Page 1307 - Week 05 - Thursday, 25 June 1992
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inaugurated the award of ACT Woman of the Year. These initiatives were tangible ways of fostering the cause of women. Mr Kaine also established a consultative committee on domestic violence. From the recommendations of this committee came several amendments to the Domestic Violence Act, the preparation of educational brochures, and the provision of additional funds for accommodation for survivors of domestic violence. The pressing need for improved child-care was recognised by the provision of funds for child-care facilities at Woden Valley and Calvary hospitals.
I have given this very brief summary of some of the achievements of the Alliance Government with regard to women to make an important point. Ms Follett's statement was heavy on the rhetoric but a little sparse on achievement. She says that she is pleased with the participation rate for ACT women in the work force. I must say that I am surprised by this, because the participation of women in the work force in the ACT is falling at a faster rate than in any other State. Sure, the ACT had a higher rate to start with, but this in no way lessens the stress of joblessness on personal and family life. The great tragedy of this situation is that many of these women are despairing at the hopelessness of job search and are simply giving up. The Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force statistics show that the number of women in the full-time work force has decreased by 1,900 since March. At the same time, the number of women not in the work force at all increased from 39 per cent in March to 43 per cent in May. This, of course, would not be a problem if all these women had chosen to leave the work force; but we all know that this is not the case.
In the Chief Minister's budget strategy statement she mentioned the severe imposition on the budget of the Federal Labor Government's superannuation levy. A similar imposition will be placed on Canberra's small businesses. Many businesses have already indicated that they will shed staff. If history is anything to go by, most of these retrenched staff will be women. Unfortunately, this will further reduce the participation rate. Furthermore, I do not believe that it is good enough to look only at the raw participation rate figures. It is necessary to look at the levels of participation in different occupational categories. When the participation and employment rates for women are high, it is usually because the demand for secretarial staff is high.
The two biggest sources of female employment in the ACT are clerical work and the retail sector. This is partly due to the relatively small private sector in the ACT and to the lack of a diverse economy. Encouraging the development of a more diverse economy and moving the city away from its perceived status as a one-industry town will help the growth of employment options for women. To look at the participation rate alone is misleading. The important point is that we want to see a high participation rate across all sectors of the economy, not just in the retail and clerical trades. Ms Follett waxes lyrical about providing skills training for women. This is a laudable project; but it is absolutely useless, and actually positively counterproductive, if there are no jobs available at the end of training.
I applaud the Chief Minister's commitment to more flexible working arrangements to account for family responsibilities. Commitment is one thing, Ms Follett, but let us see some real action in this area. I get regular reports from women in part-time or job-share arrangements saying that they have been overlooked for promotion or that the system seems to doubt their dedication to their work. We must do something to improve the status of these women. If the
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