Leading  Issues Journal  

Address to Emily’s List Dinner Labor Women’s National Conference, April 26, 2002, Canberra by Dr Carmen Lawrence

MP

In May 2002, the ALP Women's Conference unanimously passed the following motion on the weekend.

This motion was passed with acclamation:

"The National Labor Women’s Conference 2002 calls on the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party to fundamentally reconsider its policy in relation to refugees and asylum seekers.

In particular, we call on the ALP to develop a policy on asylum seekers and refugees that is compassionate and humanitarian, and:

• Advocates an environment in which the policy of the ALP promotes the cause of social justice;
• Ensures that we meet our international obligations in a manner that allows us to be proud of our commitment to the global community;
• Reaffirms our commitment to fundamental human rights and to the dignity and worth of every human being and their inherent right to respect;
• Recognises that vast inequities in the global community and our obligations to further the correction of these inequalities.

This Conference, therefore, proposes that, in finalising its Population and Immigration and Asylum Seekers policy, the Labor Party accepts the following addition on alternatives to the current asylum seeker policy:

1.  Change the current system of mandatory dentation so that all asylum seekers are to be released after the initial processing of health and security checks, unless they pose a proven security risk or a real risk of absconding. Priority for release is to be given to children, women and families. Asylum seekers are to be housed in more appropriate settings whilst their claims for asylum are being processed.
2.  Abolish Temporary Protection Visas.
3.  Return detention centres to public management and, therefore, public scrutiny.
4.  Set the Labor Party’s new asylum seeker policy in the context of a new, fully developed Population and Immigration policy.
5.  Initial screening of all asylum seekers to identify and support torture and trauma victims in accordance with UNHCR guidelines.
6.  Repeal legislation excising parts of Australia from Australia’s migration zone.
7.  Establishing fast-track processing options, using resources, and excluding aid money, currently directed toward the “Pacific Solution” and detention.
8.  End the “Pacific Solution” and enter the multilateral negotiations with Indonesia and source countries to develop more workable offshore programs.
9.  De-couple the onshore and offshore programs.
10.  Re-evaluate the special humanitarian program in conjunction with the family reunion program to ensure a system of equity whereby all places go to those most in need and all refugees currently resident in Australia have access to family reunion rights.
11.  Conduct a Review, mostly to re-evaluate the total number of refugee places, including the consideration of a flexible quota to take account of overseas crises.
12.  Provide access to education, housing and health services in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
13.  Initiate a program of public awareness about the plight of the refugees, combined with a recognition of the outstanding contribution past refugees have made."

A separate motion was agreed:

 "That regional detention centres such as Woomera and Curtin be immediately closed and that there be no centres in remote areas ever again."

To view the speech see: address by Carmen Lawrence

The Women's Constitutional Convention 2002   Trust the Women Convention  11-13 June 2002

The 100 year anniversary of the Commonwealth Franchise Act, that gave most Australian women the right to vote and stand in federal elections, was marked on 12 June 2002. But this was an incomplete centenary because the Franchise Act denied the right to vote federally to 'aboriginal native[s] of Australia, Africa, Asia or the Islands of the Pacific except New Zealand' unless covered under Section 41.

The Trust the Women Convention held in Canberra from 11-13 June 2002 celebrated 100 years of Women's Suffrage and 40 years of  Indigenous Women's Suffrage.

The 2002 Convention aimed to:

• • Review the social and political concerns of contemporary women
• • Raise awareness of political and governmental processes
• • Identify opportunities for women with diverse views to feed into constitutional reform
• • Explore the importance of women’s vote, and
• • Promote women’s civic participation at a local, state and national level.

