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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 732 ..

MS MacDONALD (continuing):

Many of these women, rightly so, are honoured in the ACT International Women's Day awards for their contribution to community life. I look forward to attending this year's awards tomorrow night-I am sure you will be there, Mr Deputy Speaker-and honouring the women nominated and receiving these rewards.

I also welcome the announcement today of the new ministerial advisory council for women by the Chief Minister and Minister for Women, who I believe is interested in what happens with the issues affecting women in the ACT. I particularly note that the advisory council's make-up has women from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. I understand that we have members from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, someone with involvement in the Jewish community, women with diverse multicultural backgrounds, a representative from WISENET (that is, Women in Science Enquiry Network), an advocate of women with disabilities, and a woman involved with COTA (the Council on the Ageing). All of these women bring a multitude of experience to the council and I am sure will provide fantastic advice to assist in improving the status of women in the ACT.

I have spoken of prominent women in our society, women who have been movers and shakers and helped to progress the cause of equality for women in the ACT as well throughout Australia. I would like now to pay tribute to the majority of women in our society-the unsung heroes, many of whom I met in my role as organiser for the Australian Services Union clerical and administration branch. These women are the glue in our society. Without them, things would not operate; they would fall apart.

As I have said, I was fortunate to meet many of these women, these unsung heroes, in my time with the Australian Services Union. The ASU has a majority of members who come from female occupied jobs. These women keep their families running both financially and otherwise-from doing the daily chores to taking the children to school to caring for the emotional needs of their partners and children. Of further significance, I can name at least half a dozen workplaces around this town that would fall apart without the contribution these women make, whether it be ACTTAB, Auscript, the Australian public service or the ACT public service. These women make sure that the place keeps running.

These women do not usually get the recognition they deserve and they often receive very low pay. Sometimes, unfortunately, they are derided and treated as less than human, do work that trained monkeys could do or are described as menopausal. When I was working for the Australian Services Union, it was my great joy to be able to assist many of these women to get a fair go, to get a fair deal and to get a fair hearing. But there is so much more that needs to be done.

At present ACT females earn approximately $200 a week less than the male average. There was a high proportion of females at low-earning levels in 2001, with 33 per cent of females earning less than $400 a week when only 14.3 per cent of males were in this category. Conversely, there is a lower proportion of females in higher income brackets, with only 9 per cent of females earning over $1,000 a week but one quarter of ACT males being within this income bracket.

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