Is Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide a poignant observation on life’s downs or a critical analysis of geological landslides that are disrupting ecosystems?
By Jess Stone, 2018 YLL Co-Convenor
Feb, 2020
I’m barely a veteran of the great Australian Labor Party - although i feel like I’ve aged significantly since my foray into Young Labor in 2015. I joined the Party in a time before Marriage Equality (yes can you believe same-sex couples couldn’t get married just five years ago???) and when 2020 seemed so far away and we could still maybe meet those Paris and Kyoto climate targets. Time has passed, as did Marriage Equality and we’ve witnessed a remarkably progressive and forward-thinking Victorian State Government. I had a chat with some young(er) women about how they’ve ended up traversing this path alongside me, to see if much has changed since I started out.
“Just by making a decision to stay out of politics, you are making the decision to allow others to shape politics and exert power over you. And if you are alienated from the current political system, then just by staying out of it, if you do nothing to change it, you simply entrench it.”
- Joan Kirner, former Vic premier
Grace: I do know when I started a big reason why was because I thought Julia Gillard was pretty cool and I’d come from a girl’s school so I was excited to keep that all women energy up.
Roxanne: I joined the Human Rights Society at Deakin Uni and joining Labor Left felt like a natural progression from that.
Rachel: I was interested in politics, and I hadn't had many opportunities to engage with it during school. I specifically wanted to engage with more progressive politics. I came from a conservative area and that felt like it didn’t align with my views. Getting involved in Labor seemed like the most relevant way to do that.
“If you believe, as I do, that merit is equally distributed between the sexes, then any result that isn’t around half and half should be troubling.”
- Julia Gillard, former PM
Was this what we expected though - coming from those places where we had been supported as women with strong opinions?
Grace: Sometimes it felt I’d only been chosen because I’m a woman… but nowadays I think there’s less focus on
speaking about women’s issues, and women in the Party are more keen to bring their perspective to other important issues, rather than just “women’s stuff”.
Rachel: My experience was better than I expected. I had reservations because political organisations can be very bro-y and exclusive. Most of the events or meetings I’ve been to have been led or organised by women and felt very inclusive.
Roxanne: I came from an all girl school as well so rarely in my life have. I ever been looked upon for my gender.
“It’s okay, when we as women are in a serving role. But it’s not okay, it appears, still, when we have full access to power.”
- Joan Kirner
Kitty: Sometimes the “bad stuff” isn’t as obvious. I can say sometimes I’ve felt uncomfortable speaking up because I’ve seen other women not taken as seriously as men. But this has only made me aware of how much work we have to do for a cultural shift and also how great the other women in the Party are who have made me feel more included.
Rachel: I came from a co-ed school in the country so it’s not exactly like my background or expectations are formed by a strong culture of equality - but it did make the culture in Labor Left very distinctive to me.
Grace: What I do like is that people are willing to discuss it [sexism and misogyny] and call it out in Young Labor. The same problems exist everywhere but at least in the Party I feel I’m in a position where I can talk about it and I’m not alone when I do.
Roxanne: In the past year I have realised how prevalent sexism still is; high school gives you the idea that it’s a bygone era, but it really isn’t. Sometimes it feels like the boys know everything - I doubt my knowledge and capabilities.
Now it can’t be all Labor all the time, and I know cooking is typically relegated to women but a girl’s gotta eat. Also everyone should totally follow Jill Hennessy MP on Instagram because she makes some incredible dishes.
Roxanne: I’m bad with picking favourites, but I can make a great spaghetti bolognaise.
Jess: I make roasts, and they’re pretty great if I do say so myself.
Kitty: You know those cakes that you can just cook in the microwave? That but a brownie. Because you don’t have to share it and they’re really good with ice cream.
So, it seems that the Party has changed quite a bit since I joined, but women still seem to be joining for the same reasons - equality. Until we have true equality - inside and outside of politics for all women, then there’s always a need for activism. Lastly pals, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in Labor?
Roxanne: Say yes to EVERYTHING!
I’ll leave it there, but my advice is if you have the slightest curiosity in being politically active - DO IT! That’s all you need to be “qualified”. And don’t let some man tell you otherwise.