Rachel Power, Emily’s List JULIA GILLARD NEXT GENERATION INTERNSHIP REPORT 2023

In her report for Emily’s List Raising her voice: Amplifying the voices of women and minoritised groups in politics, 2023 Julia Gillard Next Generation intern Rachel Power explores the impact of referendum campaigns on the communities they affect, and outlines strategies to promote women’s political involvement and pathways to electoral politics.

The report also identifies systematic changes which can ensure that women from socially minoritised groups are better represented in the Australian parliament.

“Electing a critical mass of women with a diverse set of experiences is necessary to enable systematic change toward more inclusive policymaking.”

– Rachel Power, ‘Raising her voice’ report

Through interviews with current Members of Parliament (MPs) in Australia and Teachta Dálaí (TDs) in Ireland, election candidates, campaign leaders and women who canvassed for referendum campaigns, the report finds that campaigns on social issues present opportunities for women across the political pipeline. Referenda are found to provide:

• pathways to political involvement for groups underrepresented in electoral politics.
• practical experience for emerging leaders which can counter a gendered confidence gap.
• platforms to promote the voices of women Parliamentarians and to tackle gendered stereotypes.
• opportunities to model active allyship when campaigning, and in policymaking.
• a basis to develop networks of supporters for marginalised groups, who may go on to campaign for aligned causes.

The report also places a gender lens on social change campaigns, to find that:

• Women are critical campaigners and advocates, often making a case for change on issues which disproportionately affect women.
• Women with minoritised identities – including First Nations women, women from Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) backgrounds, LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities – provide a distinct perspective on campaigns and policymaking. These voices should be heard in representative politics.
• Organisations which represent women’s interests can play a distinct role in mobilising allies and advocating for an intersectional lens to be placed on issues.
• There is a role for people of all genders to model allyship and consider distributional impacts in policymaking.

About the author

Rachel Power is an economic consultant with a passionate belief that policy reforms can support a more diverse and inclusive Australian society and economy. Rachel is a Manager at Deloitte Access Economics, where she works on policy design, evaluation and economic modelling and research projects. Her work on topics of education, migration, and social policy aims to support economic participation and better outcomes for disadvantaged and marginalised cohorts.