The Abbott government has appointed the former leader of the Australian Democrats, Natasha Stott Despoja, as the next Ambassador for Women and Girls.
In announcing the appointment, the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, said “gender empowerment is a priority for the Australian Government’s overseas development program”. She said it was the government’s wish “to be at the forefront of efforts to promote the empowerment of women and girls, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region”. [Read more…]
The Victorian Premier, Denis Napthine, has released a video statement in which he says he will not introduce or support abortion legislation to restrict a woman’s right to choose.
The statement comes after today’s decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to drop all criminal charges against Frankston MLA Geoff Shaw over alleged rorting of his travel entitlements.
The DPP’s decision ensures that the government will not face a risky by-election which would have ensued if Shaw had been convicted. The government has a one-seat majority in the Legislative Assembly and relies on Shaw’s vote. Elected as a Liberal, Shaw now sits as an independent after he resigned from the parliamentary party earlier this year and precipitated the resignation of former premier Ted Baillieu.
Shaw is engaged in a battle with the Assembly Speaker, Ken Smith, who last week protected the government’s position by expelling two Labor members and thereby guaranteeing the government’s survival until the new year. Smith’s survival as Speaker beyond January will be keenly watched in 2014.
There has been speculation that Shaw wants legislation to undo or restrict the decriminalisation of abortion that was passed on a conscience vote five years ago. At the time, Napthine opposed the legislation whilst Baillieu supported it.
With next year’s election now less than a year away, Napthine appears keen to take the abortion issue off the political agenda.
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard has given an interview to Christiane Amanpour on CNN.
Gillard spoke about sexism, mysogyny and attitudes to women in public life. She said she was most proud of her government’s work in education and said the heads of government agreement with China was her greatest foreign policy achievement.
The former Labor leader also discussed the Indonesian spying allegations but refused to comment on intelligence activities during her time in office. [Read more…]
Julia Gillard and Tony Windsor have spoken at a Victorian Women’s Trust event honouring the former prime minister in Melbourne.
The event was called Credit Where Credit Is Due, with the social media hashtag #CreditJulia.
The former prime minister and the former independent member who provided crucial support to the minority government from 2010 until 2013 spoke to a large crowd at the Melbourne Town Hall. The event was compered by Mary Crooks. [Read more…]