Women's Party launched in Brisbane

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE -- A new party, the Australian Women's Party, was launched here on August 11. AWP secretary Jenny Hughey, a former president of Queensland Labor Women, said equal parliamentary representation for women would be a major plank of the AWP's platform.

It would also support reserved seats for indigenous members in federal parliament.

“In the past 100 years, we've been working inside the mainstream political parties together with men”, Hughey said at the launch. “Where has it got us? Not very close to equality.”

The party has 300 members after an initial recruitment drive, and expects shortly to achieve the 500 necessary for federal registration. It hopes to stand candidates in the coming Senate election.

The party will develop policies from a women's perspective in areas including employment, social security, the environment, health, education and human rights.

“Women are sick of the rhetoric”, Hughey said. “Women really do want action. They want it for themselves, for the community -- they want to achieve true political equality ...

“They're sick of the look-a-like mainstream parties. They want progressive policies; they want to hear innovative, clever women coming forward and standing for real change.”

Seven of the 10 AWP founders are former Labor Party members, but 80% of its membership so far has no previous party political involvement.

The party's conveners all have a long history in the labour and women's movements, including Hughey, former Queensland Teachers Union president Mary Kelly, union worker and journalist Lyn Graham and former state public service union leader Jeni Eastwood.

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