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NFAW Newsletter – November/December 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
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Outgoing President’s Message
With the 2020 Budget deferred to October, NFAW has been busy much later in the year with the gender lens on the budget. As usual, this has taken an amazing effort from a large number of volunteers, and it is a testament to their dedication to the progress of Women. Thank you to Helen Hodgson, Kathy McDermott and the rest of the Gender Lens team for their work.
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As you are aware, the Government is putting in place a number of measures, including making very significant expenditures, to address the impact of the COVID-19 across the country. NFAW has considered the gender impacts of the virus on violence against women and the impacts of preventative measures on caring responsibilities, and work has been done on the impact on women of the design of social security expenditure.
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NFAW wants to continue to assure you that your safety, and the safety of your family/the people you live with should of course be your first priority. It's important to take care of your health, including your mental health. Please continue to stay in electronic contact with friends and relatives who may be feeling isolated. It is so easy to become disconnected during these strange times.
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We wish you all well, and are thinking of you.
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Vice President, NFAW Board
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New President’s Message
I am honoured to have been elected to take over the role of President from Kate Gunn. As many of you would know, Kate has held this role for several years over two occasions and played a critical role in refreshing the Foundation as we enter our fourth decade of operation, While she continues as Vice President, I would like to express publicly our appreciation to her.
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Going forward, I think we can continue to build on this reinvigoration with relevance and responsiveness, particularly in this period of the pandemic and its aftermath when women have been disproportionately impacted on so many fronts. As we look forward to the new year of 2021, I wish you, your families and communities a peaceful and joyous summer.
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Successful NFAW Annual Dinner
The 2020 Annual Dinner was held at the National Press Club on Monday 9 November 2020, with a full capacity crowd. We also held our first virtual event to enable people across the country to join us.
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We were delighted that the Guest Speaker was Professor Helen Christensen AO, Director and Chief Scientist of Black Dog Institute (BDI).
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Helen’s address outlined the mental health challenges in a world with COVID-19. She also shared work that BDI and others are doing to address these, with particular regard to women. Helen told us that “Proactive interventions are needed to prevent catastrophic outcomes. If not, the consequences of COVID-19 on our mental health and that of young people and women, will be profound, perhaps for generations. We already have some of the tools not just to provide safety nets, but to create a different approach to screening, early prevention and interventions to reform our mental health system.” The full text of Helen’s inspiring speech is here:
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The event raised some funds for NFAW, with a contribution to Black Dog Institute . NFAW thanks our marvellous sponsors DDCS and International SOS.
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Gender Lens on the Budget
An initiative by the Social Policy Committee
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Since first being published in 2014, after the Abbott government ceased publishing a Women’s Budget Statement, the NFAW Gender Lens on the Budget has grown to be the centrepiece of the annual work program of the Social Policy Committee.
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This year NFAW, with the support of Women on Boards, commissioned independent analysis by the Centre of Policy Studies to identify the effect of investment in the care sector. Workers in Aged Care, Disability Care and Child Care are among the lowest paid workers in the Australian economy yet work long hours to support community needs.
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The report clearly demonstrates the Federal government can no longer ignore the care sector’s need for adequate funding as new modelling confirms this will improve quality of care, create more jobs for women and grow the economy through increased participation.
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Investing in the care economy works three ways: it increases labour market participation, improves employment conditions for carers, and, importantly, it addresses female economic disadvantage by reducing the wage gap.
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The investment model included increased capacity based on estimates of unmet demand and wage increases for personal carers and childcare workers all providers of a vital fabric of our communities.
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Over 900,000 Australians who currently provide unpaid care to the elderly, disabled, or children aged under five report that they would like to work more hours in paid employment. The independent modelling also showed that providing the additional funding needed to enable these workers to work an extra 10 hours a week in paid employment would have a significant economic payoff.
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Increased labour market participation would stimulate the whole economy, so that the increased economic growth would underpin greater revenue, offsetting the cost to the Government. The net cost to the budget when the policy is fully implemented would be less than 20 per cent of the direct cost of the additional service delivery.
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Labour input would be over 2 per cent higher, and the modelling estimates that annual GDP per person would be $1270 higher, or more than $30 billion a year in aggregate. Average incomes of both women and men would be higher, although women's income would be higher by a greater margin.
