Wednesday, 4 March 2020

Ministers statements: International Women’s Day

Ms WILLIAMS (Dandenong—Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women, Minister for Youth) (11:05): It is my privilege today to share with the house on the eve of International Women’s Day that women’s sport across our state is thriving. Women across Victoria are pushing boundaries, kicking goals and smashing stereotypes. From Ash Barty to the AFLW to our world record-breaking women’s cricket team to the Matildas, professional women’s sport has arrived, and it is here to stay. For too long women’s sports and female athletes have been under-resourced and undervalued. We are trying to fix that because the Andrews Labor government knows the value of women and knows the value of women’s sport.

Visible women’s sport changes the way women and girls see themselves and the way that communities perceive us, challenging assumptions about the capability, about the status and about the value of women. You cannot be what you cannot see, and when you tell women and girls your sport matters, you tell women and girls that you matter. That is why we have so far invested over $30 million in women’s sport, from female-friendly facilities to board quotas, scholarships and participation and leadership opportunities. Why? Because women’s sports matter; because women matter. We have delivered a gender-equal cabinet, backed by 48 per cent women on government benches, gender parity on paid government boards, a gender equality act and record investment in women. We are working hard to level the playing field for women and girls, a stark contrast to those in the Liberal dugout. One of their star female players retires and who subs in? A man.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lara is warned. The member for Eltham is warned.

Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, ministers statements are not an opportunity to attack the internal workings of any party on the opposition side, and if you allow this to proceed and to continue, it will give an opportunity for our side of politics to look at the internal workings of the Labor Party and the union movement and how it treats its women.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was starting to attack the opposition. The minister knows that is not the appropriate use of a ministers statement. She is coming back to making a statement.

Ms WILLIAMS: Thank you, Speaker. It is pretty simple: in sport and in every other context, when you respect and treat women equally everyone wins.

On Sunday the MCG will come alive for the Women’s T20 World Cup, and we are trying to break the record for the biggest ever attendance at a women’s sporting event. Katy Perry will be there and hopefully the Aussies will too. So get to the G on International Women’s Day, and let us make it roar for women’s sport in Victoria.