EMILY's List (Australia)

EMILY's List Australia

EMILY's List Australia is political network in Australia that supports progressive Australian Labor Party women candidates to be elected to political office. EMILY's List Australia was inspired by EMILY's List, a Political Action Committee with similar goals in the United States.

Issues central to the organisation's support of candidates are issues of equity, diversity, pro-choice, and the provision of equal pay and childcare.

There are currently 113 EMILY's List members in Australian Parliaments. The organisation has contributed over $600,000 to Labor women's campaigns since its founding in 1996.

History

On November 26 1994, at Fire with Fire: The Feminist Forum held at the Sydney Town Hall, Joan Kirner mentioned the plan currently before the ALP National Executive to introduce an Australian version of the US Emily's List. In 1994, the ALP National Conference passed an Affirmative Action Rule requiring that women be preselected in 35 per cent of winnable seats, in all elections, by 2002. This was at the same time that the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 In 1995 ALP decided to form an internal version of EMILY's List, and in 1996 Kirner established EMILY's List Australia outside the party. with the aim to see 45% female membership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The name EMILY comes from its United States equivalent and is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast from the political saying, "Early money is like yeast, because it helps to raise the dough".

In the 2004 Federal Election campaign EMILY's List donated a total of $100,000 to candidates. Research conducted by EMILY's List and submitted to the Labor Party's national executive stated that Labor women regarded then health spokeswoman Julia Gillard as the best performer during the campaign, with then Prime Minister John Howard in second place. Of Mark Latham their submission stated; "the most common themes were: perceived aggression, concern he had been watered down for the campaign, inexperience, constantly going on about background, glib answers, bully boy tactics of the past

Organisational structure

EMILY's List Australia is run by a National Committee which includes parliamentarians, branch members and women unionists. Although it is a partisan organisation, is not controlled by the formal structures of the ALP. At the State and Territory level there are "Action Groups" (ELAG) which have their own organisational structures This is in contrast to its equivalent in the Liberal Party, the Federal Women's Committee which is an integral part of the Party structure.

Queensland Senator Claire Moore and Victorian Social Worker and political activist Hutch Hussein are currently the National Co-convenors.

Members

Candidates

Candidates which are currently supported are:

Candidate	Division	Margin
Fiona McNamara	Dickson (Qld)	-8.9%
Mia Handshin	Sturt (SA)	-6.8%
Mary Brewerton	Mayo (SA)	-11%
Karen Lock	Barker (SA)	-20%
Sharryn Jackson	Hasluck (WA)	-1.9%
Sharon Thiel	Kalgoorlie (WA)	-6.4%