Our Story
Hear Our Voice is a movement spreading the message that women's voices matter.
Hear Our Voice (HOV) was created out of the belief that the gender imbalance in our parliaments is unacceptable and needs to change.
Having more women in politics would benefit the Australian community but it is not a simple thing to achieve.
The HOV team has worked extensively with university students over the past few years looking at the issue of women and politics. We examined the circumstances in Australia as well as what's happening globally.
A dismal picture emerged.
Despite having had a female Prime Minister and a Governor General, female representation in federal parliament has stagnated in Australia since the early 2000s.
There are a number of complex reasons why inequality exists in the political arena, not just in Australia but around the world, but these reasons have nothing to do with women not being capable of political leadership or representation in our parliaments.
No country on earth has a constitution that specifically stipulates equal representation, but we want Australia to be the first country to do so. HOV wants to enshrine in the Australian Constitution that both men and women have equal representation in our federal parliament.
While it is a difficult thing to change the Australian constitution, it is possible.
There are a number of hurdles facing HOV, including apathy about inequality, hostility toward and misunderstanding of feminism, political parties who do not want to alter the way they operate and a political system that was created before women were allowed to vote and one that will not be easy to change.
We know the road ahead is difficult but this is a time of turmoil and uncertainty both nationally and internationally so now is the time for change.
Not only is political equality for women the right thing to do - it also makes good sense. Women are good leaders in the business world - we need to open the door for equal representation in the political world.
Equality is possible … a better way of running our country is possible … and HOV believes that collectively we can change the world we live in for the better.
Our Movement
Women in Australia make up just over half the population yet only 32 per cent of representatives in our federal parliament are female. This must change - women should have equal representation and equal say in what kind of Australia we want to create. Hear Our Voice is calling for the Australian Constitution to be changed to enshrine in the legislation that men and women have equal representation in our federal parliament.
What we want
HOV calls for equal representation of women in federal parliament. To ensure this happens HOV wants the Australian Constitution changed to state that both men and women have equal representation in our national parliament.
HOV wants to help create cultural change so that more women strive for positions of power.
HOV wants to see the political landscape in this country changed so that our political system is no longer adversarial or combative, which is a major reason women do not enter politics.
HOV calls for men to stand with women to create an Australia where women have equal say in what kind of Australia we want to create.
HOV encourages women to stand together and strive for positive change – together our voices will be impossible to ignore!
Get Involved
Supporting Hear Our Voice's efforts, signing our petition and donating are all ways of helping us achieve our goals together.
Contribute
Your donation can help us promote the importance of gender equality in our parliaments. Together we can change the political landscape in this country for the better!
