Joe Hockey - completely out of touch with womens issues

[i-need-a-martini]

Of course it doesn't surprise me given who his boss is...

So yesterday he is invited to speak at The Executive Women Australia symposium about leadership, career advancement and board member opportunities. These women are some of the top female executives in the country. 

A friend of mine was there. She's a senior exec with CommBank and earns over $350k a year plus bonuses. She wanted to know (like everyone else there) how the Liberal Party were planning to address the unbalance experienced by professional women like her.

Instead of policies he talks about what a great asset women are in business, particularly in small businesses. And at length goes on about how his housewife mother went back to work to answer the phones at his fathers business to help him through a financial bad patch. He talks about how thrifty his grandmother was and how she struck it lucky by buying into some shares to help boost the family income.

He didn't answer a single question about policy. Only suggested that women get a good (male) mentor to help them in their careers (ignoring the fact that most of these women ARE already mentors for often junior male executives). He also said that when they were in government, they would "talk to men in senior positions to encourage them to give women better opportunities". And that women should ask corporate males "Why?" or "How would you feel if it was your daughter that was passed up for this opportunity?"

My friend walked out fuming. And she was still fuming this morning when we had a quick chat about it.

Why do I have the feeling the status of women is going to reel back 2 decades if the Liberals get in...?

[i-need-a-martini]

Was just thinking the same thing.

It will take them 3 years to formulate some policies. By then everyone will have realised they voted in a government that had nothing to offer the country.

[alexander*beetle]

And that's exactly why I didn't go. Made the mistake of going to a similar symposium before with a pollie as the guest speaker. A waste of time and infuriating to boot. Sadly, they really have no idea about business, not just women in business, but business in general. 

I was disappointed that such an well respected organisation resorted to having Hockey as a guest speaker as there are so many more interesting people around who can actually provide some input to those sort of gatherings.

[vampire-teddy]

wonder if the NLP could win if not part of a colalition

[monman12]

"A friend of mine was there. She's a senior exec with CommBank and earns over $350k a year plus bonuses. She wanted to know (like everyone else there) how the Liberal Party were planning to address the unbalance experienced by professional women like her."

So she earns "$350k a year plus bonuses" how does that relate here INAM?

" She wanted to know (like everyone else there) how the Liberal Party were planning to address the unbalance experienced by professional women like her"

I think she is being overpaid, and "everyone else there",     if she (they) actually expect a political party to intervene in what is  predominately a private enterprise matter.

[debra9275]

I just don't like him, every time I see him I'm reminded of a niggly private school boy

[twinkles**stars]

a quick chat this morning .....noting the very early hour of this thread being posted.....informed you learnt quite a lot that was discussed or not discussed at that meeting. hmmmmm

[azureline**]

he's no treasurer either. he has that likeable jolly thing happening, but he is another policy free zone.. empty , no substance.

😮

empty? I am sure he isn't..... I like Joe... but he doesn't appear to be very jolly atm, not like he used to be. I am wondering if he has had his wings clipped.....

[**meep**]

a quick chat this morning .....noting the very early hour of this thread being posted.....informed you learnt quite a lot that was discussed or not discussed at that meeting. hmmmmm

i would like to know a bit more of what he said.  No comments on EWA facebook or twitter??

 

[monman12]

So INAM, Wong is "in" and Hockey "out" ?, (but possibly not after September).

[izabsmiling]

he's no treasurer either. he has that likeable jolly thing happening, but he is another policy free zone.. empty , no substance.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/hey-big-spender-howard-the-king-of-the-loose-purse-stri...

Hey, big spender: Howard the king of the loose purse strings

Australia's most needlessly wasteful spending took place under the John Howard-led Coalition government rather than under the Whitlam, Rudd or Gillard Labor governments, an international study has found.

The International Monetary Fund examined 200 years of government financial records across 55 leading economies.

It identifies only two periods of Australian "fiscal profligacy" in recent years, both during John Howard's term in off...

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/hey-big-spender-howard-the-king-of-the-loose-purse-stri...

Responding to the IMF report, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey, who was a minister for financial services in the Howard government, said the Coalition left Labor with a $20 billion surplus and no net debt.

"It was not John Howard and Peter Costello who wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on dangerous pink batts and overpriced school halls, it was this Labor government," he said.

You could be right LL,

He didn't answer the questions the report raises either...

other than to say what Labor has/hasn't done.