Review of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 – Submission
Commenting on the issue paper - Rodney Stephens
I make submission as input to be heard. Commenting on the issue paper provided by the EOWW act review in regards to the obstacles that impede further progress toward equal employment opportunity within organizations and in Australia generally, providing advice (albeit personal opinion until further legal, scientific or academic research be undertaken in support of such obvious concerns of common sense) on practical ways in which the equal opportunity for women framework can be improved to deliver better outcomes for Australian women and in turn global outcomes for the betterment of women in general.
The question I ask is what is the point of sex discrimination laws, EOWW acts, or for that matter human rights legislation involving the equality of women and for that matter the equality of all in the eyes of, or under the jurisdiction of Australian Courts, when if from the outset we allow privileged sectors of our community to step outside or from being under such jurisdiction and allow by law special provision to be above legislated law with precedents set by common law. One defeats the other until all be brought before the High Court of Australia for determination of interpretation of such law and usually at great cost to our Australian community.
The issue at core we are dealing with is not so much equal opportunity but rather eliminating long held prejudices against women in general and not just in the workplace. Low-level prejudice having a high participation rate of discrimination within our community is the difficulty faced by many, if not most in some form or another.
Religion, because it is religion and dealing with human belief systems have for far to long in my view, been excluded from the processes of law or equal opportunity debates under the guise of having their own law to deal with such matters, indeed self-regulating. However to date the self-regulation has failed modern Australian women equality of opportunity in the workplace in many forms inclusive of the unpaid workplace commonly known as and referred to as a home.
While to date the courts in most, if not all judgments have concluded that religious law or code does not exempt particular religions from coming under the jurisdiction of our Australian justice system, be it legislative, common, public or civil in nature, however religions do enjoy exemption from sexual discrimination law under section 37 of the Sex Discrimination Act and so the prejudice and effects of such discrimination remains overall as community attitudes reflect a “good enough for them, good enough for me” belief of fairness in an unfair legal situation, concurring that what one believes determines one’s behaviour, incurring a fairness for me at an expense resulting in unfairness of others, whilst to the detriment of overriding universal religious law pertaining to caring and respecting of others equally as to oneself.
As for example I pose the question why can’t an Australian women ever be entitled to hold the rank or position of Pope-hood, and suggest that this prejudice opens the door to many if not to all of the forms of low-level prejudice extending even higher participation rates of discriminations long held against women brought to light and evidenced in hindsight of the issues paper that now brings the need of review and inquiry into the effectiveness of existing and established law to solve such issues raised and presented, and at such great expense, in dollar terms as well as in terms of time and effort, to our Australian community, our culture, and our values of fairness for all that have stemmed from the law of kindness and the yoke of freedom quoted by Jesus Christ in the scripture Matthew 7:12.
The greater expense is found in the broader discriminations enduring due to such exemptions, as the prejudices feed out from the family unit into the broader community and into the family of humankind itself. Will we ever deal with race, religious, economic, environmental, height, weight or age discriminations, without first dealing with the sex discriminations held firmly within most Australian homes and disregarding of the prejudice against the equality of most Australian women with denial of such practices and behaviours by most Australian men? I don’t believe so but rather possibly even perpetuating.
And the cost to community feeds out as violence and it’s costs, or even relationship breakdown and the human emotional damage done to our children in witnessing and experiencing such terrorising horrors of hypocrisy working it’s way out as prejudice leading to the bullying discriminations against women and other vulnerable sectors such as overseas students as a current and in vogue example.
EOWW is a vital link to a caring, respectful and modern productive society that I hope can be enhanced by bringing the religions into line with our modern pluralistic laws that reflect our modern Australian values of a fair go for all and until such time of true EOWW (as the issue paper determines and highlights as not totally true yet and still requiring further strengthening) I believe there remains the need for the EOWW act to stand alone and not be incorporated into other law, having the EOWA strengthened and empowered beyond tribunal enforcement and firmly remaining under supervision and responsibility of The Minister for the Status of Women until such time that section 37 of Sex Discrimination Act be repealed and quashed.
So in short, my recommendation is to bring the prejudice of the overriding problem causing the inequality of opportunity of working women to a halt by bringing the largest proponents and perpetrators of discrimination against women (puposedly exempt religious doctrine and dogma) into line with modern Australian values or have the offending religious organizations cease their operations within our borders, thus beginning true equalisation of opportunity for Australian women in Australian workplaces inclusive of boardrooms, politics, military, religious orders and also in the unpaid workplaces such as the home, church communities and some aged care situations.
I also take time to thank all involved for their participation and care, giving the opportunity to me to be heard and considered. Thanks for listening. Thanks for being there.
With all integrity to conscience.
Rodney Stephens
Concerned Citizen.
P.S. is it possible to be notified of recieving my submission please?
[ top ]