To what extent have Australian feminist struggles achieved a substantive and lasting gender equality? The gender report for the Democratic Audit of Australia considered this question, investigating legislation, representation, policy machinery and the women’s non-government sector. The picture that emerges from this assessment is deeply worrying. Whereas Australia was once a world leader in the global struggle for gender equality, it is now clear that in recent decades the nation has resiled from this commitment and undone many earlier achievements. Was it all for nothing?

Sarah Maddison lectures in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of New South Wales. She is co-author of the Gender Audit for the Democratic Audit of Australia (2007) and co-edited the recently published book Silencing Dissent (Allen & Unwin, 2007). Sarah has published widely on subjects including young women in the Australian women’s movement, NGOs and democracy, social movements, and Indigenous issues. She has been a long-time media commentator for Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) and is also a former Policy Officer for the NSW Department for Women.