b'18 FEBRUARY 10, 2023 The Great Eastern MailopinionLet young girlswear whateverthey wantS OMEHOW, it hasgood men to inappropriatea mans responsibility for their become permissiblethoughts and distract themactions. Think about it: male for society to cast valuefrom their important tasksclothing is never described judgements on how womenof work or education. But,as provocative no matter dress. Dress codes (i.e.,if grown men choose tohow revealing it is. If a man dont wear anything toosexualise a 12-year-old, theis not wearing a shirt and is, short, skimpy or revealing)blame should not be placedtherefore, exposing his chest, have contributed to theon the child (for what theyit is never implied that he was socialisation of people intowere wearing), but rather onasking to be harassed or gender roles by: affectingthe adultsurely?assaulted, is it?how peopleespeciallySociety tells girls that theyGirls are bombarded with femalesperceive their body;need to change how theymessages of responsibility and attaching morality and valuesdress in order to stop adultblame from a very early age. to how people dress; and evenmales sexualising them,We need to do better. We needPhoto is by John Hutchisonjustifying rape culture, wherebut a 12-year-old cannotto educate boys about being clothing and character havecontrol the mind of an adult.accountable and responsibleTest case for the become intertwined, resultingFundamentally, if someonefor their own thoughts and in females being blamed whilelacks self-control, this is notactions. We need fathers to the responsibility of males isthe responsibility of anyoneencourage their daughters simultaneously diminished. other than that perpetrator.to dress however they want So, what is the purpose ofTherefore, instead of teachingto and feel comfortabledevelopment of these societal dress codes? Isgirls that their bodies areabout it. We need to reassure it for safety purposes (i.e., todangerous, and it is their faultyoung girls that they are not keep our young girls safe)?if boys objectify them, weresponsible for the thoughts If so, why are we imposingshould be teaching youngand actions of adult males.land fringing the the responsibility and onusboys not to sexualise girlsAnd we need men to stand of assault on young girls,it really is that simple. up and say, its not okay for instead of holding an abuserSimilarly, there is agirls to be monitored and accountable? view that male violence iscontrolled, and then punishedGippsland LakesSociety is focused onsomething happening toand blamed when boys encouraging girls to not wearwomen, but that old adage ofbehave inappropriately. a style of clothing that mayshe made him do it, again,For some reason, womens make men uncomfortable. Butdiminishes the responsibilityproblems are seen as evidence shows that clothingof men, and absolves them ofsomething they need to has nothing to do with rape;blame. Yet again, this notionjust put up with or solveW ITH the growingproposed development sitedevelopment plan should how someone dresses doessuggests that it is a womansthemselves. But society trend towardsare not huge and fluctuatebe referred to the federal not cause raperapists causeresponsibility to ensure sheand that starts with everyworking fromdepending on how wetgovernment for assessment rape. The question then arises,doesnt send out the wrongsingle one of usneeds tohome and the natural desireor dry the conditions are. under the Environmental Are these so-called dressmessage in how she dressesrecognise this issue exists,of more and more families toThere were good numbersProtection and Biodiversity codes supporting the inherentand its up to her to takeand that dress codes is justlive in much more attractivein the recent, wet, NovemberConservation Act before sexualisation of young girlsaction to ensure she does notone example of blamingsituations than the big citiessurvey but fewer on the drierany planning approval is and then blaming themsexually arouse men by herfemales for the inappropriateit is not surprising that thereslope now. Nonetheless thegiven. Quite apart from the for distracting males andclothing choice. This narrativebehaviour of males. Jamesin increasing pressure tonumbers are amongst thespecifics of the snipe use of garnering their attention? of women being responsibleBaldwin said it well when hefind suitable housing landhighest for the Shire. the site, the East Gippsland This notion of women asfor mens sexual behavioursaid, Not everything that isin the regions. PaynesvilleLathams snipe are loyalShire Planning Scheme temptresses dates back tofeeds into the belief that menfaced can be changed, buthas found itself particularlyto their particular over- has numerous clauses the Old Testament, where aare entitled to act howevernothing can be changed untilpopular with its boatingwintering sites. Wouldprotecting the coastal and provocatively dressed womanthey want.it is faced.lifestyle and magnificentthe birds move off the siteforeshore environments was considered dangerous,Even using the wordviews across the Gippslandif the proposed housingof the Gippsland Lakes a disruption, distraction andprovocative in relation to Belinda Hill, Therapist,Lakes.Shire councildevelopment went ahead? as identified under the temptation. She can leadwomens clothing diminishesAttuned Therapy planners face a continualAlmost certainly, as they areinternational Ramsar dilemma in providing foreasily disturbed. They usedConvention (Ramsar is this expansion while notto be present on what isthe town in Iran where the compromising the naturalnow the Toonalook Watersconvention was signed).and social values of theestate in Paynesville butAdditionally, Australia has existing communities andhave not been seen since thesigned agreements with natural environment. wetland was sanitised byJapan and other countries on There is a proposalthe developers. Is there otherthe protection of migratory currently before the Shiresuitable habitat nearby?Toshorebirds, under which planning committee tothe east the controversialplanning decisions should build 59 homes along themajor development of thepromote the survival and/top half of the rough grassyPaynesville canal systemor enhance the conservation slope leading down to thedumped the spoil fromstatus of each species to remaining Point Fullartonthe canals on top of thewhich the declaration relates.Wetlands Reserve on thePt Fullarton wetland edgeApproval of this western edge of Paynesville. of Lake King, closing offdevelopment on a site This slope is used bythat option.There is somealready twice rejected migratory shorebirds such aspotential suitable habitatfor housing by VCAT, greenshank and grey plovernext door to the west,would seem to contradict but especially by the onlybut that is also slated forprinciples and details in migratory snipe in Victoriadevelopment if the currentthe East Gippsland Shirethe Lathams snipe application is successful.ForPlanning Scheme and which feeds and roostsso many of the 37 migratorybe inappropriate under there when it migrates southshore bird species whichAustralias international from its breeding groundsfollow the Asian Flyway toenvironmental in northern Japan to avoidwinter here in Australia,commitments, setting a the northern winter, arrivingit is death by a thousandbad precedent for future in Aug/Sept and departingcuts, as development wrapsapplications.Feb/March. Lathams snipeitself around the shores ofLathams Snipeshot is recognised as increasinglyour water bodies, with eachin Australia until the 1980s threatened at both endsdevelopment only a minorbut now fully protected.of its migrations, perhapsreduction in habitat. The total world population especially by mudflatThe snipe numbersoverwinters in Eastern and reclamation in its breedingrecorded over theSouthern Australia.grounds.Numbers on theyears suggest that the The GEM Reader'