"One of the main themes of the Trust the Women Convention was how long some of the things that need to be done are going to take. Women left the Convention with much food for thought about the role of Australian women in the social, political and constitutional future of our country. The need for continuing work, at so many levels, passes from each generation of women to the next. And, while we look back to what has been achieved - much more importantly - we must also find the ways forward." (Judy Harrison, NWJC, Trust the Women National Bulletin)

To link to the Papers presented at the Convention's Website see:

http://www.wcc2002.asn.au or 

http://www.wcc2002.asn.au/program/index.htm 

Women at Work: The Next Decade

By Avril Henry, National Director Human Resources, Clayton Utz

Avril Henry begins her Paper by looking at the past in the attempt to make some projections into the future on how work is likely to be in the next decade for women.  She recaps the last 25 years pointing out that although there has been a dramatic shift in the way society perceives the role of women and the opportunities available, women are still perceived as the main carers for the family and home.  They must somehow as they have been doing so since the Industrial Revolution, balance their working life, their home life , their family and their career.  Henry canvases a barage of interesting statistics that reveal the changes status of women in Australia. 

"Just 25 years ago, only 40% of married women were in the paid workforce compared with 52% in the late 90s. ...A 1960 Gallup poll found that 78% of people believed that married women with children should stay home full-time, only 18% believed a married woman should be “allowed” to work.  In 1972, 82% of women with dependent children under the age of 14 stayed home full-time, by 1992 this figure had dropped to 31%, and by the late 1990s, only 26% of women with children under the age of 14 stayed home full-time.  In fact, by the early to mid 1990's, 59% of two-parent families had both parents working full-time."   

Despite the advances of the last two to three decades, Avril Henry points out that  recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that women still do more than double the amount of housework that their male partners do.   This is not unique to Australia.

"Discrimination today is far more covert than 25 years ago, but it still exists.  So women are often frustrated at work, frustrated at home and are left wondering whether it is all worth it.  The promises of the women’s movement of a better life and greater independence seem distant after a 12-hour day at the office, picking up the kids from child care, preparing dinner for four or more, and coping with a pile of washing and ironing." 

Her Paper poses some very interesting responses that are based on the emerging statistical patterns over the last 25 years to some key questions: "Is now a better time to be a woman than 50 years ago?" "What does the future hold for working women?  What is it likely to be like in the next decade?"

Stating that the present system is neither fair nor as efficient as it might be, Avril Henry proposes that "to make it better, governments, employers and individuals need to rethink their roles.  Governments need to seek incentives to make it easier for women to work - tax reform or better public services (e.g. subsidised community based child care); employers need to research, develop and implement innovative and flexible work practices to attract, retain and reward good employees, and individuals.  Need to question traditional sex divisions of labour, both at work and at home."

She concludes by presenting some promising statistics of the what is being done at Clayton Utz to restore an equitable balance for women in the workplace. 

And in the future, will this balance be not just about equity but parity as well? Avril Henry responds in the negative with the hope that "with luck, their choices will be wider and their lives more civilised than today."  . 

To view the Speech see: Women At Work: The Next Decade

Women Leaders on the Environment, Final Conclusions from the Meeting at Helsinki, Finland  7-8 March 2002

Women ministers of the environment and representatives from 19 countries, as  well as women leaders of 28 international governmental and non-governmental organisations working for sustainable development met in Helsinki on 7-8 March, 2002. The meeting of Women Leaders on the Environment was organised  under the auspices of the Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL) and IUCN -  The World Conservation Union, and hosted by the Ministry of the Environment  of Finland. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Satu Hassi, Minister of the  Environment and of Development Cooperation, Finland, and Ms. Rejoice T.  Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South  Africa.

The Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL), based at Harvard University in Boston, is a network of former and present Head of States from all over the world. The founding chair is the former Prime-Minister of Iceland, Mrs. Finnbogadottir and the chair is former Prime-Minister of Canada, Mrs. Campbell. The Council's primary task is to promote women's leadership roles in different sectors of the society in different parts of the world. 

The Council has organized similar kinds of meetings to the world's women ministers of finance and to the women ministers of trade. This was the first one for female environment ministers and other leaders engaged in sustainable development. The actual preparations for the meeting began in September 2001.  The invitation was sent to all female environment ministers of the world, which was last autumn 38. Half of them,19, attended which was quite a good result. One of the invitees was the Minister of Australia, Mrs Amanda Vanstone, but she could not unfortunately participate.

