Australia

A new political party promising to give women a voice in Australian politics has introduced its ACT Senate candidate. Emma Davidson was involved in the Save Melrose Primary campaign after the ACT Government announced plans to close the school.

Dozens of women from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor are in Cairns in far north Queensland, learning how to become politicians. The Australian Political Parties for Democracy program aims to increase the number of women in politics in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian Defence Force needs to embrace a new era of cultural change that will allow greater prospects for the recruitment and promotion of women within its depleted ranks.

Australia will work with Pacific Governments and the UN to strengthen women's leadership in the region. Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, said women are significantly under-represented in decision-making positions in the Pacific.

Over two decades later, Australian women are still under-represented in leadership and decision-making roles in both the public and private spheres despite comprising 50.6 percent of the country's total population and 45 percent of the country’s total workforce.

Australia got its first female prime minister on Thursday after the ruling party dumped Kevin Rudd and installed his deputy as leader.
Julia Gillard will lead the government to elections due within months.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has declared that marriage rights for same-sex couples are imcompatible with Australian culture and heritage one day after hundreds demanded their rights in Sydney and Brisbane.