Liza Harvey: Everyone has a right to be respected
“Get in there and have a crack”
Almost 100 years ago, Edith Cowan became the first woman elected to an Australian parliament, in March 1921.
In Her Seat is asking as many currently serving female politicians as we can how they view gender equality, politics and their impact.
This is a non-partisan project that is soliciting contributions from women in all parties, or none at all, in every parliament.
In one of our first interviews, here we hear from Liza Harvey, Leader of the Western Australian Opposition.
A fifth-generation Western Australian, Liza was first elected as the Member for Scarborough in 2008. Her father is a surveyor, which meant that Liza and her siblings travelled around the State during their childhood, with the majority of their time spent living in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions.
Liza is a small business owner employing over 50 Western Australians.
In 2010 she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance; Commerce; Small Business and was promoted to the position of Minister for Police and Road Safety in 2012. She was given the added responsibility of Small Business and Women’s Interests after the March 2013 State Election. The Tourism portfolio replaced Small Business in August 2013, which was later replaced in December 2014 by the Training and Workforce Development portfolio. In February 2016 Liza was elevated to the position of Deputy Premier.
What does gender equality mean to you?
Being equal is not a privilege but a right. Gone are the days, thankfully, where gender roles were specific. Where women were only permitted to stay at home and did the washing, swept the floor and tendered to children.
The world has changed and we must change with it. We must realise that everyone — regardless of their gender, their colour, where they were born, what they look like — are created equal.
Everyone has a right to be treated properly, to be respected, to be included.
Everyone, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the American Declaration of Independence, has the “inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
Everyone.
Which female politicians have inspired or encouraged you?
My number one, without doubt, would be Edith Cowan. To come from such a tough background like hers — an orphan at 14 after her father was hanged for murdering her stepmother, her real mother having died in childbirth when she was seven — and then go onto become the first female MP in Australia was something special.
Her bio is extraordinary reading. A fighter for the under-privileged, especially women and children, she created the Karrakatta Club which then led the charge on women’s suffrage.
She was also the leading light in the creation of King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, and helped form the Women’s Service Guild and the Children’s Protection Society, where as a magistrate she successfully argued that children be treated differently from adults by the courts.
When she was elected to the WA Legislative Assembly in 1921 she was almost 60. She copped plenty of abuse from her political opponents, often spurred on by her wonderful habit of knitting in the Chamber. A remarkable woman.
On a more contemporary level, WA’s first female Attorney-General Cheryl Edwardes and federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds have been very inspiring. They are strong, capable women who have excelled at their chosen careers, juggled families, and always found plenty of time to help out countless others behind the scenes, without seeking reward or recognition.
Truly outstanding women.
What inspired you to serve your community?
It started quite innocuously. There were some new laws the government at the time was contemplating which directly affected the small business I was running with my late husband, Hal.
They were silly, ill-thought-out laws around the fishing industry that would have really hit us for six and they were based on pure ideology, not common sense or science.
I was already a member of the Liberal Party, so I thought to myself; if you want to change things, it’s no use just sitting back and complaining — you’ve got to roll up your sleeves, get in there and have a crack.
I did, managed to get pre-selection for the seat of Scarborough, and then won the seat at the 2008 State election.
The new rules, that would have really hurt our business and others like it, did not eventuate.
It’s an adage I live my life by; if you want to change things, get in there and have a go.
What are the most important contributions you are making in Parliament?
I would like to think that I am flying the flag for women who believe they can make a difference.
As Leader of the WA Opposition, I’m acutely aware of my responsibilities to my electorate, by state and my party, and work hard to make sure that every day I do my best to make the world a better place.
Politics can be a rough and tumble game and the parliamentary debates can be quite willing, but I would like to think that I offer a common-sense perspective to any legislation the government of the day may introduce, based around the sound principles of the Liberal Party and my business experience.
What is next for gender equality in politics?
I’m really not sure that we have completely smashed through the glass ceiling when it comes to politics. I suspect there are still some MPs and senior bureaucrats out there who still under-rate women on the basis of their sex. Not many, mind you, but still too many.
We need to make sure that we hold all politicians to account over their language, their gestures and their attitudes towards women. We must continue to call out sexist behaviour loud and clear.
Gratefully, the vast majority of Australians understand that certain language that may have been okay in the front bar of the 1980s is now not acceptable.
We have made monumental steps forward but still have some ways to go.
In Her Seat interviews can be accessed here
