Cr Carol Taylor ‘disappointed’ in Toowoomba rally’s targeting of Attorney-General and Morrison Government

A Toowoomba councillor has apologised to her supporters for even being at the Women’s March 4 Justice, after she said it turned into a targeted political attack.

Disappointed in what she saw as a targeted political attack against the Morrison Government, Cr Carol Taylor left part-way through the Women’s March 4 Justice in Toowoomba on Monday.

Cr Taylor agreed it was time women started rising up and uniting against sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, “to stop some of the things that are happening to us, in all levels of government and in private corporations”.

“I did go to the march yesterday but I pulled out because it turned into a political march, which I was probably naive to think it wouldn’t,” she said.

“I apologised to my supporters for the fact I was even there. I misread the whole situation – which to me is very disappointing because it was an opportunity to highlight some of things that are happening.”

Cr Taylor said she had never been a member of a political party and had no intention of doing so.

“I answer to my community and I passionately believe that’s how I best serve my community.”

She said the march became “all about sacking the Attorney-General and against the Morrison Government”.

“The last time I saw ... this behaviour went through all (political) sides and all levels,” she said.

“After 21 years in public life, I think I’m quite qualified to discuss this sort of thing.”

Cr Taylor said people should not be singling out political sides, rather singling out behaviours, and “uniting to try to change that”.

Women's March 4 Justice Toowoomba.

“We should be sending a strong message to everyone, not just one side of parliament.”

Monday’s rally of nearly 300 people from a variety of ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds, complemented the 40 other events that occurred on Monday to call for immediate action from Prime Minister Scott Morrison on sexual assault and harassment in the workplace.

Demands from national co-ordinators include full independent investigations into all cases of gendered violence, fully implement the 55 recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work 2020 report and lifting public funding for gendered violence prevention to world’s best practice.

Co-ordinator Louise Noble yesterday said the country needed real leadership from the Federal Government, which has been rocked by a number of rape and sexual assault allegations in recent weeks.

Women's March 4 Justice Toowoomba. Gen Allpass

Among those who addressed the rally were domestic violence survivor Lily Tombi, disability advocate Alyce Nelligan – who spoke about how women with disabilities were statistically far more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted than able-bodied women, and PEACE Organisation founder Gen Allpass, who launched into a passionate tirade against the Federal Government’s handling of the sexual assault allegations.