– EMILY's List Australia
EMILY's List Australia has assisted 139 progressive Labor Women into Parliaments across the country since its inception in 1996. A further 151 women have received EMILY's List support but missed out on election.
Whether you are a current or future candidate wanting to access the benefits of EMILY's List Australia endorsement, a donor wanting to know where your funds go or a campaigner committed to advancing the interests of women in Parliament, you will find below all the information about the benefits of EMILY's List Australia support.
The EMILY's List Australia Candidate and MP Support Program assists individual women candidates in seven ways:
1. Early Money
Each candidate is given "Early Money", an early injection of funds shortly after pre-selection to start off their campaign. Receiving money early in a political campaign can help with the production of campaign leaflets, direct mail delivery to constituents and the launch of a website. Early Money is often the most important support a candidate gets when heading into a campaign.
2. Directed Donations
EMILY's List endorsed candidates can raise thousands of dollars directly from our members and supporters through our directed donations program.
Prior to an election, EMILY's List members and supporters receive a profile about all of the women candidates being endorsed by EMILY's List Australia. EMILY's List donors then make a personal decision about who they're going to make targeted donations to. Although this money is collected by EMILY's List it goes directly to the candidates themselves to help pay for campaign expenses. Throughout the Direct Donation phase, EMILY's List Australia candidates are kept up to speed about status of their funds. In 2006, for the first time Directed Donations given to candidates exceeded the amount of Early Money given by ELA.
Direct donations are now even easier through the online donation system on this website.
"EMILY's List money has been a real confidence boost for my team and myself"
Margaret Keech, MLA QLD
3. Training
EMILY's List Australia candidates are given training workshops and manuals on practical skills and information necessary to win office. EMILY's List Workshops include:
- Campaigning as a women (Campaign Skills for women by women, including connecting with voters)
- Managing the Message - Media Training
- Presenting an Effective Political Image
Further, EMILY's List Australia candidates receive a copy of our exclusive Time to Campaign Manual upon endorsement and a copy of our Now You're an MP.
All training and manuals is provided to candidates and MP's free of charge.
4. Mentoring Programme
Women are required to be good mums, wives, daughters and Members. First, be yourself. People want to know the real you – emotional, funny, sad, tired, happy you.
Bonny Barry, Member for Aspley (QLD) 2001-2009
The EMILY's List's political mentoring programme is recognised as a national leader in mentoring.
Candidates in all elections are matched with mentors from similar backgrounds and groupings – for example, rural candidates are often linked to mentors who had campaigned in a rural electorate.
All EMILY's List mentors – many of whom are sitting or former MPs - have strong campaign experience and are in constant contact with candidates both prior to and during an election campaign, providing advice and support.
Candidates get matched up with an experienced MP or ex-MP. That person is on call to them and often a very important source of support and impartial advice, given that they're not directly part of their Campaign Team. Candidates, at the conclusion of their campaigns, have said that such support meant more to them than the money.
5. Gender Gap Research
This is research into what Australian women want from government – it is commissioned by ourselves and conducted by Auspoll and, in essence, involves focus group research with women voters in marginal seats, discussing the ways government can meet the needs of women. Given that part of the network's aim is to ensure that Australian women have a political voice which is listened to by the Labor Party, our "Gender Gap research" has ensured that current or future Labor Government's, and hence our candidates', policies reflect the needs of women.
6. Volunteers
EMILY's List Membership database includes a Skills and Availability Register enabling members to offer candidates on the ground campaigning support. In addition to the $840,000 EMILY's List has raised financially, about the same amount has been contributed in the time of its many volunteers.
7. Personal Support
Finally, EMILY's List Australia candidates and MP's enjoy the personal, morale boosting personal support of our members. Candidates receive regular phone calls from the leadership of the organisation, including on election eve and after the poll.
The end of the election is not the end of our support. We provide care and debriefing sessions for unsuccessful endorsed candidates, helping them to move on after the loss.
We also continue to provide support to our successful MP's when faced with challenging professional or personal events over the course of their Parliamentary career.
Listen to how our support assisted Laura Smyth during her 2010 Campaign for Latrobe
"Find a woman who will be a "mate". She might be the campaign manager or she might be someone who will just agree to go everywhere with you. I had a great mate who was prepared to put her life on hold while we went from one end of the electorate to the other (and that took three and a half hours), who got to know the personalities, who said "Did you hear what that bastard said?" when we climbed back in the car. The boys in our campaign never understood the importance of our relationship and thought we spent our time arguing, but she was the only person I could depend on for a gut reaction from a feminist perspective.She was the only person I could be sure would understand the need to look after the volunteers too, and who took some responsibility for the dynamic of the Campaign Office. She was the only person with whom I could be sure of at least one laugh for the day."