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Home > About > Women and the ALP
 
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Women and the ALP

Introduction

Women members of the ALP make an important contribution to the Party at all levels from the local Party branch to parliamentary representation. Women make up approximately 37 per cent of the membership of the ALP nationally.

The first Labor woman to be represented in ALP decision making structures at the national level was Lilian Locke in 1905. Historically however women were best represented within the ALP at the local level. In addition women participated in separate women's structures within the Party at national and state levels.

Carmen Lawrence became the first Australian woman to lead a State Government in WA in early 1990, followed by Joan Kirner in Victoria later that year. Rosemary Follett was the first female Head of Government in Australia when she became Labor Leader in the ACT in March 1989. Since 1980 Labor has appointed 35 Labor women Ministers in Federal, State and Territory parliaments.

Between 1980 and 1995 Labor women were successful in 41 contests for seats in the House of Representatives. Over the same period women members of the Coalition were successful in 10 contests for seats in the House of Representatives.

Although the ALP and the Coalition contested the 1996 Federal election with comparable numbers of women candidates (30 ALP, 33 Liberal Party, 2 National Party ), the national swing to the Coalition resulted in an increase of 13 Coalition women members in the House of Representatives. Essentially this enabled the Coalition to improve its record relative to Labor.

Affirmative Action Principles

Following a review of the organisation of the ALP the 1981 National Conference of the ALP decided to adopt affirmative action principles to guarantee women a minimum level of participation in all of the Party's decision making structures at a national level. The minimum level of participation which was guaranteed has been increased progressively to one third of the membership of all decision making bodies with three or more members. At the same time the ALP abolished separate decision making structures for women at the national level.

Affirmative action principles for representation of women in decision making in the ALP were subsequently adopted by all State and Territory Branches of the ALP. Some State Branches also determined to retain separate decision making bodies of women members of the Party. Implementation of affirmative action was highly successful at all levels of the ALP organisation.

Parliamentary Representation

The under representation of women within the ALP organisation and in State and Federal Parliaments is not a situation faced only by the ALP. However unlike other political parties the ALP has taken the view that the representation of women will only be substantially improved by structural change. The ALP has also taken the view that our parliaments and the ALP organisation will better represent the community and ALP members by ensuring that the experience of women is included.

The affirmative action principles adopted by the ALP in 1981 were also intended to increase the parliamentary representation of Labor women. It was anticipated that increasing the participation of women within ALP decision making structures would result in more women being endorsed by the ALP for public office.

However, despite Labor women having been very prominent historically in holding public office, such as Dorothy Tangney, the first Labor woman elected to Federal Parliament in 1943, it became apparent a decade after adopting affirmative action principles that women were not being endorsed by the ALP in significantly greater numbers for public office.

As a result following extensive consultation and discussion within the ALP, in 1994 the National Conference of the Party agreed to adopt new affirmative action rules.

The 1994 affirmative action rules included the same minimum guarantee of women's participation in ALP decision making structures.

The new national rules also required for the first time that union delegations to Party conferences and forums meet affirmative action requirements of one third women delegates except where a union's membership comprised less than one third women.

Most significantly the new rules guaranteed women a minimum of 35 per cent of Federal parliamentary seats held by the ALP when the Party was in government, and the same minimum percentage of seats required to win government when the ALP was in opposition.

The new rules were to be complied with by the year 2002 and emphasised the power of the ALP's National Executive to ensure the minimum was achieved by this date.

State and Territory Branches were required to amend their rules to comply with the national rules by December 1995, a requirement which all State and Territory Branches of the ALP have complied with.

This means that the new national rules will apply in full to the ALP preselections for the 1999 and 2002 Federal elections.

Federal Parliament

At present the ALP has 18 women members of the House of Representatives and nine women senators.

House of Representatives

Senate

State and Territory Parliaments

The 1994 Affirmative Action rules also apply to ALP preselections for State parliamentary representation.

Details for each state are available from the state and territory WWW sites

National Labor Women's Network

What is the National Labor Women's Network?

The National Labor Women's Network is the official national women's network within the ALP.

The Network believes that encouraging women to participate in all levels of the Party's structure, the government and public life is the best way to achieve policy outcomes that reflect the needs of women in the Australian community.

The National Labor Women's Network provides a forum to increase the number of women active within the Labor Party; facilitate and develop relationships between the state Labor women organisations and the national Network, as well as supporting the development of skills that assist women to participate in the ALP at all levels.

Who is a member of the National Labor Women's Network?

Every woman who is a financial member of the Australian Labor Party is a member of the National Labor Women's Network. There is no cost involved, apart from your yearly ALP membership fee which is paid to the relevant state or territory branch of the ALP.

What are the National Labor Women's Network goals?

At the November 2000 ALP National Executive meeting a new group of women were appointed to oversee the National Labor Women's Network for the next two years.

At its first face to face meeting of the newly appointed National Labor Women's Network, the group set down its new goals.

The Network's goals until 2002 are:

  • Sponsoring a National Labor Women's Network political experience programme.

  • Reviewing and improving the Network's communications strategy with ALP members via the National Labor Herald, the development of an exclusive ALP women discussion group "Laborwomen net" and email.

  • Developing resources and training materials to assist women to participate in all levels of the Party.

  • In conjunction with a host state, facilitating the organisation of the National Labor Women's Conference. The next conference will be held in Canberra on 27-28 April 2002.

  • Facilitating and developing relationships between the state Labor women's organisations and the national network.

Who is on the Executive of the National Labor Women's Network (2000-2002)?

The committee members are:

Nicola Roxon MHR, Federal Member for Gellibrand, Convenor, nicola@nicolaroxonmp.com.

Cynthia Kennedy State Secretary, Queensland Labor Women's Organisation, Treasurer/Secretary, cynthiakennedyau@yahoo.com.au

Leesa Vlahos Assistant State Secretary, SA ALP Branch, Information and Publication Officer, leesa.vlahos@sa.alp.org.au

Ursula Stephens, Senior Vice President, NSW ALP Branch, ursulastephens@mail.com

Annette Ellis MHR, Federal Member for Canberra, annette.ellis.mp@aph.gov.au

Kay Denman, Senator for Tasmania

Eva Cawthorne, President of the ACT ALP Branch

Carolyn Pickles MLC, South Australia, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Shadow Minister for Transport, for the Arts, for the Status of Women.

How to contact Labor Women?

You can contact the National Labor Women's Network by emailing cynthiakennedyau@yahoo.com.au or nicola@nicolaroxonmp.com.

National Labor Women's Conference

The next conference will be held in Canberra on 27-28 April 2002. Watch this space for more details shortly.

Interesting web sites to visit

Listed below are some interesting web sites for women to visit.

Office of Women's Policy, Queensland (New window)

The UN Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women (New window)

LaborNet, a resource provided by the Labor Council of NSW (New window)

Emily's List Australia

Emily's List is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast" - it makes the campaign dough rise.

Since Emily's List Australia began in November 1996 it has helped raise significant funds for Labor women who are endorsed Emily's List (EL) candidates and has helped elect over 100 women into parliaments around Australia. EL raises money for endorsed Labor women candidates supported by EL. It also provides training and mentoring support for all Emily's List supported candidates, conducts and analyses research into what Australian women want from government and encourages progressive women to stand for Parliament.

You can contact Emily's List by:

Email: emily@emilyslist.org.au
Website: Emily's List Australia (New window)
Phone: 03 9254 1970
Fax: 03 9254 1925
Post: PO Box 415
SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3025

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