A woman’s place is in the parliament: Kate Ellis fights tears as she exits

Fighting tears in her farewell speech, Kate Ellis said her exit wasn’t due to a lack of women in parliament, but because she can hand over to them.

Ms Ellis said increasing the number of female MPs didn’t happen organically: “No boys club has ever voluntarily dismantled”. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty

Outgoing Labor MP Kate Ellis has used her valedictory speech to describe how she has felt “truly mortified” by suggestions her exit from politics shows it is incompatible to be a mother and a successful politician.

Fighting back tears in her farewell to the House of Representatives, the member for Adelaide, who was elected to parliament as a 26-year-old in 2004, said the growing number of women in the Labor caucus made her realise she did not have to stay in Canberra out of duty to younger women.

“The actual truth is that I felt I could make the decision to leave because we have been so successful in electing talented women on this side,” Ms Ellis said.

“Rightly or wrongly, I felt an overwhelming pressure that it was up to me to prove that a young woman could succeed here and hopefully make it easier for those who followed.

“What changed for me is not that I thought I couldn’t be a woman, a mother, and do my job but actually that the pressure lifted.

“One day I looked around me and I just saw this inspiring army of passionate, talented, hard working women that we have in our caucus and I knew I could go.

“There is no shortage of remarkable Labor women who will fly the flag, achieve amazing things and prove to all that a woman’s place is in the parliament.”

Ms Ellis credited party leadership and Labor’s quota system for the increase of women in the caucus.

Labor member for Adelaide Kate Ellis is applauded after making her valedictory speech. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

In an attack on the Coalition’s refusal to adopt quotas, Ms Ellis said increasing the numbers of female MPs did not happen organically.

“No boys club has ever voluntarily dismantled,” she said.

“I actually credit the increase in women’s representation in Labor with the stability our side has enjoyed for five years now.

“A party that better resembles Australia itself is always going to be more steady than one dominated by macho men with scores to settle and egos driven by self promotion.

“Increasing gender equality in the parliament isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.”

Ms Ellis beat Paul Keating’s record to become the youngest Australian minister after the 2007, when she because minister for sport and youth.

She said the instability of politics in the last decade had tested her idealism.

“I first stood in this chamber almost 15 years ago and admitted to being young and idealistic. I said that I hoped that when I left this place I would be old and idealistic,” she said.

“What I wasn’t to know was that during my period in the parliament I would witness more leadership change, instability, division and chaos than at any other period in our history.

“I continue to witness too many focus on the sport of politics rather than the purpose of it. So I guess you could say that my idealism has been challenged at times.

“But despite this, I remain passionate about this role, this place and the power that we have to improve people’s lives. The idealist survived.”