Leigh Tabrett discusses the way the public service must balance the needs of numerous stakeholders, and the challenge of dealing with conflict as a woman.
Leigh Tabrett notes the incoming Education Minister Paul Braddy's agenda for the department, and comments more broadly on the relationships between the minister and their departments.
Lesley Clark discusses her experiences as a woman in parliament. She reflects on the campaign to achieve affirmative action in the Labor Party. She discusses the implementation of penalties for failing to reach quotas. She talks about the approaches of other countries and parties.
Lesley Clark describes her time as a parliamentary secretary in Health and then in Premier and Cabinet. She discusses the Smart Women, Smart State Strategy. She also discusses some of the local issues she was involved with, such as land zoning and environmental issues. She talks about the difficulties associated with dealing with public disenchantment.
Lesley Clark discusses her time as a local councillor on the Mulgrave Shire Council. She talks about the connection to the community she developed during her time in local government. She also highlights the importance of causes as an avenue for women to become involved in politics. She argues that in this period it was easier for women to get elected to state parliament if the candidate already had a profile from a period in local government. She then discusses her transition to state politics after having joined the Labor Party in 1987.
Yvonne Chapman explains how she became the first woman minister. She recalls how she was called into Joh Bjelke-Petersen's office and the subsequent press conference to announce her as the first woman minister.
Yvonne Chapman discusses her initial Address in Reply in 1983 and the ways in which she tried to protect the role of wife and mother throughout her time in parliament.
