to the deputy leadership after nearly 30 years of absence.
On this day it would be remiss of me not to mention the incredible contribution of my predecessor Steph Ryan. Steph served as Deputy Leader of the Nationals for eight years and was a passionate advocate for our region. There is no doubt I would not be standing here in this chamber without her example, her support and the incredible pathway she has forged for so many regional women. She is my friend, mentor and inspiration and someone who contributed so much to public life, the National Party and the people of Euroa. I know I speak for my colleagues when I say we have all learned so much from her and wish her all the very best in her life outside of politics.
Right across the electorate of Euroa we have passionate women showing the way and leading by example, from mayors in Mitchell, Strathbogie and Benalla to local health service CEOs to incredible principals. For people in our region there are a multitude of female roles that embody the very best of regional Victoria. In the recent Australia Day awards we saw people like Anne Douglas recognised as the Strathbogie Citizen of the Year for her tireless work in the Avenel community and Denni Bathman recognised as Greater Shepparton Young Citizen of the Year, a young lady with an incredibly bright future and a passion for serving the Murchison community. Regional Victoria is not a place where people are judged by their characteristics. Rather, they are judged on merit and by their capabilities. We are seeing women right across our region forging new pathways, and I know across Euroa the phrase that ‘You can’t be it if you can’t see it’ is falling away, with so many female leaders across every sector.
For me personally I am grateful every day for the women in my life. My mum, who gives her love unconditionally and calls us multiple times a day, has been the matriarch of our family and raised a posse of daughters with various passions and interests. My sisters Alex, Prudence and Clementine – four sisters in the one household is not the easiest proposition and it certainly came with challenges. What a privilege to be inspired by three strong, independent women determined to make a positive difference in this world, all the while raising 10 children between us. You have all forged your own paths and I love you all. Also a special shout-out to my dad, who attempted to have a son four times before he resolved that his role in this life was to be a girl dad, and he is an original feminist. To my beautiful, untameable, adventure-seeking daughter Quinn, you beat your own drum and make everyone around you dance to your rhythm. You are strong, capable and beautiful inside and out. Today and every day I want you to know how much I love and adore you.
I stand here today in this place knowing regional MPs face an extra burden. This is something we know to be true. The incredible levels of travel and time away from home simply cannot be understood by our city counterparts. Disappointingly, unlike our federal Parliament there are no childcare options available for Victorian parliamentarians. This places incredible strain on working parents and in particular the regional mothers in this place. We should not have to make a decision between representing our communities and being apart from our children every second week. We should not have to choose between this role and being a mother. I urge the Parliament to consider the needs of regional MPs and create an environment in which we can contribute to debates with passion while maintaining the important regularity of family life. While this place may not always have been the most accessible, modern and inclusive environment in previous generations, we are in a new era with women representing such large areas of the state. I thank the Leader of the Nationals for his hard work in supporting female representation in the National Party and the wonderful, kind, caring and selfless men who now compose the minority of the National Party.
While today is a great day to acknowledge the contributions of women across the world and in public service in this place, I hope I speak on behalf of all women here when I say that we are not here because of our gender. We are here because we have a burning passion for the people we come here to represent and we have proven we are the right people to be in this position. Our success as a Parliament will not be defined by the gender composition of these chambers but by the way in which we make our regions and our state a better place to live. I am not here as a woman; I am here to represent my community and fight for change. I am proud to do so in a modern National Party, and I look forward to doing so alongside the powerful women of regional Victoria. To all the women here in this place and across the entire state: happy International Women’s Day.