FCD-Lowy Institute Pacific panel: Advancing women in business & leadership

Thank you Michael for that kind introduction.

I start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the Canberra region, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples. I pay my respects to elders past and present, and acknowledge their continuing custodianship of country.

I want to make some comments first, if I may, about the Foundation for Development Cooperation and Lowy, and thank them, not only for hosting tonight, I'll come to tonight, but for the focus on the Pacific, on the lectures that Michael spoke of.

It is so important that we as a country gain a wider and deeper understanding of the region in which we live.

There have always been people in Australia who have understood and worked closely with the Pacific.

But certainly, I believe we need to make sure we broaden the number of Australians and the number of, frankly, of Australian parliamentarians who have a deeper understanding of the aspirations and dynamics of the region in which we live.

So thank you for contributing to that.

I acknowledge quite a lot of dignitaries here tonight, MPs and Senators.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for the work you do.

May I also acknowledge Dr Jessica Collins, who's the Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at Lowy.

She’s built up a serious body of work on gender in the Pacific and Pacific diasporas in Australia.

But most importantly, I want to acknowledge three leading Pacific women who are speaking here this evening.

Leilani Burns from Fiji, Dr Fiona Hukula from Papua New Guinea, and Loau Donina Va’a of Samoa, which of course is itself led by one of the most impressive leaders that I have met, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa, who has previously been a guest of the Lowy Institute.

May I also acknowledge our fantastic ambassador for gender equality, Stephanie Copus Campbell.

Thank you for your timeless efforts in the Pacific, not only in this role, but over many years.

And if I may, sitting next to you, the former Chief of the Defence Force, General Campbell, who has also been such an important part of Australia's engagement with the Pacific and really models respectful and empowering engagement as a leader with Pacific Island Nations. So thank you for your work.

The three women who I referenced from the Pacific, from Fiji from Papua, New Guinea from Samoa.

The women in front of us are a cause for optimism.

They are examples of the impact courageous, hardworking women can have on the world around them, on their communities, and for gender equality.

There are many challenges to advancing women in leadership.

But I did want to start tonight, instead of talking immediately about challenges, to do a little bit of celebration.

Celebrating some of the many women leaders in the region, and the differences they make.

Leilani Burns will be intimately familiar with the remarkable journey of the Fijian women's national rugby team.

The Fijiana put women's sports up in lights, breaking cultural norms and breaking sporting records.

In Nadi, I heard first hand the challenges these women faced as they pursued a career in the sport they loved.

I also heard and saw the impact their success has had on women and girls in Fiji, on the sporting field and off, inspiring greater acts of courage and fortitude.

And I acknowledge the achievements of women in the political space as well, women like Kessy Sawang and Rufina Peter.

At their election, Papa New Guinea was one of only three countries without a woman member of parliament.

There had not been a woman in Parliament between 2017 – 2022.

I met with them in 2022 and we talked about what they had done and what more we could do to overcome the barriers that women representatives face.

So I'm pretty pleased to say there's now a third woman member of parliament in Papua New Guinea, after Francesca Semoso’s by-election victory.

These women and others like them are applying their leadership skills to protect and lift up their communities.

But while we need to celebrate the successes, we need to take seriously the challenges that stand in the way of those following in their footsteps.

Many of the challenges in our region disproportionately affect women and girls.

Economic pressures, rising rates of hunger, complications from the digital transition, climate change, increased natural disasters, and threats to peace and security.

And then of course, there is gender based violence.

Around the world, one in three women have experienced gender based violence. In the Pacific that number is two in three.

Think of the impact that has on individuals, on families, communities and on the nation.

On top of all of this, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a generational loss of gender equality gains, which hasn’t yet reversed.  

Apart from being the right thing to do, pursuing gender equality is good for our societies and good for our economies.

When women and girls are empowered, and barriers to their participation are removed, economies grow faster, and health and education outcomes improve.

Just by narrowing the gender gap in workforce participation, developing countries can add 8 per cent to their GDP.

Investing in gender equality is an investment in better peace and security.

What we know from our experience, and from the evidence, is that gender equality is a predictor of peace, even more than a state’s wealth or political system.

So at the same time as the Albanese Government works towards gender equality at home through our national gender equality strategy Working For Women…

We have also taken major steps to advance gender equality in the work we do in the world.

Gender equality is central to our International Development Policy launched just over a year ago.

The Policy reinstated the requirement for 80% of Australia’s development investments to incorporate gender equality.

And introduced a new requirement for investments over 3 million dollars to consider women and girls.

In practice, that requirement means when the Australian Government builds a market in the Pacific, we ensure it's safe and inclusive for women stallholders.

It is a pretty reasonable place to start, by counting women in.

I am glad to see that Pacific leaders have also focused on this, as we saw in Suva last year with the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration, which acknowledges that “women’s economic empowerment is fundamental to development.”

Of course, the task is always to move from declaration to reality.

There are more than a few insights in this room, as to how to make that happen.

So I commend Lowy and the Foundation for Development Cooperation for convening this event.

I acknowledge the panellists and leaders here tonight.

I look forward to your ideas, as we work together to advance gender equality in our region.

Thank you very much.