#2
Candidates address WEL forum
BRISBANE — On September 20, candidates from the ALP, the National Party, the Greens, the Democrats and the Socialist Alliance answered questions about their policies for women at a West End forum organised by the Women's Electoral Lobby.
Labor Senator Claire Moore and Joe Ludwig tabled their party's new women's policy. Moore said that a federal Labor government would re-establish the Office for Women.
Democrats candidates Tracey Schrader and Fredericka Steen advocated establishing 30 hours a week of free child care to assist working families.
National Party candidate Barnaby Joyce expressed his opposition to making abortion legal, stating his belief that a human being's life begins at conception.
Jane Williams, the Greens candidate for the seat of Brisbane, and Darryl Rosin, Greens candidate of seat of Griffith, highlighted their party's non-violent policy as a solution to systemic violence against women.
Lynda Hansen and Coral Wynter, the Socialist Alliance's candidates for Griffith and Brisbane, argued that changes to law alone would not change the situation for women, and that this required fundamental changes to social relations. Both of the socialist candidates called for real job security for women and the legalisation of abortion.
Robyn Marshall
Greens join SA call to lower voting age
The Greens have joined the Socialist Alliance in calling for the lowering of the voting age to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. On September 30, Senator Kerry Nettle stated that the Greens "know that young people aren't just the pawns of their parents and their teachers, and can think for themselves". Nettle spelt out Greens' plans take up issues that directly affect young people such as the casualisation of the workforce, unaffordable housing and the under-funding of public schools, as well as measures to increase the political involvement of young people.
The Socialist Alliance has been campaigning to lower the voting age to 16, and alliance members on three high schools in Wollongong staged ballots for the federal election in order to let students have their say.
Stuart Munckton
From Green Left Weekly, October 6, 2004.
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