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WomenVote bus to hit road ahead of poll

An organisation wanting to amplify the conversation of policies affecting women will send a bus out on the federal election campaign trail.

Founders of WomenVote
Vanessa Whittaker Sera Mirzabegian and Maria O'Brien created an independent organisation, WomenVote. (AAP)

A bright fuschia bus will be on the campaign trail ahead of the federal election but it won't be gunning for any particular political party.

Rather, the bus will have one clear focus - those policies that affect women in Australia.

Lawyers Vanessa Whittaker SC, Sera Mirzabegian and Maria O'Brien have created WomenVote, an independent organisation dedicated to highlighting policies affecting women.

Issues they want to address include the representation of women in the public and private sectors, the gender pay gap, access to child care, financial security, domestic and sexual violence, reproductive rights and women's health.

"We are not suggesting that we have any particular policies that solve these issues," Ms Whittaker told AAP at the organisation's official launch in Sydney on Friday.

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"There needs to be public debate about these issues and, if it were men who were the disadvantaged part of the society, there would be a conversation."

WomenVote will collect data and gather expert advice on the policies proposed by the main parties and independents to lobby candidates to do better.

"Women issues, if that's what you want to call them, are not fringe issues, they are mainstream issues," Ms Mirzabegian said on stage.

A scorecard will be issued during the campaign to help people cast an informed vote.

"Most importantly we are going to get a bus," Ms Whittaker said.

The WomenVote bus will travel to electorates during the federal election campaign talking to residents - particularly women - about the policies.

Since the organisation's story was featured on the ABC earlier this year they have been inundated with support from around the country.

Women of varying ages have shared their stories showing struggles are shared regardless of profession or location, Ms Mirzabegian said.

"That's confirmed to us we've tapped into something that's real and people are wanting change," she said on Friday.

Each of the three founders has contributed financially to building the organisation and they have received private donations too.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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