30th Sep 2014, 5:45 PM – Senate Motions - Gender Equality - Ernie Award nominations

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) this week the Minister for Education, Mr Christopher Pyne, has won the most sexist politician for 2014 in the 22nd annual Ernie Awards, with his claim that his university loan interest hikes will not disproportionately impact women because 'they will not be able to earn the high incomes that dentists and lawyers will earn',

(ii) the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott, has previously won the same award in 2002, 2010 and 2011,

(iii) in 2014, the political category received the highest number of nominees, and most were sitting federal parliamentarians, including:

(iv) sexism undermines efforts to achieve gender equality and as Ms Emma Watson said in her address to the United Nations recently, 'Men—I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too'; and

(b) calls on all federal members of Parliament who are nominated for the Ernie Awards to accept that we are not in the 1950s and to proactively work toward achieving gender equality.