I thought we’d have gender parity by now: Stott Despoja

Twenty-five years after becoming the youngest woman in parliament, Natasha Stott Despoja reveals her heartbreak and frustration.

Natasha Stott Despoja: ‘I do miss legislating’. Picture: Matt Turner

When Natasha Stott Despoja became the youngest woman to sit in federal parliament almost 25 years ago, she spoke of the need for gender equality and made the case for more female MPs.

In 1995, just 20 per cent of MPs were women; by 2016 the level had climbed to just 32 per cent. The main parties still do not have enough women in their ranks.

“I thought we would have gender parity by now,” Stott Despoja, 49, tells Inquirer. “The representation of women overall is still too low. It has been disappointing and frustrating.

“Women are still subject to ­ridiculous stereotypes, and politics is still generally sexist, but I thought we would have equality of MPs by now.”

Stott Despoja, who led the Australian Democrats from April 2001 to August 2002, has always been a crusader for women. She went to her first political rally while in primary school. Her mother, journalist Shirley Stott, was a role model. She saw education as essential in empowering women.

In recent years Stott Despoja has become a leading advocate for ending violence against women.

The Democrats were path-breakers. They had more women in parliament, proportionally, than any other party. And more women in senior organisational roles. Janine Haines became the first woman to lead an Australian political party when she succeeded founder Don Chipp in 1986.

“We didn’t have the baggage of big unions and we certainly weren’t dominated by big business,” Stott Despoja says. “Don Chipp wanted ordinary Australians involved, so we didn’t inherit some of the biases or entrenched positions of the other parties.

“As a party committed to social justice and accountability, we gave women an equal say. Our second leader was Janine Haines, which people didn’t think was all that surprising for the Democrats.

“The other parties have taken a leaf out of our book when it comes to participatory democracy and women in politics.

“We didn’t need quotas but Labor has found that is a method that works. The Liberals need to find talented women, preselect and elect women, but also provide ongoing support for women. Cultural change in politics is needed.

“There are elements of sexism in debates and structural issues for women, especially with children, given the long hours and travel.”

The demise of the Democrats evokes painful memories for Stott Despoja who, after 12 years in the Senate, decided not to contest the 2007 election. The Democrats received 1.2 million Senate votes in the 1996 election. After the 2007 election, there were no Democrat senators left. The party held or shared the balance of power in the Senate for 20 years.

It was deregistered in 2015.

“It is one of the most heartbreaking aspects of my life,” Stott Despoja says. The rise of the Greens, despite the Democrats being the first real environmental party, and “division and disunity” destroyed them.

Another factor was the party’s role in helping with the passage of the Howard government’s GST, which split the party.

With the major parties edging towards the Left or Right, the rise of community independents and minor parties on the fringes, is there a place for a centrist party that can act as an honest broker?

“It is extraordinary the number of people who lament the demise of the Democrats,” she says. “I think people would like a centrist third force in politics. People are disappointed by the behaviour of politicians and are disillusioned by, and distrustful of, the major parties. We fulfilled that in some ways, which has not been matched since. I think people miss us.”

Stott Despoja’s book On Violence (MUP) was published this week. It begins with alarming statistics: a woman is killed by a current or former partner every week; eight women are hospitalised every day; police are called to deal with family violence every two minutes.

The book draws on considerable research and the stories of women affected by violence, blended with anecdotes from her time in politics and the community sector. It serves as a call to arms for governments, communities and citizens to address this crisis.

“I am frustrated and sickened by the violence against women and the number of women dying every week,” Stott Despoja says.

“I’m hoping to galvanise community action by providing something that is readable and conversational, with pointers for people to change their actions and awareness about violence.”

Stott Despoja is encouraged by the Morrison government’s policy measures, announced this week, that focus on primary prevention, early intervention and support services.

“It’s good to see leaders understanding the link between disrespect and violence and also gender inequality and violence,” she says.

“It is not easy for people to accept and make that link. That is not to say there are not things that compound abuse, like drugs and alcohol or poverty, but they act in conjunction with some very basic attitudes and behaviours that suggest women are inferior.”

Stott Despoja, once famous for wearing Doc Martens in the Senate, exudes integrity and authority, and has not lost her passion.

She was Australia’s ambassador for women and girls (2013-16) and has been involved in many community organisations, including Beyondblue and Our Watch.

It is a pity she is no longer in parliament.

“There are many things I don’t miss, but I do miss legislating,” she says. “I was always happy with the nitty-gritty of legislating, working on amendments and collaborating in the Senate committee system, a fundamental part of our parliamentary democracy.”

“I get my fair share of trolling on Twitter but I can’t imagine what it would be like as a politician.

“The 24-hour news cycle needs feeding and responding to, and I would find that frustrating and tiring if you want to focus on policy, which was my true love. But you can make contributions in other ways, which is what I’ve tried to do in my years after politics.”

Natasha Stott Despoja’s On Violence is published by MUP.