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The detailed portfolio by portfolio analysis showed clearly that despite women bearing the brunt of the effects of the COVID pandemic, the economic stimulus provided through the Budget would flow into areas of the economy that would principally benefit males:
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- JobKeeper 2 continues to exclude support for people working in female dominated industries (universities and child care) and for casuals not classed as regular and systematic – around 950,000 of them—a group also predominately women
- Men will get a bigger share of the tax cuts: in 2020/21 women get 40% but it drops to 31% in 2021-22, when the LMITO runs out
- Older women – the biggest group on Jobseeker before Covid regardless of any pre-existing programs, have been excluded from JobMaker payments
- Industry assistance is going exclusively to male dominated industries – construction, energy, telecommunications and manufacturing.
- About 2/3 of apprenticeships and traineeships are taken up by males
The 2020 Women’s Economic Security Statement also missed the opportunity to address the core issues. It does not take into account where women are in the economy, and support women in that role. Instead of investing in the care sector it encourages women to move elsewhere into new businesses and STEM professions.
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I would like to thank the team of policy analysts who worked incredibly hard to ensure that we were able to publish before Senate Estimates, providing their analysis within ten days of the budget. I would also like to specifically acknowledge the work of the editorial and publishing team of Kathy MacDermott, Helen Innes, Jennifer Bushell and Liz Rowell, under the overall editorial guidance of myself and Marie Coleman.
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Chair, Social Policy Committee
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Vale Liz Fell
Liz Fell passed away on 13 August 2020.
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Liz was born in March 1940 in Sydney and educated at Abbotsleigh Girls and Fensham in Mittagong. She won the Blanka Buring Prize in Psychology at the University of Sydney in 1960. Liz was one of the women who formed the Women’s Broadcasting Cooperative in 1975 which resulted in the radio program - The Coming Out Show, and also an inquiry into women in the ABC. She was involved in the production of many radio programs over the years including: The Coming Out Show, Lateline and Broadband. She was a member of Women’s Liberation, Women Media Workers and Women Behind Bars. She lectured in a range of University departments including sociology, psychology, government, architecture among others. She was a contributor to many publications, pamphlets and articles.
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There will be many friends with many cherished memories of Liz during a life full of big political arguments and lots of good alcohol! She identified her special interests in the entry in the original Who’s Who of Australian Women: “getting pissed and arguing a lot!”.
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Farewell to a staunch feminist and a critical friend.
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Vale The Hon. Susan Ryan AO
On 28 September 2020, Australian feminism lost one of its old guard, with the death of the Hon. Susan Ryan AO. One of the legends in the battle for greater equality, fairness and justice for women, children, the aged and the underprivileged in this country. A public servant in the true sense of the word.
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A woman with brains, wit, style, spirt and substance, Ryan was a progressive whose period in Federal Parliament resulted in some of the greatest gains we have seen in the battles against inequality and discrimination in this country. During her five years as Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women between 1983 and 1988, Parliament passed the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986, the Public Service Reform Act 1984 and the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987.
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Foundational pieces of legislation that put a firm footing under those who work to achieve social, physical and economic security for women of all ages and races in Australia. The Sex Discrimination Bill drew heavily on a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Ryan in 1981 while sitting on the opposition benches. In 1984 it was still controversial and its passage through Parliament was rocky. Ryan fought the good fight – the right fight – and won. Her achievement cannot be understated.
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As former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick AO, tweeted; “Without Susan we would not have the Sex Discrimination Act, our key piece of gender equality law. She fought for human rights for everyone, every day. We will miss her enormously.”
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Susan Ryan was elected to the Federal Parliament in 1975 as one of the first two Senators for the newly independent ACT, served in the first Hawke cabinet as Minister for Education and Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and then as Special Minister for State. She resigned from the Senate in 1988 and her post-parliamentary life saw her focus on superannuation policy and rights for the aged, especially for older women. She was appointed as Australia’s first Age Discrimination Commissioner on 30 July 2011 for a five-year term, having led two major community groups campaigning for an Australian Human Rights Act.
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Susan Ryan held a number of leadership positions in the superannuation industry, governance roles at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, was Women’s Ambassador for ActionAid Australia A foundation member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby.
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Executive Director, Women on Boards
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Vale Dame Margaret Guilfoyle AC DBE
Dame Margaret Guilfoyle AC DBE died on 11 November 2020, at the age of 94.