The web-site for CWWL is: http://www.womenworldleaders.org/

To view the Final Conclusions see:  Women Leaders on the Environment

Apartheid in the Holy Land By Desmond Tutu

Guardian, Monday April 29, 2002

Desmond Tutu is the former Archbishop of Cape Town and chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This address was given at a conference on Ending the Occupation held in Boston, Massachusetts on 29 April 2002.

His plea for peace between the people of Israel and Palestine is based on justice, human rights and his faith in God.

"We should put out a clarion call to the government of the people of Israel, to the Palestinian people and say: peace is possible, peace based on justice is possible. We will do all we can to assist you to achieve this peace, because it is God's dream, and you will be able to live amicably together as sisters and brothers."

To view the article see: Apartheid in the Holy Land

Educational Attainment and Labour Market Outcomes Symposium Factors affecting boys and their status in relation to girls

The symposium Educational Attainment and Labour Market Outcomes: Factors affecting boys and their status in relation to girls was conducted by the Australian Institute of Political Science and funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEST). Around one hundred participants and presenters were invited to attend the symposium. They were chosen on the basis of their expertise, experience and interest in boys’ education and represented a wide range of perspectives and views on the topic. 

This article by Michael Gallagher reports is an overview of the Symposium. Whilst focusing on the educational performance and attainment of males, and on the broader labour market outcomes and the pedagogy of educating males, the Symposium also examined the empirical evidence of the differences and similarities in the educational performance of boys and girls in school, in TAFE, and universities, and how these differences and similarities have changed over time.

Professor Robert Gilbert described "how an understanding of ‘the culture of masculinity’ was crucial to understanding how boys respond to school and their educational achievements. Such a focus provides insights into how boys define and position themselves. People’s ideas of what it means to be a successful male determines their expectations of boys and the sorts of experiences that are provided for them." One of the possible areas for future action include, "Raising the quality of teaching would involve helping teachers to improve their understanding of what does and does not motivate boys. This may prove different from the factors that motivate girls. It would involve helping teachers to improve the range of activities and techniques that they use. Such activities and techniques may need to be more varied and differently structured for boys than for girls."

To view this overview of the Symposium and link to the Full Report see:

Educational Attainment and Labour Market Outcomes

Second Generation Australians

Report for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, April 2002

The main objectives of this study are to examine the social, economic and demographic outcomes of second generation Australians, to compare them by their parents' national or ethnic origins and with their peers who are either first or third or more generations. 

Among the socioeconomic and demographic outcomes examined in the study are educational attainment, employment, occupational status, language shift and family formation patterns. The study also explores the issue of intergenerational mobility by examining whether the second generation's outcomes are related to their parents' socioeconomic background.

The Report was prepared by Siew-Ean Khoo, Peter McDonald and Dimi Giorgas, Australian Centre for Population Research, Research School of Social Sciences, The Australian National University; and Bob Birrell,  Centre for Population and Urban Research.

To view the Full Report see:  http://www.immi.gov.au/research/publications/2gen/index.htm 

Source: Dept of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs

Wanted: Women willing to run the nation

By Robin Gerber

Robin Gerber, a senior fellow at the Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland

"When will we have a woman president?" asks Robin Gerber projecting her thoughts towards the 2004  USA  Presidential race. Why don't women play the political game?  Where are the women candidates?

"Barriers to women running for the presidency — media bias, party and donor indifference, voter unease — won't go away by waiting. Voter confidence will rise as more women showcase their political power. Donors will appear if women repeatedly ask for help in cracking the final glass ceiling. Political parties will come around as women prove they can compete. The media will give women serious coverage when their candidacies are the rule, not an exception."

With the answer that "not until women line up at the starting gate and run," will the USA have a woman president, Gerber's reflections poignantly challenge us all with a valid consideration.

To view the article see: Wanted: Women willing to run the nation

Case Studies of Organisations With Established Learning Cultures

This study was conducted by a team of researchers from the National  Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) with funding provided by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA).

