[Formal acknowledgements]
There are a great many MPs and Senators here from across a number of political parties, and I thank you for your support. We do want to make this a very broad-based event, an event which has support across the political spectrum, and I thank you for doing that.
I also always like to acknowledge my mother who is here, and, as Sonya [Feldoff] has already mentioned, Alexandra, who is at her first Breakfast. My mum was the first person who taught me about feminism and in many ways is the reason I have the politics I hold.
There are a number of things I want to mention today before our guest speaker [Anne Summers], who I think needs no introduction.
Sonya mentioned this is the 20^th anniversary of the Breakfast and thats a wonderful thing. Adelaide should be very proud about the way in which this Breakfast has become part, not only Mad March, but of the annual calendar.
To former Senator Rosemary Crowley: Rosemary and a number of other people set up this group, and as Sonya said, Lowen Partridge and Judy Chatfield from the original Committee are here. I think those women deserve a round of applause for establishing this tradition. Thank you very much. (Applause)
It was interesting sitting here and watching the slide show which showed the various speakers over the years and remembering attending those Breakfasts. And of course, over that 20 years, a lot has changed.
We have a female Governor, female Governors of states in NSW and Queensland; and, of course, we have our first female Prime Minister and the highest number of women in the federal Cabinet of which I am a part.
Can I also pay tribute to Joan Child who passed away just over a week ago.
Joan was the first female Labor member of the House of Representatives which remarkably didnt occur until 1974. She and the many women or, unfortunately, the few women of that period and a little earlier, really paved the way for the many women who are now in federal Parliament. Women like Anne Rushton, women like myself, and we honour those who have gone before.
As the Prime Minister said, Joan was determined to be judged by her character, not her gender". Its a good aspiration.
There is much to celebrate on International Womens Day. We know the struggle it took to get us to the point we are today. Whether it was the struggle here in this state to get the right to vote, or to get the first woman elected to Parliament Edith Cowan in 1921; as well as the remarkable strides in public policy that have been made, whether its the Sex Discrimination Act or the Paid Parental Leave Scheme introduced last year.
But its also a day when we should look ahead to what more needs to be done and what else needs to be done in the world in which we live.
As we were reminded by the very important presentation by UN Women Australia, we have to recall today also the continued oppression of women around the world.
One of the things this Breakfast does, as well as bringing together women from across the community, schools, and women of all ages, is raise money to go towards important programs elsewhere in the world where women are less privileged than we are in this country. And the money raised today will be going to the Critical Services Initiative in Papua New Guinea to support women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence.
The theme of this years International Women's Day is: The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum.
Its a timely theme because the campaign for equality requires constant work and whilst we have made progress, we also know that time of itself is never an automatic enabler of progress.
Thats why we have to continue to look ahead and understand what we have to do, particularly for the next generation of women.
Today I do want to again emphasise the importance of all of us across the world, and in our own communities, of standing up against violence against women which regrettably remains so prevalent globally and is a pre-requisite for genuine equality.
In terms of the Breakfast, I did want to thank, on your behalf, a number of people. This is a very big event. Its an event that grew out of the community and has had strong Adelaide community support as well as the support of UN Women Australia.
[Thankyous]
The last note I want to finish on is the number of schools who are here today. We have 31 schools attending today.
I want to emphasise that because because, of course, Rosemary had me as the Chair of the Committee for a few years before I eventually took over as host when I entered Parliament one of the things that was very much a priority for me and for the Committee at that time was to ensure we had as many young women as possible at this event.
Because I think the inter-generational story is such an important womens story and such an important feminist story.
So Im very very grateful to the teachers, the staff and the students at those schools who attend. I hope you have the opportunity not only to listen to the speakers today but a chance to have a chat to some of the women who are here because there are some women in this room who are community heroes real Sheroes, as you would say for the womens movement and for women in the South Australian community.
And, for me, it is a wonderful and frankly a very moving thing to be at an event where I have my mother and my aunts and also our daughter Alexandra.
It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of women across generations sharing their experiences and learning from each other.
Thank you very much.
ENDS