Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Environment in Australia, has spoken out about her own experiences with violence against women and how they have shaped her career. She revealed that as a young woman, she was a victim of an assault on the street and received threats of rape while working as a women’s officer at the university.
Ms Plibersek has been aware of family violence issues since childhood and as the women’s officer at the University of Technology in Sydney, she counselled women and organised for security guards to escort them to their cars.
She also revealed that she was stalked at university and coached young women through their struggles, with many feeling pressured into having sex, sometimes with members of the teaching staff.
Ms Plibersek’s record on women’s issues and domestic violence speaks for itself. As the Minister for Women in the Rudd and Gillard governments, she brought in the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children, which is being revised to include matters of prevalence today. Her daughter, Anna, is continuing her work and has launched The Survivor Hub, a not-for-profit group that offers support for survivors.
In the upcoming biography ‘Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms’, Ms Plibersek shared her story on her leadership ballot and life in politics. She revealed that when campaigning began before the 2010 election, she found out she was pregnant with her third child.
While she desperately wanted to progress her career, she had to acknowledge that the timing was wrong. She told Julia Gillard, the party leader, that the timing for promotion wasn’t right, but it was understood between them that as soon as she was ready, she would be promoted to cabinet.
Ms Plibersek said that she doesn’t want other women to hear of her decision to postpone a role in cabinet and think it means they can’t also have a career in parliament.
Ms Plibersek’s daughter, Anna, also spoke out about her own experience with violence and abuse by her then-boyfriend as a teenager. She lost weight and withdrew from her loved ones before speaking up and pressing charges.
Ms Plibersek chose not to contest the Labor leadership so she could support her daughter through the court process. She said listening to Anna give her victim impact statement to the court was the hardest hour she has experienced as a parent.
Ms Plibersek’s biography, which is being released on March 7, was not something she pushed for but agreed to participate in several interviews after it was made clear the book would be published regardless of her cooperation.
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