When women support women, women win was the motto for a special event hosted by Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, on February 16 welcoming female Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Council back to State Parliament.
More than 20 female MPs and MLCs gathered together from the Labor Party, the Greens Party, the Liberal Party, the Shooters Fishers Farmers Party, the Animal Justice Party and the Independents.
While women are still severely outnumbered in NSW Parliament (less than 32 per cent), guest speaker, Rosalind Dixon, spoke of how important it is for women to unite in Parliament.
Of the Central Coast’s four MPs representing the seats of Gosford, Terrigal, The Entrance and Wyong, Tesch is the only woman.
Dixon is a Professor of Law at the University of NSW and director of the Pathways to Politics Program for Women (NSW).
She said it was important to recognise not only the differences they have in their Party beliefs, experiences and values, but also the similarities they shared as women, including under-representation.
The program Dixon directs aims to increase female representation in politics, through education on what is involved in becoming a politician from campaigning, to understanding the Australian political system, to speech writing and media training.
The program features an advisory committee comprising politicians, including Tesch, professors and UNSW leaders.
Tesch is encouraging women of all ages across the Central Coast to apply.
“If you aspire to get involved in politics or become a community leader you should certainly consider applying for the program,” she said.
“Our women’s gathering at NSW Parliament only emphasised just how underrepresented we are.
“We need to boost our female numbers in Parliament and that could very well start with you.”
The free program selects participants based on their applications.
For more information on the Pathways to Politics Program for Women (NSW) head to https://www.unsw.edu.au/law-justice/news-events/pathways-politics-program-women-nsw.
Source:
Media release, Feb 28
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch