There’s no skirting big issues

A WOMAN’S parliamentary career is not worth the sacrifice — unless it is for more than personal gain, says former Greens leader Christine Milne. Ms Milne has used her new autobiography, An Activist Life, to warn female parliamentarians not to abandon their values for the sake of “popularity and profile”. Although she welcomes greater representation of women in parliament, she says many are not necessarily “feminists or role models for the advancement of women’s rights”, particularly when “bound by party lines”. “If we fail to stop the slide into Hollywood, we will see women elected to parliament, but we will not see advances on common decency, on aaddressing women’s rights, fafamily violence, global wwarming, the environment, ppay parity, marginalisation, hhousing, superannuation gaps, child care, overseas aid — and the list goes on,” Ms MMilne writes. She points out that former pprime minister Julia Gillard’s fafamous misogyny speech was delivered the same day Ms Gillard voted to cut financial susupport for single parents. “Her prime ministership was a lost opportunity for the rights of women, refugeerefugees, Aboriginal people and the LGBTI community,” Ms Milne says. When asked by women for advice about getting into politics, Ms Milne says she warns against viewing it “as simply a career choice”. “Regard it as one huge opportunity in a life of activism, but only do it if you have a clear idea of the changes you want to make,” she says. “It is not worth the sacrifices if it is only about your own advancement.” Today in Christine Milne lets loose on “white male privilege”, the demands of pesky book editors, and her fury at constantly being told to smile.