Culture

New Australian Of The Year David Morrison Calls For A Republic And Pay Equity In Electrifying Speech

"In a country that prides itself on its egalitarianism, I can't explain why there is a gender pay gap."

by Alex McKinnon  25 January 2016

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

At a ceremony in Canberra earlier tonight, former Chief of Army and chair of the Diversity Council Australia David Morrison was named as 2016’s Australian of the Year. Morrison served in the Australian Army for 37 years, four of those as its head, but he is most well-known to the wider public for his 2013 video address to soldiers and officers after allegations surfaced of male service members circulating emails that contained material derogatory to women.

In that video, which received global attention and marked a heightened interest in the Defence Forces’ attitudes towards women, Morrison told service members they should “get out” of the Army if they could not accept the presence or contribution of women. The speech was lauded, at the time and since, as an example of a powerful male authority figure using his position and influence to affect positive change in an area where silence and collusion often dominate.

(It’s worth noting that Morrison’s fellow AOTY nominee, Caitlin McGregor AM, was employed as Morrison’s speechwriter at the time he gave the address. McGregor later came to national prominence as Australia’s highest-ranking transgender military officer — a decision in which she was supported by Morrison, to the extent that he refused to accept her resignation after she confided in him.)

Since that speech, Morrison has been a profilic and active voice in the push for equality and diversity as the head of the Diversity Council Australia, but it is that speech which still rings a bell in most people’s minds. Now, having been named the newest Australian of the Year, Morrison’s delivered another speech which is sure to cause ripples.

Highlights are below:

“For reasons beyond education or professional qualifications, or willingness to contribute, or desire to be a part of our society and our community, too many of our fellow Australians are denied the opportunity to reach their potential.

“It happens because of their gender. Because of the god they believe in. Because of their racial heritage. Because they’re not able-bodied. Because of their sexual orientation.

“We as a nation, looking forward to the future, realising the extraordinary contributions that we can all make, should be able to give them the chance to reach their potential because when they do, we all benefit. That’s what true diversity is about, and why I am so passionate about it.

“I think it only fair to name the three areas that I would like to give my greatest support to. The first is to continue the work done by the most remarkable woman, Rosie Batty. She has set a benchmark for us all, and the scourge of domestic violence, which faces us as one of our great social issues, won’t be solved in a year. Maybe in 50 or 100 years, but it is up to us in our lifetimes to do something about it, and I look forward to contributing to her great work.

“The second area is diversity, and as the chair of the Diversity Council Australia, I know what we can do when we give everyone a fair go. But in a country that prides itself on its egalitarianism, I can’t explain why there is a gender pay gap in this country, between men and women across all professions, of 17.8 percent, and worse in many of the professions that we are all proud to be part of. That needs to end.

“And finally — and with great respect to those who don’t share my views, and recognising our proud history of European settlement in this country and beyond, over 200 years and more — I will lend my voice to the republican movement in this country.

“It is time, I think, to at least revisit the question, so that we can stand both free and fully independent amongst the community of nations.”