Discrimination against women

Press, 2 March 1984, Page 14

Discrimination against women

Sir,—E. Smith has accused me and Mrs Babette Francis of inaccurately reporting on the removal of sexist books from a Tasmanian high school library, citing a radio programme as proof of the inaccuracy. Mrs Francis, in her public meeting in Christchurch, related how, when recording this programme, the interviewer and Mrs Ann Hercus had questioned the accuracy of her account of the school incident. In reply, Mrs Francis had read out a letter from a group of Tasmanian Government parliamentarians to one of the parents involved, admitting the incident and apologising for it. When the programme was broadcast, Mrs Francis’s reply had been omitted. According to the “Tablet,” Radio New Zealand has admitted omitting the letter from the broadcast. Also, the allegedly dilapidated books removed from the library included some donated by a local Presbyterian minister six months previously. The Education Department has since offered to pay for a replacement set.—Yours, etc., Dr. M. VINEY. February 28, 1984.

Sir,—How will the United Nations convention on discrimination be interpreted? The only western countries to sign it are Australia, Canada and Sweden. These all have socialist governments. Some things that have happened are: an Australian judge said men had to go into a female nurses’ hostel. A women’s golf camp was judged unlawful in South Australia. The Australian Government ruled that half of road-working gangs should be women. A Canadian

court relaxed a rule that firemen be able to carry a certain weight body downstairs. In Sweden (“The Press” December) nearly 24,000 children were taken “in care” and 12,000 forcibly taken from the family. A church welfare home in Australia was forbidden to advertise for a married couple to act as parents. Let us not lose our freedom by signing a treaty which forces others’ values on to us and our children.—Yours, etc., (Mrs) M. E. FOOKES. February 27, 1984.