Listening Tour

Over 1000 people took part in the 90 events held in all states and territories as part of the Listening Tour project developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission (formerly the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission). The tour was designed to determine how far issues of gender equity have progressed to date and to establish what the challenges and priorities are for the future.

Beginning in November 2007, the tour sought to maximise participation and therefore feedback from a broad range of groups. The Listening Tour specifically focused on reaching diverse groups. Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, reported, ‘I heard stories and experiences from factory workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, women’s and men’s services workers, refugees, academics, government ministers, investment bankers, gay and lesbian people, young women and older people, to name a few’.

Events were held in metropolitan, regional and remote locations and included open community consultations, focus groups targeted to specific industries, roundtables and formal meetings. An additional 128 people contributed to the Listening Tour blog,
39 612 viewers read the Commissioner’s Listening Tour diary, and the website received more than 66 000 hits.

Contributions from Listening Tour participants have been invaluable in providing a comprehensive overview of work currently being undertaken in the three key areas of: economic independence for women; balancing work and family; and freedom from discrimination, harassment and violence. They will be used to inform future decision making and priorities. The Listening Tour Community Report can be found at www.humanrights.gov.au.