The new government’s values are under the spotlight following the Prime Minister’s announcement of his ministry on Monday afternoon. With just one woman out of 19, the composition of Cabinet sends a clear message to the Australian people and the rest of the world: equality is not one of this government’s pressing priorities.
The PM Tony Abbott defended his new ministry, explaining that the future looks bright for women of the Liberal party; that “some very good and talented women are knocking on the door of the cabinet.” If women, who have what it takes, are knocking at the door why not let them in?
A hollow hope for equality, sometime in the future, does not equate to equality now. And not acting to achieve equality – when it is attainable – is a sure indication that it is not a priority.
The government’s first announcements may be an indication of what is to come over the next three years. To date, few decisions seem to have been motivated by a commitment to equality.
Just today it’s been announced that Australia’s aid budget will be stripped by $4.5 billion. This comes as a result of AusAID being ‘integrated’ into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and all future funding increases will be scrapped.
When flagging these potential cuts before he was elected Abbott promised that our foreign aid budget will be re-boosted once the Australian economy recovers from its current ‘crisis’. It illustrates that for this government our aid program is a nicety rather than a necessity; something to have in the good times and abandon when things are tough.
Not that things are really tough in Australia by global standards; we are ranked as the world’s 12th largest economy. But even when funds are tight cutting the aid budget should not be the first port of call, given the important role that the aid program plays in Australia’s culture.
Australia’s aid program is vital because it brings to life the value that we place on equality and on the basic human rights of people everywhere. Cutting aid isn’t the only indication this is being overlooked.
The Coalition has promised to cut Australia’s humanitarian refugee intake by more than a third, in order to protect Australia’s economic growth. To protect our economic growth even though Australia is one of the few countries, around the globe, that carries a triple-A rating from all three major rating agencies – Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch ratings.
Similarly, the Coalition has committed to the Australian people that it will reverse the work that has been done to address climate change, to bolster the budget. Again Australia’s short-term economic gain is being prioritised over everything else, in this instance the environment.
The catchcry of the Coalition has been that they will govern ‘positively’ and Tony Abbott now has three years to prove that he can do that. By choosing to move the administration of the Indigenous Affairs portfolio into the Department of Prime Minister, Abbott has indicated that he does have some aspirations to build a more equal Australia in his time in the top job.
If he’s serious about being positive, prioritising equality – for women, for refugees, for people less fortunate than ourselves – would be the most positive thing Tony Abbott could do.