BEING informed and involved in politics was the main message from Parliamentary Speaker Fiona Simpson when she addressed more than 100 members of Cleveland’s University of the Third Age this morning.
Ms Simpson, who became Queensland’s first female Parliamentary Speaker in May last year, was invited to address the meeting about women in politics after she wrote an article on the subject this year.
The audience listened as she spoke about her role lobbying for changes to Queensland’s Criminal Code after an eight-month pregnant woman lost her unborn child when she was kicked in the stomach by her partner.
“Under the Criminal Code at the time, the offender could only be charged with using force to procure an abortion,” Ms Simpson said.
“The woman took up the case on the Criminal Code to be changed and I took up her plight and took it to the attorney-general Denver Beanland.
“It took three years and we got to change the Criminal Code so there is now provision for a penalty to recognise the death of an unborn child after an attack on a pregnant woman.”
Ms Simpson, who is helped in the role by Cleveland MP Mark Robinson, also spoke about recognition of indigenous voters in the Constitution and said they would be mentioned in the preamble not the body of the document.
She explained part of her role as speaker and how the Constitution helped her in her role.
“It is my role, as a senior member of the parliament, to be the guardian of the rights, powers and duties of the legislature, which means ensuring the members of parliament are safe,” she said.
“Also the separations from the courts where the courts can’t impune people for something that is said in Parliament.
“I have a parliamentary responsibility to ensure that freedom of speech in parliament is protected.”
The crowd erupted in laughter when The Speaker was asked if she ever “felt like bumping some heads together”.
“I have an off button when I am in the chair and there is a panel which has a kill button which does take the sound down so it is very handy,” she joked.
Ms Simpson also said she loved getting back to her electorate after a hard day in the intense role as Speaker and said she also took seriously her role as a mentor for women in the parliament.
When asked what reforms she would make to democracy, Ms Simpson said she would improve informed citizenship.
“The best democracy is where people are informed and are involved because you can make a difference when you are involved,” she said.
Ms Simpson also agreed with a comment that youth today are not as interested in politics as f50 years ago.
“Maybe we need to give people to opportunity to see what it is like when they don’t have the freedom to vote or other freedoms we have here.”
After the meeting, Ms Simpson said she believed Parliamentary Clerk Neil Laurie would be ready to release findings from a report into the parliamentary expenses of Redlands MP Peter Dowling.
“My role was to check who was the appropriate authority to adjudicate and determine the issue,” Ms Simpson said.
