When ABC News Breakfast invited Noela Macleod from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) on the show, they were probably expecting a nice chat about scones and tea, and crochet lap rugs.
Maybe they’d get a hug that smelt like talcum powder. Then they could swap tips on sponge cake. After all, the association is turning 70 and every milestone needs cake, right?
But Noela had other ideas.
Noela is a powerful lobbyist. And she doesn’t want to talk about scones or jam or god damn cream because NOELA FOUGHT TO GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND NOW EVERYONE WANTS TO PUT HER BACK THERE.
The National President of the Country Women’s Association of Australia didn’t hesitate to smack down hosts Michael Rowlands and Virginia Trioli for asking her about baking.
“I’m not discussing scones” she said. “Because the national body is neither a caterer or a fundraiser.”
Because the CWA does a whole lot of other more important stuff. And, to be fair, the ABC hosts did ask her about other issues: They lobby political parties, raise money for charity support victims of domestic violence, lobby for environmental causes and they are campaigning to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes.
“We listen to what’s happening at grassroots level” she told the hosts.
But release a cookbook and suddenly all anyone wants to talk about is cake.
She told Debrief Daily it’s “always the first thing the press hone in on”, and she’s had a gutful.
“It’s irrelevant. The scones are irrelevant. We are first and foremost a lobby group.”
A grandmother to 21, Noala has been National President since August 2012 and says she works more than 40 hours a week in the role, none of which includes baking.
A member for more than four decades, Noela has a history of dropping truth bombs on anyone that goes into scone territory. At last years National Rural Health Alliance, she says she was briefed on how to speak to politicians correctly. But when she at last met with one, in her lobbyist role, the first thing he said was “Did you bring the scones?’”
“I said ‘You have just made a sexist and inappropriate remark’ and I sat down.”
She makes it clear before all interviews that she is not prepared to discuss tea and scones. “The only thing I will discuss is our cookbook, the profits of which are going towards a nursing grant for rural and remote nurses” she says.
She’s also a feminist.
“I think anyone who fights for women’s issues is a feminist. But I still like the door opened for me.”
She also wouldn’t tell us her age. “My age is irrelevant to what I do” she said.
Touche. Go Noela. Keep on doing your thing.
Watch the full video below.
DEBRIEF DAILY