Ms Ritchie - Sorry, I did not hear.

Mr Aird - Don't whisper.

Mr DEAN - I have no problems in supporting the motion because certain parts of it simply ask that we note certain things and I have no difficulty with noting those aspects of the motion.

What I want to say is that my wife has elected not to work and she enjoys it and is content for me to work and she is content to go out and spend our money and content to stay at home and play tennis most of the week.

Ms Ritchie - Doesn't she pick your clothes out for you as well? I think you told me that; she is content to do that as well, apparently.

Mr DEAN - She is quite content to do that as well.

Mrs Smith - And does it very well.

Mr DEAN - That is a choice of my wife. However, I might say this, scholastically my wife was a high achiever and did hold down employment and achieve what she wanted to do in employment and then made a choice to move back out of employment. That is the choice of the individual.

Ms Ritchie - Hear, hear for choice.

Mr DEAN - The point I make is that many women still, by choice, want to remain at home and care for families and there are others who pursue careers and I have no difficulty in recognising those women who on merit achieve high offices and high positions, political positions and so on. But there are those women out there who still like to have a door opened for them and they like to be given a seat if there are no seats available, so those women are still out there.

Dr Crean - If there are women in that category, there are about 10 times more men in that category.

Mr DEAN - Who like a door opened for them and to be given a seat?

Ms Ritchie - And they like to be fed, a meal on the table and their clothes ironed and all those things.

Mr DEAN - I do not fall into that category and I was not aware of that.

Ms Thorp - You were talking about in restaurants.

Mr DEAN - No women and no men should be given any position simply because of their gender. I have no problem with that.

Ms Thorp - Except perhaps Ricky Ponting.

Mr DEAN - Having said that, I agree with positive discrimination, that is looking after the groups that are seen to be a minority in certain areas and I would have no difficulty, and I have done it in my previous positions, in supporting a female for certain parts of the work force where there is a gender imbalance. I have no difficulty with selecting a female. If everything else is equal, I would select the female in most of those areas and a position in the Police Service is a good one, for instance. I would have no difficulty in discriminating in that way to correct the imbalance that does occur, provided all is equal.

I cannot support any position that seeks to elevate a female into certain positions simply to even up a gender employment. If they have the qualities and the qualifications and everything else is equal, I do not have a difficulty with that but the principle of the best person for the job is and will always be my philosophy, provided it is on merit and that selection panels are carefully chosen. That is where we have some difficulty at times in a lot of the work force in the panels that are selected to identify, Mr President, people for certain positions. Selection panels should always, in my view, involve a good mix of both female and male and I give the example of the Police Service here where up until, I would say, five or six years ago - I might not be quite right there with the timing - most selection panels were male and they would make a selection of course be it male or female, but there were a lot of times where there was a tendency probably to go for a male when maybe that was not the right choice. But now there has been a drastic change and that service now ensures there is a proper mix of people on a panel.

Dr Crean - The honourable member from Murchison wants to make another statement.

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - Having said that, Mr President, in conclusion I must say this: at some time in the future I will probably need to move some similar type of motion in relation to males.