THEY were speaking to America but, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took to the stage in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday there was a message there for every Australian.
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One of inclusion. One of fairness. One of justice. And one of hope.
Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, becomes the first woman, the first Black American and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice president
"While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities," she said.
Australia, of course, had its first female prime minister in Julia Gillard a decade ago and, across the Tasman in New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern is widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the world. But we still have a long way to go.
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With the election of Kristy McBain in Eden-Monaro in July, Australia now has its highest proportion of female members in the House of Representatives with 47, equating to 31 per cent.
There's no reason that shouldn't be closer to 50 per cent, as it is in the Senate, where women outnumber men (39 to 37) for the first time in its history following Lidia Thorpe's appointment after the resignation of Richard Di Natale in September.
Whether it's Sharon Claydon, Jodie Harrison or Nuatali Nelmes, among plenty of others, young girls from the Hunter have no shortage of female role models at federal, state and local government levels.
As former firefighter Bronnie Mackintosh told the Newcastle Herald last week when talking about the Girls on Fire program she founded in the male-dominated industry, "the young girls get to see women doing the job ...(and) they come out feeling empowered that they can do these things".
It's the same with politics. Millions of young women would have watched Harris speak on Sunday and now that the barrier's finally been broken down, they'll see there's no reason they can't chase their dream of being president of the US.
She heaped praise on president-elect Biden for having the character and audacity "to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country, and select a woman and his vice president".
Plaudits aside, there's little doubt the pair will face steep challenges when they take over early next year, including a pandemic that has taken a disproportionate toll on people of colour, and a series of police killings of Black Americans that have deepened racial tensions.
But with a mantra "not to divide, but to unify", Biden and Harris have given Americans - and those of us more than 15,000km away - something important. Hope.