23 Feb 2016
Body Image Campaign
The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN ( 15:24 :06 ): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, representing the Minister for the Status of Women, a question regarding the government’s Body Image SA project.
Leave granted.
The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN: This is a question I was going to ask the Hon. Gail Gago, the former minister for the status of women, so I will take the opportunity to acknowledge her contribution to the council as leader of the government. The designer of this year’s Clipsal grid girl outfit recently described the new design as having plenty of sex appeal. She is quoted as saying ‘there’s still a bit of cleavage going on’, and there are ‘some racy surprises which the target audience should enjoy’. My questions are:
1.Will the minister concede that the sexism blatantly portrayed and even celebrated by the grid girl outfits contradicts the fundamental aims of the government’s Body Image SA project being led by the Women’s Information Service?
2.Will the minister make any representations to the Premier about the issue of grid girls and the sexism they represent?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) ( 15:25 :13 ): I thank the honourable member for his most intriguing question. I didn’t understand a lot of it, personally, but I do understand—
Members interjecting:
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Is that funny? I do understand that my former leader, of course, has been very active in this area and has been out there always running the best fight she possibly can against sexism, and also standing up for young women in our society and all the pressures they are put under by such inappropriate behaviour. With regard to his specific questions, I will undertake to take them to the minister in another place and bring back a response, and will do so with alacrity.
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