WESNET Media Release

24 October 2004

How ironic that on the day the devastating costs of domestic violence to the Australian economy are released to the public we find out that the Howard Coalition Government has downgraded the Office for the Status of women to a division within the Department of Family and Community Services said Ms Pauline Woodbridge, National Chairperson of WESNET, the peak advocacy body working for the rights of women and children to live free from domestic and family violence.

Women are more than 50% of the population and yet still suffer a range of disadvantage and discrimination due to gender, including shameful and epidemic proportions of domestic and family violence she said.   According to Ms Woodbridge If we ever needed the Office for the Status of Women, it is now!  Report after report are highlighting the inequalities suffered by women, the extent of the violence suffered by women and on so many levels the disadvantages suffered by women.  But, in Howards new term, he has already moved against women and demoted the Office for the Status of Women from his own department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, to the portfolio of Families and Community Services.

WESNET are worried says Ms. Woodbridge,  Life is already too much of a struggle for many of the women of Australia, especially if you are a victim of violence she said.

Julie Oberin, Victorian WESNET representative said It is already hard for the voices and concerns of women to get onto the National agenda and downgrading the status of the Office for the Status of Women will make it even harder.  It seems that Howards government is only listening to, and representing the concerns of men.  He clearly sees women only in their role as mothers and care-givers in the welfare sector not as citizens in their own right.

Shirley Slann, the National Indigenous Representative for WESNET said In every way Indigenous women are paying a high price for living in this so called First World Country.  The levels of violence experienced by Indigenous women is a national outrage.  Too many Aboriginal women experience far shorter life-spans and have a life characterised by abuse and poverty.

Julie Oberin, Victorian WESNET representative said In this so called strong economy, women are still over-represented in part time work, women do not have equal pay for equal work and women are under-represented in science, I.T. and engineering.  Women still do the bulk of housework and childcare. In these days of child-friendly workplace rhetoric, it is women who have to adjust their work to enable them to juggle all of their parenting responsibilities. 

Established in 1992, WESNET has close to 400 member services across Australia. WESNET works to ensure that all women and children live free of domestic and family violence and its consequences.

For comment please contact:

Pauline Woodbridge, National Chairperson, 0419 739 774
Julie Oberin Victorian WESNET representative, 0419 539 346  
Shirley Slann, WESNET Indigenous representative, 0408 436 061