Queensland moves to see more women and girls recognised in public spaces

The Palaszczuk Government has thrown its support behind eight-year-old Malia Knox who has been advocating for public statues, pictures and plaques to have a stronger representation of women and girls across the State.

Attorney-General and Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman said there are only three statues of women in Brisbane and applauded Malia for her efforts and work towards gender equality.

“It’s fantastic to see young Queenslanders like Malia are passionate about gender equality, speaking out and calling for change,” Ms Fentiman said.

“We know there is a huge disparity between male and female representation across our public monuments thanks to Malia’s work on her #femalefaces4publicplaces project.

“I always say ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, and if we can honour women’s achievements and have them on display for young girls everywhere, then we are helping to show young girls that they can do anything.”

Malia’s project started on a visit to Sherwood Arboretum when she asked her mother Kelley Knox why all the plaques at the central promenade were for men.

After further research Malia could only find three statues of women in Brisbane, this sparked her idea to start a Parliamentary Petition which attracted almost 800 signatures.

The Attorney said the Palaszczuk Government is committed to making sure Queensland’s public monuments are contemporary and reflect the communities we live in.

“Last week, the Premier amended the Queensland Government Framework for Considering Proposals to Establish Memorials and Monuments of Significance,” Ms Fentiman said.

“This will ensure submissions for proposed monuments or memorials on State Government land will need to include a response advising consideration of inclusion and diversity principles.

“By doing all we can to increase the representation of real women and girls in memorials and monuments in Queensland, we are continuing to make a positive difference to the lives of women and girls in Queensland, such as Malia.”

ENDS

Media contact:                             Inga Williams               0439 949 719