International Women’s Day
On March 8th I was honoured to give the keynote speech at the International Womens Day celebration at Parliament House. I highlighted the extraordinary women in our community and the importance of ‘cracking the code’ by making telecommunications legislated as an essential service. This is why.
In June 2021 our community was severely impacted by a huge storm. On that terrifying night, 25,000 trees fell destroying homes, roads and lives. How nobody died that night is a miracle.
Power and telecommunications infrastructure critical during and after a disaster went down early.
It took 21 days for power to be restored. The NBN took 71 days
Right to left: Daniela de Martion MP, Belinda Young, Mary-Anne Thomas MP
We know that women and children are the most impacted by disasters. Loss of telecommunications during our local disaster impacted single mums more due to the lack of financial assistance. Legislating it would change this situation.
Imagine choosing between buying nutritious food and firewood or buying data. That was the reality for some locals in the Dandenong Ranges, notably single mums. This story and so many like it are why we must make telecommunications an essential service, the same and water and electricity. Purchasing mobile data ran into the hundreds of dollars as we tried valiantly to work, conduct business and remote school during what was also COVID lockdown . Why? Because unlike power, financial assistance isn’t available to help cover the immediate costs of living normally without telecommunications. We all understand the feeling of relief when the power goes back on after a blackout. But we’re not out of the dark until we’re back in the loop.
Our local mums in the Dandenong Ranges are extraordinary. Not only can they simultaneously cook a risotto while calming a toddler and responding to a work email, should their driveway be blocked by a large branch, they can grab their chainsaw, sort it out and go on their merry way. They are resilient, resourceful and connected. In the face climate change, they are exactly who you want in your community.
Telecommunications has enabled this change and so much more. I recall getting a message once. “I can hear a woman screaming. I am sure this is domestic violence and I know it is close but because of the valley, I can’t work out where she is. If this is you, and if you can leave this is my address. We will protect you”.
Without the internet, those screams would have remained lost, floating amongst the trees. You can see why I fight so strongly for our community of extraordinary women and why legislating telecommunication as essential is such a crucial issue. It connects us to other women to empower, support, motivate and ultimately thrive. I want Victoria to lead the way and be the first state or territory to legislate it. Legislating telecommunications essential would not only encourage improvements in our system on a daily basis, but following disasters, it would support people too.
If we want mums to upskill, study, and re-enter the workforce – we need guaranteed service levels in place for NBN. To enable mums to work from home we need to confront the deep biases about women, their competence and their productivity. We need to stop thinking that work can only be done well by completing a 9-5, 40 plus hour working week.
When I created Mums of the Hills I had no idea of the journey I was going on and the extraordinary women that I would find in my community. At this time when climate change is a very present threat, we need our communities to be stronger and more connected than ever. MotHs is an extraordinary example that it can be done in an ordinary community.
So let’s Crack the code, keep us in the loop and let’s recognise women for their extraordinary role in our communities. Thank you