Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was actually quite moved yesterday by an article in the Nine press by its national affairs editor titled 'Time to end Canberra's statues of limitation' particularly talking about the lack of statues of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and women political figures. In fact, there are more kelpies now in statues than either of those two significant representative bodies. Rob Harris, the author, is right. The reality is that we expect to see more statues of women and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. There should be statues to Dorothy Tangney, Enid Lyons and Neville Bonner, amongst others.

There should also be a statue in honour of the namesake of my electorate of Goldstein—Vida Goldstein, who stood for the values of freedom, service, justice and respect. She was an incredible Australian. She was the first woman to stand for parliament in the former British Empire. She was a suffragette who inspired others all around the world. She fought for the right of women to vote, buy a home and enter marriages on the same terms as men. When I speak to many people across the country and sometimes, unfortunately—as you'll know, Deputy Speaker Vamvakinou—I have to correct the pronunciation of her name, it's quite clear that there is not a proper acknowledgement of her legacy. In fact, recently there have been books written by Clare Wright and Jacqueline Kent on her important legacy and why it should be honoured. Statues are not the solution to bigger challenges, but it would be good if young women coming to Canberra could see leaders.