Jane Norman: I am joined by the Melissa Price, the Minister for Defence Industry. Minister thank you for your time.
Firstly what is your response to these allegations against Coalition staffers?
Melissa Price: When I was watching the news like everyone else, I was standing there with a number of my male colleagues, my first reaction was shock, but may I just make the point, not as shocking as an allegation of rape in Parliament House.
Let’s just make sure we’re very clear about that.
I was shocked, but then I felt disappointment, because these allegations are an illustration of how poorly women are thought of in Parliament House.
As a female Member of Parliament, as a female Minister, I believe I treat everyone incredibly respectfully and equally and for me, that is how I felt, just so disappointed.
People do stupid things, we know that and our work place is not perfect, by a long shot. Unfortunately a lot of workplaces around our country are not perfect either.
Jane Norman: So one of the more awful acts, that one of these staffers was allegedly masturbating on the desk of a female Liberal MP. Isn’t that just a disgustingly degrading act?
Melissa Price: Yes, of course it is. For me, I thought much more deeply about it and I thought well, “how do I feel?”
These are people that are working amongst us, people that we engage with on a day-to-day basis.
They appear to be respectful, but are they? So, you know we need to have a much bigger conversation and we’re talking about Federal Parliament, clearly we should have the best work practices, people should behave well.
Lets face it, it is an incredible honour to work in the Federal Parliament, and indeed in any Parliament around the country, but we need to have a bigger conversation in Australia.
About respectful behaviour and we keep hearing about this as a female problem, this is not a female problem.
This is a man problem.
Jane Norman: So who needs to lead the change? How do we change the culture?
Melissa Price: I think today the Prime Minister’s address and, who can’t watch that and, I mean I cried.
I know many of my colleagues male and female did shed a tear because they thought that was an incredibly powerful presentation and I think we really do have a line in the sand now.
I hope that women around Australia and men who are watching that press conference today, that they know that our Government has heard you, and we need to take action.
Words are cheap, we know that, but around the country, workplaces, state parliaments, local governments, in and around our own electorate offices, leaders need to step up.
That’s not just women, but that’s men as well.
Jane Norman: The Prime Minister is accused of I suppose not reading the mood of the nation, we have had thousands of women protesting outside Parliament last week and of course he made those comments about Myanmar and bullets, I mean has he late to the party here, has he misread just how much of a movement is happening right now?
Melissa Price: No I don’t believe so and I think he made that very clear today in his press conference, that what he has been doing for the last four weeks has been listening, listening to female colleagues, like myself.
Listening to no doubt the females in his family and I think people can understand very clearly from his press conference just how much those women mean to him.
And he’s been listening to] female friends and colleagues. I believe that is what’s been happening in the last four week, we are now at that point where we need to take action.
And it isn’t just Federal Parliament that needs to take action, and as the Prime Minister said today, nothing is off the table.
So I encourage people to think about their own actions and I’ve been interested in my own conversations outside of this place, so last weekend about men having conversations with one another and actually checking themselves, like what do I do, am I being as respectful as what I should be with women?
So I think we are now starting to have this conversation, a national conversation and frankly if we all focus 100 per cent on what our Prime Minister says, who clearly is the leader of our Federal Government and the Prime Minister of our nation, his words are not the only words that we should focus on.
I think today, as I said it’s a line in the sand, but men need to step up.
Jane Norman: Are you worried that a lot of Australian women have stopped listening to the Prime Minister? Because they have been so disappointed by his response over a series of stories and allegations over the past month?
Melissa Price: No I don’t believe you can say that.
I think there is no doubt that women, and I see this from women who definitely vote our way and they are starting to be concerned that they haven’t been heard.
I don’t mind saying that, I think today we’ve definitely seen the line in the sand, and now we can all move forward, we’ve all got a role to play here Jane.
You know the media, also needs to start talking about, not just what’s happening in amongst the walls here at Parliament House.
But whats happening right across Australia.
Jane Norman: So you said you’ve been speaking with the Prime Minister, what are you telling him? You’ve said talk is cheap, something needs to change, what needs to change?
Melissa Price: I’m not about to here on national television talk about the specifics, but, my very clear message is, as you might have seen in an excellent opinion piece in The Australian on Friday about women’s safety.
[That is] women’s safety at home, women’s safety in the workplace and women’s safety on the street and you know, I talk about holding keys in my hand because that is a weapon, lets face it, that is a weapon.
So many women have responded to that and said “ok, I do that as well”.
Male colleagues and male partners have been surprised at that, so I think we can’t just focus on one conversation between me and the Prime Minister.
I know the Prime Minister has had many conversation, and now it is time to ac, I think we recognise that 100 per cent.
Jane Norman: One thing the Liberal Party can do is actually get more women into Parliament. Gender Equality can help change the culture, your cabinet colleague, or cabinet Minister, Karen Andrews has said its time to seriously consider quotas, what do you think?
Melissa Price: Well I think there can be no doubt that we need to have a serious conversation in our Party, with men and women, about what a quota would mean.
There is no doubt in the business world and studies have shown that the more women you have sitting around the board room, the better outcomes you have from a profitability perspective.
Jane Norman: This is a conversation you guys have been having for years now, surely this is a tipping point right? Something has to change.
Melissa Price: I don’t know that quotas are the only answer though Jane and I know in Western Australia, my own home state, we’ve been working hard and there is an attraction piece, that is to attracting good women is a good starting point.
It is not enough to just have quotas, you’ve got to attract good women and we’re starting to do that, now of course we weren’t that successful at the last state election, but my job and the job of other female colleagues is to keep those women involved, because we need good female leaders in this country.
Jane Norman: How do you get women involved when they’re looking at the stories of the past five weeks and their jaws have just dropping at how ghastly and appalling some of the behaviour has been?
Melissa Price: Look there is no doubt that the review that Kate Jenkins is about to start with regards to reviewing the workplace practices in this place is going to be critically important and I look forward to contributing to that review.
Jane Norman: All right, Melissa Price thanks for your time.
ENDS