This Study explores how the concept of a learning culture or a commitment to learning is currently understood by Australian organisations. It investigated the approaches and strategies that organisations, which claimed to be on a trajectory to achieving a learning culture, had used to establish and maintain such a culture within their enterprises. 

One of its findings was "that the development and maintenance of a learning culture is a response to organisational needs for enhanced production or service provision rather than a more specific response to policy initiatives related to skill formation." While some organisations adopt an education program approach, others are more aligned to new ways of working and often provide more opportunities for employees to make decisions collaboratively and to learn from each other. With the emergence of organisations  increasingly using buy-in of workplace employee training programs, if they provided opportunities for diversity in approach, the authors point out that it is important to avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach especially one that primarily promotes a training classroom model of employee development. 

To view this Study see: Organisations With Established Learning Cultures

Best USA Distance Learning Graduate Schools Guide, Business and Management, 2002

This Guide featuring the best accredited, business-related, distance learning graduate schools operating in the USA today includes profiles of 158 graduate programs that offer post-baccalaureate distance learning master degrees, doctorates and advanced career certificates in business, management and administration; a directory to 99 accredited distance-learning MBAs (Master of Business Administration degrees); FAQs on accreditation and distance learning graduate degrees, including information on how to avoid online degree mills; and FAQs on financial aid for distance learning graduate schools. The publication is available for download after registering, for free, with the site.

To view this Guide see: http://www.geteducated.com/eddies/downloadform.htm

Source: EdNA

This study was commissioned by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) in order to ascertain the extent of online education in Australian universities.  This survey was designed as a first stage of enquiry into the ways in which universities are employing the Internet, in teaching and learning and services that support university education. Data was collected from 40 out of the 43 universities in Australia between August and December 2001. 

The survey report found that the majority of Australian universities are now offering fully online courses, with more than half of all university units containing an online component and about 90% of universities offering online access to their library catalogue and online journals and publications. It is not anticipated that all courses in Australia will become fully online, but the trend revealed in this study is that all universities are already involved in online education to some extent. It is evident that all university students in future will need to use the Internet as a regular part of their university studies, even if only to download lecture notes or to access the library catalogue.

The main findings of the survey into online courses, units and services as at December 2001 are presented at: Universities Online

Source: EdNA

By Deirdre Knight, Project Officer for the Useful Box

The Useful Box Project, funded by the Office of the Status of Women, is a web based tool for capacity building for single mother and other similar organisations and individuals such as older women, partnered women and women who want to know more about the 'how' of community development.

The Useful Box will be launched during June and the team are are keen to receive further contributions for inclusion. The project aims to foster community participation and increase collective and individual skills, a number of areas will be addressed: 

• policy development - reviewing existing policy and updating to reflect current issues, 
• forming a group - covers all aspects from purpose, to process and function activities, membership, venue, childcare, governance issues, incorporation, developing leadership skills, funding, how to lobby and using the media effectively.
• producing a press pack - relevant statistics, positive photographic images, personal stories, contact information.
• relationship resources - information on family matters including repartnering, parenting, contact arrangements, ex-partners and other extended family members, conflict resolution, reading lists and reviews.
• employment issues - identifying supports and barriers to workforce participation including training and education, childcare, family friendly work practices, job networks and links to other useful sites. 
• income support - links to Centrelink information, barter trade schemes, information on superannuation
• the legal system - links to the Family Law sites, legal service commissions, mediation and relationships sites, and community wisdom, information on the criminal justice system including restraining orders and dealing with assaults.
• mentoring - list of established women's organisations an individuals prepared to offer a mentoring and supportive role to single mother organisations and groups, other organisations prepared to offer training in leadership and other roles and organisations prepared to participate in an internship scheme or secondment arrangement
• relaxation and fun tips, tricks, strategies and resources from women juggling work, parenting, study and training.

 -For further information contact- Deirdre Knight, Useful Box Project Officer National Council of Single Mothers and their Children c/- Torrens Building 220 Victoria Square Adelaide SA 5000 Ph: 08 82262505 Fax: 08 82262509 Email: ncsmc@ncsmc.org.au Website: http://www.ncsmc.org.au/