Page 195 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 May 1989
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Territories, and as the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education, I am now committed to promoting an ACT women's employment strategy which addresses those national goals and is sensitive to local circumstances.
The status of women in the ACT is, in some respects, better than in some other States and Territories. Nevertheless, this difference is one of degree: women in the ACT in general face similar problems and barriers as women nationally. This is exacerbated by the narrowness of the ACT's economic base. Our public sector base, where women have fared relatively well - and I emphasise only relatively well - in comparison with the private sector, is at best stable. The growing retail, hospitality and tourism industry, which employs large numbers of women in casual and part-time work, offers few career pathways. Let us examine a woman's position in the ACT on average. Women's average weekly earnings are lower than men's; women receive fewer employment benefits and are less likely to contribute to superannuation schemes; women have less formally accredited training and fewer opportunities for career progression; women's participation rate in post-secondary education is lower than men's and is disproportionately concentrated in TAFE; and women are the major recipients of transfer payments.
In the past, government policy related to women's issues has tended to focus on health and welfare concerns. As Minister for Employment, I will stress the need to promote women's economic independence through improved access to employment and training opportunities.
This will require special initiatives because traditionally labour market programs have focused on youth and people on the unemployment benefits or enrolled with the CES. This cuts out mature age women who are often not enrolled with the CES and have a different set of needs or face barriers which combine to trap many in poverty. This situation is exacerbated for sole mothers. Of the 6,700 ACT households below the poverty line in 1986, half were headed by sole parents. Of these 85 per cent were sole mothers.
Barriers to re-entry to the work force faced by these women include: low earning potential, which combined with the accompanying loss of fringe benefits and housing rental rebates acts as a financial disincentive to work; lack of confidence; deficiencies in past education and training aggravated by difficulties in obtaining part-time training; sole family responsibilities, including child-care access and costs; poverty and its accompanying problems of stress, depression and health; poverty traps which occur because of the combined effects of income tested transfer payments and other elements of the tax and welfare systems; isolation, transport difficulties and other factors specific to the ACT such as fuel costs, lack of family support, and the higher cost of commodities; and finally, lack of information about appropriate options.
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