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Men, women and children are gearing up to be part of the March4Justice on Monday, 15 March, in cities and towns across the country, including Gosford.
By Jackie Pearson
Keep an eye on the March4Justice events page for the latest information about the location closest to you and how to participate in a COVID-safe manner.
Could this be Australia’s #MeToo moment? The buzz around March4Justice is that it might just become one of those moments in history such as the 2000 Reconciliation Walk.
Here’s what Paralympic medallist and now Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, had to say about the March4Justice, to take place along Gosford’s waterfront from 12 noon on Monday, 15 March 2021: “It is very important that women on the Central Coast’s voices are heard.
“I am proud of women in our community who continue to stand up and fight for equity,” Ms Tesch said. “It’s not just the older women who have been at this battle for so long, it’s the young women who are now prepared to call out injustice and know that we still need to fight for a fair future,” she said.
“Once again we are seeing disgraceful leadership from men in parliament who are supposed to be role models for the whole of our society.
“Coasties will continue to be loud and call out inappropriate and disgusting behaviour and support other women to do the same.”
Gosford’s March4Justice starts at the Gosford waterfront near Brian McGowan’s bridge and will proceed along the waterfront to Gosford city park. Participants are invited to bring their banners and their passion.
The March4Justice campaign organisers and participants hope to deliver a petition to Parliament House, Canberra, demanding action on gendered violence. “We want four actions immediately, the petition says:
1. Full independent investigations into all cases of gendered violence and timely referrals to appropriate authorities.
2. Full implementation of the 55 recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report from the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2020.
3. Lift public funding for gendered violence prevention to world best practice
4. Enact a Federal Gender Equality Act to promote gender equality and include a gender equity audit of parliamentary practices.
The March4Justice call to action is “Survivors and Allies demand justice for crimes against women in Parliament” but it is developing into a much broader and deeper movement as people across Australia vocalise that they are no longer prepared to accept the inequities and injustices imposed upon them by the Canberra elite.
The list of women and men supporting the campaign is growing by the day. Women and family advocate from TheParenthood, Georgie Dent, said: “There is incredible urgency around accelerating Australia’s efforts to reduce inequality.
“On Thursday I co-signed an open letter to the Prime Minister, along with many other business and community leaders, that Nicola Forrest wrote asking Scott Morrison to prioritise women in the upcoming Federal Budget,” Ms Dent said.
“In recent weeks the absence of dignity and decency in the government’s treatment of women – inside and outside Parliament House – has unleashed an organic uprising among women and men who are fed up. Fed up enough to come together and say ‘enough is enough’.
“If we can’t keep women safe inside Parliament House, where our laws are made and power sits, how can we keep women safe anywhere?”
