PROFESSOR MARGARET REYNOLDS

Margaret Reynolds is a long-term advocate for human rights and social justice having been an activist in the Australian Women’s Movement for over thirty years.  

A teacher by profession, she has taught at primary and tertiary level and is currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Queensland. where she teaches Human Rights and International Politics.  

Margaret Reynolds was a Senator in the Australian Parliament for sixteen years, serving as Minister for the Status of Women and Minister for Local Government for three years.

She has worked closely with indigenous people and was the Australian Government Representative on the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation  (1991 - 1996) . 

Professor Reynolds has also  worked  with a number of  international organisations for over ten years. She has  conducted gender policy training programs for UNIFEM and AUSAID  in South Africa , Fiji  and   East Timor . She represented the Australian Parliament at the United Nations General Assembly for three months in 1997.  

Since 1999  Margaret  Reynolds as  President of the United Nations Association of Australia  has worked to promote greater understanding of the international body, particularly in regard to its role in human rights protection, humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping. For the past three years she has attended the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva to present   alternative civil society  reports on Australia ’s commitment to its international  human rights treaty obligations.

Margaret Reynolds has been active in advocating reform of Australia ’s arbitrary detention policy and the “Pacific Solution”. She prepared a report “Desert Camps” for Mary Robinson and is currently writing a book about   all those Australians who have worked to support asylum seekers.  

In 2003 Margaret Reynolds was elected to the  Executive  of the World Federation of United Nations Association and will be coordinating UNAA’s  contribution to the celebration of the United Nations 60th Anniversary in 2005.

Interview with Professor Margaret Reynolds:

You were the Minister for the Status of Women from 1988 – 1990. What types of issues do you identify as being significant for women today? Do you think that the portfolio is different now to what it was when you were Minister?

The National Agenda for Women launched in 1988 is as relevant today as it was then...in fact it is arguably more relevant because there has been an undermining of the gender discourse in recent years. Many people and especially male politicians become very hostile about a rights based approach to opportunities for women.

Yet the reality is that Australia is a signatory to  the United Nations Convention  on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and policy development should be measured against the criteria set down in this human rights treaty.

 This is where the portfolio differs in 2004 because a conservative government has scaled back its commitment and is dismissive of international standard setting in these areas. Australia has refused to ratify the Optional Protocol to CEDAW  despite being an international leader in gender policy development in the 1980s. Sadly we now lag behind  in areas where we were once trend setters.  

How would you describe the experience of being in politics and being a member of a political party? Are you happy about your achievements in politics? Do you have any regrets?

I  loved  being in parliamentary politics for sixteen years (and of course I regard myself as having been  in community politics for many years before I was elected and I continue to lead the life of a political activist!)

Being an elected member for a political party is both exhilarating and frustrating, but never without challenge. I was very fortunate that I managed to survive my time without major upheaval. I had great partner and family support and I managed to work in harmony with most of my colleagues and constituents. Of course I had my vocal critics and there were times I was under a great deal of tension because of my views or goals but on balance I was able to pursue my priorities with minimum conflict.( In a  women's leadership seminar in 1992  we were all reminded NEVER to attribute our success to luck yet I think I did have my fair share!)

I don't have any serious regrets though I know I could have handled certain situations better. I feel I achieved what I set out to do..to be a voice for women and those whose views were rarely heard at the time..Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, children, people with disability, prisoners, ethnic minorities. I think I contributed with others to important reforms and the way Australia relates to its past and its relationship with other nations.  

What would you like to change about politics so that more women are attracted to it? Do you think that the percent quota rule for pre-selection of women candidates for parliament should be increased to 50% by all parties? What obstacles do you identify as impeding this?

I worry that women (and men) can lose their independence once they are absorbed into party and parliamentary processes, yet obviously they must be there to make a difference. I agree that there should be equal representation as a matter of course in any democracy but we have to be sure that these processes are not manipulated to perpetuate the status quo. There seems an increasing tendency to restrict independent thought and debate, so that political life has become much more carefully stage managed.  

What is your view on the following issues and how do you regard the leading Australian political parties’ handling of them?

Paid Maternity Leave for Women

Campaign to stop violence against women

Australians being held in Guatanamo Bay

Mandatory Detention

Issues... Paid Maternity Leave for Women....Clearly the ALP is much more committed than the government, but both sides need to recognise our disgraceful comparison  with other OECD countries...

