EMILY's List Australia is a financial, political and personal support network for progressive Labor women candidates, helping them get elected to Parliament and in turn change the lives of all women. It is the only network of its kind in Australia.
EMILY's List Australia is a non-profit organisation that receives no government or political party funding. It was deliberately established by its women founders to be separate from the ALP. It raises its own funds through members and supporters who give to the organisation and its candidates.
EMILY's List Australia is a Success Story for Affirmative Action
EMILY's List Australia is a success story for affirmative action in Parliaments. In just under 15 years, we have led to a 230% increase in the number of progressive Labor Women standing in winnable seats across the Country.
Our work has helped to elect 146 women to Parliaments across the country, including:
- The first woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard
- The Australian Capital Territory's first woman Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher
- Queensland's first woman Premier, Anna Bligh
- The Northern Territory's first woman Chief Minister, Clare Martin
- Tasmania's first woman Premier, Lara Giddings
- The first Indigenous women in Parliament, Member for Kimberley in WA, Carol Martin.
We have achieved this through a range of affirmative action strategies for women including:
- Support for the setting and achievement of Parliamentary representation targets for women,
- A financial support program giving women substantial sums of money that they control,
- A political skills training program that shares knowledge amongst candidates, MP's and former MP's
- A mentoring strategy which matches successful women leaders of yesterday, with emerging leaders of today and tomorrow.
Why is this important? Simply put, the equal representation of women in Parliament is crucial to a democracy. It ensures that policies, programs or legislation reflects the needs of the population, enhancing deliberations, decisions and outcomes by incorporating the different experiences of women and ultimately improving public service provision by being better reflective of community need.
For more information on the EMILY's List Australia Success Story and how you can contribute to it, click here.