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Dame Margaret was a Liberal politician who was Australia’s first woman in Cabinet with a ministerial portfolio, the first female senator in Cabinet and the first woman to hold a major economic portfolio as Minister for Finance during the Fraser Government. She was also Minister for Education and Minister for Social Security.
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In the 1970s Dame Margaret fought for the extension of maternity leave for all women and oversaw major reform of the national child endowment scheme, switching from tax rebates to cash payments. She ran the Office of Child Care and presided over a major expansion of government support for preschool, child care and after-school care
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Dame Margaret gave personal advice during the period of the development of the NFAW to Marie Coleman and she was one of the distinguished sponsors of the Foundation.
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We acknowledge the huge contribution Dame Margaret made in her public life. In her words, “Equal participation of women in the Parliament, in the whole of community life, can only lead us to a better understanding of humanity and to the fulfilment of the aspirations that we would have for a civilised society.”
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Welcome to our new members
Thank you to our newest members who have joined NFAW since August, we welcome:
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Board talk
Welcome to our new Director, Sally Moyle.
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Sally Moyle is an Honorary Associate Professor at the ANU, associated with the Gender Institute. Sally has had extensive experience in international development policy and practice, and almost twenty years’ experience addressing gender issues both domestically and in international development.
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Most recently, until August 2019, Sally was the Chief Executive Officer at CARE Australia, and, between 2013 and 2016, was the Principal Gender Specialist and Assistant Secretary with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Sally has been in senior executive roles in the Australian Government since 2008, including DFAT, the Office for Women, and working on Indigenous Affairs and in Disability Care in the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Sally was the Gender Adviser in AusAID between 2006 and 2008.
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Prior to joining AusAID in 2006, Sally had senior roles at the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Law Reform Commission and practised as a lawyer.
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Our New Website!
The new NFAW website launched in October this year, following months of hard work by the NFAW Fundraising, Marketing and Membership Committee.
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With a modern look, an easy-to-use interface, and an enhanced members area, we encourage you to check it out at https://nfaw.org/
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Know my Name Exhibition – National Gallery of Australia
14 November 2020 – 4 July 2021
The work of women artists is being celebrated at the National Gallery of Australia over the next 6 months with the Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now Exhibition
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Described by the National Gallery of Australia as a defining moment in the history of the Gallery, Know My Name heralds a new chapter that addresses historical gender bias to reconsider the stories of art and elevate the voices of all women. The event is vibrant program of exhibitions, events, commissions, creative collaborations, publications and partnerships, that highlight the diversity and creativity of women artists throughout history and to the present day.
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One highlight is a free online talk on Thursday 14 January 12.45-1.30pm, when Worimi woman, educator, curator, filmmaker, artist, and academic Genevieve Grieves will address First Nations perspectives on art, gender and feminism.
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Originally presented as the opening keynote address for the Know My Name Conference in November 2020, Grieves addresses the role colonialism has played in gendering Australian art and public collections. She argues that the first step towards dismantling damaging ideas and practices that pervade our institutions and society is to understand the impact of colonial representations of gender. For Grieves, while ‘colonialism has attempted to erase and destroy our names. Our art – in all its beauty, dynamism and complexity – is helping to bring our names back into the world.’
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National History Challenge
The National History Challenge 2020 still proceeded despite huge difficulties this year.
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The theme is “CONTESTED hiSTORIES,” and final national judging took place in September via Zoom. Danielle Hyndes was invited to represent NFAW on the judging panel for all entries in our category of WOMEN. She was joined by two members of the History Teachers Association and it was an interesting experience indeed via email and Zoom!! Our winner was decided then and although that winner is known, members have been sworn to secrecy until the final presentation of all awards.
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The format of that presentation is not known yet as it is dependent on Covid restrictions. It is known however that the announcement of all awards culminating in the Young Historian of the Year 2020 will be made by the Minister for Education at Parliament House Canberra on 30 November.
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State and Territory winners presentations are taking place currently and contact is being made with those members of NFAW who have in the past volunteered to represent NFAW at these ceremonies if indeed they are to be conducted live or streamed.
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It is a pleasure to represent NFAW in their role as sponsor of the category of WOMEN in the Challenge, and our thanks go to the Board for their continuing support of this very worthwhile project. If any members would like any further information about the Challenge, we are always available on 0412 844 598 or on the website www.historychallenge.org.au
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Danielle Hyndes and Shirley Randell
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Subcommittee, National History Challenge
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