Mrs MAY (3:28 PM) —It is a pleasure to join my colleagues today in recognising International Women's Day. However, let us not forget that this is not just about a day for women to celebrate with a great lunch or dinner. It is a day for reflection on the achievements and milestones women have reached over centuries, it is a day to remember that the struggle for fairness and equity for women around the globe is still not over, it is a day to think about those millions of women in developing countries—hungry women with little or no resources—who struggle daily to feed their families.

Today is a day for reflection but it is also a day to think about the development of policies for the future. It is an international action day for all women right around the globe to look to the future in the fight against discrimination againstwomen, whether that be at home, with domestic violence and rape—one of the greatest human rights challenges of our time—discrimination in the workplace; more friendly workplace environments, with more flexibility to enable women to work and raise a family; politics and policy matters involving women and family; and international peace and social progress.

Women have much to offer. The United Nations believes that human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women. Today we can reflect on the struggle for equality, peace and development and use our influence to unite women around the globe in common goals.

Women have achieved much in our own country but some would say—and I would agree—not enough. There is always more to be done in achieving equality and fairness. I would like people to stop and think about those women around the globe who have achieved very little because of conflict or social policy that does not recognise women as individuals, because of disease and natural disasters, because of ignorance on cultural and religious grounds and because of a lack of education—they have not been given the opportunity to learn. In so many countries women are second-class citizens with no rights, living in communities or countries where they have no equal footing with men. They are just baby factories with no access even to proper health care.

How did we end up with an International Women's Day? Where did it all begin and why? The day had humble beginnings around the world. In 1857 women working in clothing and textile factories in New York City staged a protest against inhumane working conditions and low wages. The police attacked these women and dispersed them. Two years later these women formed their first labour union to try to protect themselves and gain some basic rights in the workplace. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, voting rights and an end to child labour. From this march, the Socialist Party of America designated the last Sunday in February for the observance of National Women's Day. The first ever National Women's Day was celebrated in the United States on 28 February 1909.

And so we have reached where we are today. But we still have a long way to go so that all women, no matter where they live, enjoy the same human rights that we enjoy in this country. The theme for this year's International Women's Day is `Women and HIV-AIDS'. HIV-AIDS is a growing and disastrous problem for women around the globe and seems to go hand-in-hand with poverty. There are 1.3 billion people living in abject poverty, and 70 per cent of those people are women and many are HIV-positive. Even though these women are the poorest and most marginalised women in the world, they are still charged with the responsibility of raising children, with little or no access to health care or paid employment. These women live with the day-to-day struggle of survival.

I believe that women hold the key to addressing the worldwide issue of poverty and disease. Women legislators around the world can work together to ensure that policies and programs to assist these women in developing countries get the green light. They need to be funded and supported by our governments. We have the ability to ensure that our country continues to stay involved with programs that will help these women to climb out of the desperate situations they find themselves in. It is about education programs, it is about health and nutrition programs, and it is about family planning. It is about breaking down barriers in so many countries where women are never given the opportunity to break the poverty cycle. In short, their basic human rights are ignored.

However, not all is doom and gloom. As women we have a lot to celebrate today—the achievements and sacrifices of so many in the past that have given us what we have today. But I say to my colleagues in the House today that we must continue to fight for the rights of all women around the globe; we must never forget that the struggles we have been through are only just beginning for so many others. I commend the motion to the House.