Aus-PNG Network: What Papua New Guinean women need to get elected to Parliament

The people of Papua New Guinea will head to the polls in July this year to decide who will be their representatives in the National Parliament.

View this email in your browser Aus-PNG Network Podcast What Papua New Guinean women need to get elected to Parliament The people of Papua New Guinea will head to the polls in July this year to decide who will be their representatives in the National Parliament. Currently, Papua New Guinea has an all-men parliament, despite a record number of women standing at the last election in 2017. It is hoped that at these elections, the number of female representatives in Parliament will change. But given only seven women have ever been elected to Papua New Guinea's Parliament since it gained independence in 1975, it may prove difficult. The Seven Sisters Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation offering to provide long-term support to women seeking greater political representation. Vagi Hemetsberger, co-founder of the Seven Sisters Foundation, said the rise of money politics is one factor contributing to the challenges women face during campaign time. "In electorates where the male candidates were less generous, female candidates found that they had more of an equal playing field." Vagi argued that efforts to improve women's chances during elections need to be sustained over the five-year parliamentary term, and that both men and women should contribute to the efforts. "Partnering together with our men is necessary. We're not trying to push men to the side, we're not trying to trample over men. We definitely want to work alongside men, and I think the only way to do it is together." Whilst it's important that men contribute to the movement, Vagi recognises that other relationships are similarly important, to ensure women are successful during future elections. She argues, there needs to be strategy that involves bridging the divide between policymakers and women's civil groups, like the Seven Sisters Foundation, because the outcome will be more impactful. Part of the collaborative strategy would involve general advocacy on why it's important to have women in parliament, and education for the public about voting, like how to check their names are on electoral rolls. Join Jessica Collins, Research Fellow on the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands program, as she discusses these issues further with Vagi, and as they raise what women really need to help them get over the line and into Parliament. Our mailing address is: PO Box H-159 Australia Square NSW 1215, Australia You're receiving this email as a subscriber to the Aus-PNG Network mailing list. Click here to unsubscribe from this list or email auspngnetwork@lowyinstitute.org