Mrs HICKEY - 1994-10-13
The head of the Women's Advisory Council, Sue Carter, told ABC radio earlier this week that the government is discussing applying a quota system to ensure that more women are represented. Is this a fact? What will the quota system entail, and when will it be introduced?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I can assure you that I will never humiliate women the way the ALP is doing at present, although 'humiliate' may be the wrong word. 'Denigrate' is perhaps the appropriate word because I believe that, when women achieve the status of being appointed to boards and to positions within government and when they are winning preselection processes, they ought to be, and are, capable of doing it on merit rather than on the basis that they simply belong to a particular sex.
The Women's Advisory Council has suggested to me that it is concerned that not as many women are on boards in the Northern Territory as it would like to see. I have agreed with it on the basis that I too would like to see more women on boards in the Territory and I undertook to examine the situation and discuss it with my colleagues. In fact, I have asked my department to provide me with an assessment of all the boards, and there are many instituted under Northern Territory legislation, and to examine the composition of those boards and whether action might not be taken to encourage more women to be appointed to boards.
On the Question of fixing specific percentages in the tactic that the ALP has adopted of recent times of force-feeding the system and putting women in places where they either do not particularly want to go or for which they do not have expertise, and whether they are any good or not ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr Stirling: We know your views on this.
Mr Stone: Our safest seat is held by a woman.
Mr PERRON: To use the Leader of the Opposition's terms, if there is a good woman there, he will ask men to stand aside and not put their hand up for preselection.
Members interjecting.
Mr PERRON: It is a tactic that I do not support, but the encouragement of more women to take positions on boards in the Northern Territory and to enter politics certainly has my support and always has had. I undertook to the Women's Advisory Council to examine this Question generally and to get back to it, and indeed I will do that.
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Page 252
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I can assure you that I will never humiliate women the way the ALP is doing at present, although 'humiliate' may be the wrong word. 'Denigrate' is perhaps the appropriate word because I believe that, when women achieve the status of being appointed to boards and to positions within government and when they are winning preselection processes, they ought to be, and are, capable of doing it on merit rather than on the basis that they simply belong to a particular sex.
The Women's Advisory Council has suggested to me that it is concerned that not as many women are on boards in the Northern Territory as it would like to see. I have agreed with it on the basis that I too would like to see more women on boards in the Territory and I undertook to examine the situation and discuss it with my colleagues. In fact, I have asked my department to provide me with an assessment of all the boards, and there are many instituted under Northern Territory legislation, and to examine the composition of those boards and whether action might not be taken to encourage more women to be appointed to boards.
On the Question of fixing specific percentages in the tactic that the ALP has adopted of recent times of force-feeding the system and putting women in places where they either do not particularly want to go or for which they do not have expertise, and whether they are any good or not ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr Stirling: We know your views on this.
Mr Stone: Our safest seat is held by a woman.
Mr PERRON: To use the Leader of the Opposition's terms, if there is a good woman there, he will ask men to stand aside and not put their hand up for preselection.
Members interjecting.
Mr PERRON: It is a tactic that I do not support, but the encouragement of more women to take positions on boards in the Northern Territory and to enter politics certainly has my support and always has had. I undertook to the Women's Advisory Council to examine this Question generally and to get back to it, and indeed I will do that.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016