in brief: anne summers offers “a few words of advice” to feminist wunderkind, tony abbott

High-profile writer and feminist, Anne Summers has dutifully “congratulated” our PM Tony Abbott on his recent conversion to feminism and his adoption of ‘the principles of equality of the sexes’ – but not before offering him some advice ‘on how to ensure his government and polices are, in fact, feminist.’

In the Sydney Morning Herald, she begins:

‘First of all, Mr Abbott, the gender imbalance in your government is truly shocking: just one woman in your cabinet and women only 14 per of your total ministry… Women need to be well represented in our current power structures, including your government, not just remembered for when they used to occupy significant positions. Second, you need to recognise that your ”fair dinkum” paid parental leave scheme is not going to do what you say it is.’

Summers also grills him on the economic worth of women, the gender reporting requirements of large companies, and his dedication to honouring former PM Julia Gillard’s undertaking to start enforcing the law on female genital mutilation in Australia.

Click here to read Anne Summers’ article in its entirety, and check out her contribution to Lip’s Feminist of the Week column here.