It’s International Women’s Day.

IWD serves to remind us of the work left to do around issues like gender equality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women.

But it’s also a day to celebrate the successes women have had and the change that they have achieved.

Today, Australia’s two first federal female politicians, Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons, have had their likenesses unveiled in the first female statues to appear in the parliamentary zone in Canberra, created by sculptor Lis Johnson.

Dame Dorothy was the first woman elected to the Australian Senate, and Dame Enid was the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives and to serve in the federal Cabinet. Both women were elected in 1943.

At Nexus APAC, we are taking the opportunity this International Women’s Day to particularly celebrate the significant number of new members of parliament who are women.

The 47^th Parliament, elected in May 2022, is the most gender-diverse Parliament in Australia’s history. 58% of newly elected MPs and Senators are women, and 44% of all elected representatives are women.

Th 47^th Parliament is also the Parliament that has looked most like modern Australia, with 23% of the Parliament is now from non-European backgrounds, and 4.8% are First Nations peoples. And most of those are women too.

Ahead of this International Women’s Day, the Nexus APAC team was lucky enough to speak to two new Members of Parliament, Dai Le MP and Senator Tammy Tyrrell, asking their opinion on IWD, the role of Parliament and politics.

Dai Le is the Independent Federal Member of Parliament for Fowler, the electorate covering Sydney’s outer southwestern suburbs. Before Parliament, Dai spent time as a journalist, and in local government, particularly as Deputy Mayor of Fairfield City Council. She is the first person of Vietnamese heritage and refugee background elected to the Australian Parliament.

Senator Tammy Tyrrell is a Jacqui Lambie Network Senator for Tasmania. She has spent time in employment advisory, community development, and the eight years prior to her election as an electorate officer for Senator Jacqui Lambie.

Please see our interviews with Dai and Tammy below.

Dai Le MP

1. In your opinion, what has been the most significant achievement for women in Australian politics?

The Australian political system has come a long way since 1943 when Enid Lyons, the first woman to serve in the House of Representatives and Dorothy Tangney the first woman to serve in the Senate, first walked through the doors of the Australian Parliament.

Since then, we have seen our first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard hold office from 2010 -2013. Today, I am so proud to be part of Australia’s 47th Parliament – the most diverse parliament in Australia’s history, with women now making up 38% of the House of Representatives and 57% of the Senate.

As the first woman of Vietnamese heritage to serve as the Independent Member for Fowler, an electorate named after Lillian Fowler – the first Mayor of Sydney. I am humbled to be surrounded by a group of intelligent, gracious and inspirational women on the crossbench. There is certainly more to do when it comes to equality for women in parliament, and I know that our current representation is just the start of a bigger change.

2. The UN’s theme for 2023 is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme recognises and celebrates women and girls’ contributions to technology and online education. What is a contribution of a woman which stands out to you?

We live in a technological age – and yet, we still see men dominating the news around technology. We need to reframe our perspectives around the work women are doing in this field; we need to educate and inform our peers and the media to do better in profiling women in technology. Nina Nguyen is a shining example of a young woman of Vietnamese refugee heritage who grew up in Fowler. She began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16, and today, she is the founder and CEO of Pakko, a packaging manufacturing company based in Brisbane. Nina is the brains behind her organisation’s Interactive Design Platform – she developed an online system to allow her customers to design and create their own custom packing online. I know that Nina is not alone, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of young women out there right now who are creating and developing life-changing online platforms.

3. If you could choose the theme for international women’s day 2024, what would it be?

That’s a tough one – there are so many! Although, I would like to see a theme that empowers young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

4. One tip for women who want to be involved in politics.

 Believe in yourself.

Senator Tammy Tyrrell

1. In your opinion, what has been the most significant achievement for women in Australian politics?

Not giving up on the dream, pushing back on the boys club, and ensuring that politics has a female voice. We need more diversity in politics, and I’m glad to see more women’s voices that represent so many different stages of life, cultures and experiences.

2. If you could choose the theme for International Women’s Day 2024, what would it be?

Acceptance. Not judging or tearing each other down, supporting our differences both physically and mentally. Just because I’m not a supermodel, an influencer, or a rocket scientist doesn’t mean that I don’t deserve respect and acceptance of my opinion or how I travel through this life.

I think this acceptance is a lot harder for young people in the social media era, where it’s easy to judge others or say things you wouldn’t say in real life. I say believe in yourself and be kind to others.

3. One tip for women who want to be involved in politics.

Talk to your family and friends. Let them know that you love them and care about them, even when you are unavailable to them. You will spend a lot of time away from them. But they’ll keep you grounded and remind you of who you are, warts and all.

Above all, believe in yourself and always trust your moral compass. Even when people are telling you something different. Especially when they are telling you something different.

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