Deputy Leader of the Government
in the Senate

Launch of Look at Me! Behind the scenes of Australian Television with the Women who made it

Walsh Bay
Wednesday 20 September 2006

Thank you Maureen [Barron, AFC Chair]

• Maggie Tabberer [TV Personality]
• Lynley Marshall [Director ABC New Media and Digital Services]
• Christine Hogan [Author of the book being launched]
• Distinguished guests
• Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

I am very pleased to be here to launch the Look at Me project, a celebration of 50 years of women working in front of the camera and behind the scenes in Australian television – it is a very proud history.

It is serendipitous to be the Minister for Communications at a time when television is celebrating its half century.

Because even though I have a background in law, it was television that really made me fall in love with the industry and gave me my start on this long journey into public life.

As one of several women on Beauty and the Beast working with Clive Robertson and John Laws it gave me a unique insight into the inner workings of television that has stayed with me throughout the years.

And while only a glimpse of TV compared to some of the pioneers and stalwarts here this evening, it was enough to convince me of the determination needed and the long and sustained effort required to succeed in this industry.

The portrayal of women on television has undergone a remarkable shift.

In the early days, television often reinforced traditional gender roles – it portrayed women as carers, as wives and mothers or on the flipside as vixens or seductress’.

But there is no doubt that television has also provided generations of young girls with powerful role models.

Television has inspired generations of younger women with images of women working as actresses, presenters and journalists.

You only have to look at some of the women interviewed for Christine’s book for inspiration.

From the news sphere Geraldine Doogue, Mary Kostakidis and Jana Wendt; familiar faces from drama in Lorraine Bayly and Noni Hazelhurst and then the new breed such as the multi-talented award winning actress Claudia Karvan.
And there are even some old friends from the Beauty and the Beast days Annette Allison and Anne Wills.

Through drama, comedy and current affairs, television has also offered us a window into the worlds of many different women.

Television can be serious and seeing it can be challenging but it can also be purely unadulterated fun.

Some of the best comic writers and actors in this country are women and over the years, they have helped shape our national identity with characters that are quintessentially Australian.

From Kylie Mole to Effie to Kath and Kim and the unforgettable Magda Szubanski, women’s ability to laugh at themselves has helped to shape some unforgettable Australian television characters.

The now infamous ‘Look at Moi’ from Kath and Kim has become a catchcry for both men and women all over the country.

It also inspired the title of the book we are here to launch tonight.

Women have also been involved in television roles that have challenged tradition and changed the Australian television landscape forever.

Although it seems hard to believe in 2006, a topless woman on Number 96 is still referred to as the night ‘Australian TV lost its virginity’.

Big Brother has certainly caused us to lose more than that in recent years.

Behind the scenes

But tonight is about more than just celebrating women on the screen, it is also important to remember the women working behind the scenes in production, direction, script writing, costume design and hairdressing.

Women have also held senior positions throughout the industry, and many have made their contribution in boardrooms or in developing the policies and programs that have made the industry what it is today.

The challenge is just as great to break the glass ceiling in the board room as it is to encourage more and better parts for women on the screen.

This new publication—Look at Me! Behind the scenes of Australian television with the women who made it—is testimony to women’s hard work and dedication across the full gamut of the television industry.
The Look at Me project was commissioned by the Women Working in Television committee, which is a partnership between the:

Australian Film Commission (AFC),/ all the free-to-air television networks,/ Free TV Australia,/ the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association/ and the Screen Producers Association of Australia.

I am pleased that the Australian Government, through the AFC, contributed $30,000 to the project.

The book’s author, Ms Christine Hogan, interviewed over 40 women who have worked in the Australian television industry.

Capturing the stories of these women has been a mammoth task and will provide valuable reference and history of the contributions of the women interviewed.
Many of the experiences in the book have never been documented before and some of them are amusing, sad and even shocking.

But all these experiences form a fascinating insight into the lives of women who have contributed so much to television and to Australian culture.

It may not be overstating the case to say women have simply transformed the industry.

I would like to congratulate all those who have worked so hard on this project and in particular the interviewees.

I commend Christine Hogan for having the imagination to realise the potential of such a work and the skill to realise it.

I can now officially launch ‘Look at Me! Behind the Scenes of Australian TV with the Women Who Made It’.

I wish this wonderful book every success. Thank you