Page 510 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991
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Senior Executive Service - Employment of Women
MS FOLLETT: My question is addressed to Mr Kaine as the Minister responsible for the status of women and for public administration. Can Mr Kaine inform the Assembly of the proportion of women in the Senior Executive Service in the ACT Administration? Could he also inform us what steps he is taking, as Minister responsible, to ensure that more women reach senior positions?
MR KAINE: I cannot give that percentage figure off the top of my head, Mr Speaker, and it is not as good as it might be, as is true of the entire Australian Public Service. The policies of recruitment, promotion and the like in the ACT Government Service are, in fact, those of the Australian Public Service. As to what I am doing or what I can do, my views on that matter are well known to the Administration. It is quite clear that I, in particular, and this Government in general, support the concept of equal opportunity and the concept that there should be no discrimination against women in any endeavour which they seek to pursue. There is certainly no constraint being imposed by this Government to prevent women achieving their potential in the ACT Government Service insofar as we are operating within the Australian Public Service rules.
Adolescent Day Care Unit
MRS NOLAN: My question is directed to the Deputy Chief Minister. I would like to ask: On what basis is funding being made available for the establishment of an adolescent day care unit?
MR COLLAERY: I thank Mrs Nolan for the question. Mr Speaker, as part of the Government's overall budget response last year, our first such opportunity, the Government applied considerable funds to the youth sector. There has been some public debate about the emphases there, but I am pleased to say that planning is well advanced on the new initiative for an adolescent day care unit; that is, a care unit to deal with young persons between the ages of 12 and 18 years who are at the top end of an emotional disturbance spectrum. Although school counsellors know what I am speaking of, we are speaking, in fact, of a daytime therapeutic environment for severely emotionally disturbed children and young persons who have not crossed the rubicon of requiring psychiatric day care and the like. We allocated to this area funds of approximately $120,000 for the implementation of a three-year program.
Much is said in the papers at the moment about the problems at school and other places with young children and younger persons with severe emotional disturbances. The Government has formed an inter-agency management agreement comprising representatives of the Community Welfare branch, Community Programs, and the mental health and education areas of my
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