                  Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women.....I launched this campaign when I was the minister in the 1980s and yet the momentum does not seem to have been maintained throughout the nineties. The recent political debacle of scrapping professionally made material allegedly because it was "too tough on men" shows how little value is placed on women's safety

                  Australians being held at Guatanamo Bay...The government  has grossly neglected its citizens unlike other nations which have ensured their nationals were released.

                   Mandatory Detention...............A shameful period in our history when neither side of politics has been prepared to defend United Nations human rights standards nor show basic compassion for vulnerable people.  

In the context of the War against Iraq and the threat of global terrorism, do you think that the foundations of human rights continue to be upheld by the actions of governments? What would you have liked Australia's involvement to have been in the war against Iraq?

Invasion of Iraq....I have written  and spoken extensively on this subject to defend the fundamentals of international law .

Pre emptive action against so called "evil people" will never resolve tension or prevent conflict...Only maintenance of dialogue and efforts within the framework of the United Nations can create a climate of understanding. Australia is now more vulnerable to terrorist attack  because of its unquestioning support of the Bush administration. This was stated by the head of ASIO Denis Richardson to a Senate Committee in 2003, but has not been widely publicised. Australia should have maintained its independence and advocated continued weapons inspections, end of sanctions and increased humanitarian support.  

You have been reported to say “that commonwealth leaders have failed "to accept responsibility for a specific commitment to recognise and respect indigenous peoples rights" and that "the process of reconciliation necessarily involves an acknowledgement of the past. The losses incurred by the Indigenous peoples and the injustices perpetrated by the majority communities need to be re-educated. While past wrongs have to be acknowledge, they also need to be rectified. There must be a process of restorative justice. The process of reconciliation is intimately linked to the process of reversing discriminatory practices."

In which particular areas do you feel that the government's responsibility towards Aboriginal people has fallen short? Are you hopeful that a change of government will bring about restorative justice for Australia's indigenous people?

Role of the Commonwealth and Indigenous Peoples....The Commonwealth of Nations is based on colonisation but now that so many of its members have their independence it is time this organisation started to repair the damage done to so many indigenous societies by imperial policies. The Commonwealth office in London still ignores its indigenous citizens, who are the most at risk because so many national governments refuse to acknowledge their historic status and current needs. The Commonwealth as an international entity could initiate a range of programs that would not only assist indigenous communities but could encourage policy reform at the national level.

In Australia the government has failed to respect indigenous  people by treating them as equals and prioritising THEIR views. Reconciliation has been rejected  as of only practical value where societies in other parts of the world have recognised that in moving forward there has to be recognition of past injustices before current needs can be fully addressed. The abolition of ATSIC and constant denigration of "black armband  history" shows that the current leadership is locked in  a nineteenth century view of Australia.  

What do you regard to be vital qualities of leadership that any individual in any context should adhere to?

My view of leadership is a person who has the skills to try to balance the competing needs/demands of any community by listening and respecting alternative priorities and then attempting to achieve a compromise and ultimately concensus. (Easy to write, difficult to do!)  

What vision do you have for Australia's leadership in a global setting?

The current leadership of Australia has severely damaged Australia's reputation as a tolerant international citizen. Visionary leadership will be needed to restore our national credibility and we cannot expect this to be done quickly as negative impressions last much longer than positive. Ideally Australia needs to reclaim its soul by reaching out to the vulnerable in our own society and being prepared to work more creatively in our region and within the United Nations.

On the first agenda of a new government should be three commitments

A National Apology to Aboriginal Peoples

An End to Arbitrary Detention

An Independent Foreign Policy which prioritises working in harmony with all nations and respecting fully the United Nations system of international law and justice (now you know I am an idealist!)  

Do you see yourself as a leader? What personal vision are you working towards?

I am not a "traditional" leader because most people  still see leaders as strong, ruthless and usually male and yet in my career I have been able to work  effectively with a wide range of people in a way that would suggest some leadership characteristics. Like many women I am not particularly comfortable with an elevated position which removes me from the people as I prefer to work cooperatively than be part of a hierarchy. My personal vision.....I am trying to finish a personal memoir about leading a political life but too many current issues preoccupy my time! I do want to prioritise planning for 2005 as the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations, hopefully in a very different Australia!!