Labor has no ‘women problem’ except for Fair Work inspectors and Liberal cows

Rosie Lewis, The Australian, January 7:

Labor MP Emma Husar … (said Labor men) dictate the success of Labor politicians … (the) quota system was merely “window dressing” … (She denounced Labor’s “women problem”, saying) “none of the women” publicly supported her despite privately saying the ordeal was “really horrible” … (Outside the machine Labor was) “like a Night at the Museum, where it’s chaos all around and someone’s stolen the rule book. It’s an old boys club” … Tanya Plibersek rejected (Husar’s) suggestions.

Samantha Hutchinson, The Australian, September 28 last year:

Women hold less than a third of top-ranking union ­positions … are paid on average $36,000 a year less than their male counterparts … (and) make up just 28 per cent of top paid staff … Victorian CFMEU construction assistant secre­tary Shaun Reardon said union officials were trying to address the gender balance.

Rachel Baxendale, The Australian, March 8 last year:

A female Fair Work Australia … (official was) called a “f..king slut” by (CFMEU) officials … and Victorian deputy secretary Shaun Reardon … (was) accused … of making intimidatory late-night phone calls to women working for Fair Work. (He) was consequently suspended as a White Ribbon ambassador against domestic violence in 2015 … “What I see in … (the CFMEU) is actually a union that is on the forefront of the White Ribbon movement … arguing (for) more women tradies on building sites. The blokes from the CFMEU that I deal with are … actually standing up to the thugs and bullies,” (ACTU secretary Sally McManus said.) … “(But) if there’s anyone in the CFMEU … that behaves in an inappropriate way towards women well they shouldn’t be in the union movement,” (she said.) In October, CFMEU national secretary Dave Noonan … Mr Reardon and organisers Joe Mcdonald and Cam McCullough were photographed (with someone) impersonating employment minister Michaelia Cash and holding a sign reading: “A Big Cash Cow.” Fair Work Australia has adjudicated on cases involving a CFMEU official threatening to gang rape a woman … (and) spitting at a female workplace inspector … (who) was called a “f..king slut” and a “dog” . … (The) number of women working in the construction sector has fallen from 13 to 11 per cent over the past 30 years despite … (more) women working in transport, mining and utilities …

Empowering? Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times, January 4:

Can you admire Louis Farrakhan and still advance the cause of women? Maybe so. Life is full of contradictions … Personally, I find Farrakhan’s world view vile. Yet I … still appreciate some of the empowerment work that he has done in the black community …

Farrakhan’s world view? Farrakhan sermon, May 27 last year:

Satanic Jews have infected the whole world with poison and deceit.

The Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard links to Abcarian’s article, Twitter, January 6:

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s this year’s “Mussolini made the trains run on time” piece .

Another Farrakhan fan. Maria Puente, USA Today, January 24 last year:

R&B singer Erykah Badu … said she supported … Farrakhan … “but I’m not an anti-Semitic person. I don’t even know what anti-Semitic was before I was called it … I see good in everybody. I saw something good in Hitler … Hitler was a wonderful painter … I guess it’s just the Pisces in me,” she said.