 Griffiths said at the outset of the inquiry that "anyone who takes seriously the issue of the status of women and opportunities for women in Australian society, will concede readily that vis-a-vis the male of the species, they are, in most areas, at something of a disadvantage.It's a moot point of course, the extent to which legislation can change the objective circumstances and the subtle forms of discrimination that they face, but certainly very few people with an interest in the area would argue that you shouldn't have things like sex discrimination legislation and affirmative action legislation".Griffiths went on to say that while more opportunities were opening up for women, the inquiry wanted to find ways "to ensure that the Parliament has an ongoing role in trying to bring about...the impetus for change".