Page 660 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 2010
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In the next few weeks I will also be launching the women’s microcredit program, designed to give women on low incomes that all-important assistance in establishing a small business. I look forward to that launch and how that program rolls out over the next 12 months. In many ways, these programs may be seen as small endeavours against entrenched inequity. Their value cannot be underestimated, because they provide women with limited income and therefore limited options with the support they need to make the most of opportunities a community like Canberra can offer.
I go to another comment in the amendment which asks me, as Minister for Women, to provide an annual statement to the Assembly that outlines our efforts in improving the economic and financial independence of women. I will look forward to an opportunity to bring a statement outlining what we are doing to support women in our community.
Just briefly before I close, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission determined that the modern award for the community sector in relation to pay-related matters will be delayed until June 2011. This will allow a pay equity case for the community sector to be considered by Fair Work Australia. The Australian Services Union will take a case to Fair Work Australia that seeks pay rises of between 18 and 37 per cent for workers in the community sector. The ASU’s application to Fair Work Australia for equal remuneration will seek to apply the May 2009 equity decision awarded in Queensland. I understand that the Queensland government did provide increased funds to services that supported highly dependent clients. Funds were not, though, made to organisations that did not provide direct services to clients or early intervention and prevention services.
To better understand the community sector workforce issues, this government engaged HBA Consulting to complete an industrial relations review of the community sector that considered wages and conditions in the ACT. That report is expected to be completed and made available to government by April this year. The Office of Industrial Relations advises, though, that community sector employees will be bound by the decision of Fair Work Australia. I hope that through Fair Work Australia’s decision and the work we are doing with HBA we can look at those findings and, indeed, work out how we can support the community sector to have fair remuneration for the work that they do for us.
The ACT government is mindful that some ACT community organisations may find these changes challenging. Given that I have just mentioned that Queensland made an amendment but it only went to some parts of the sector, it will be a challenging time. The community sector are a key partner for this government in service delivery. I commit to working with them on an ongoing basis so they can be a sustainable and vibrant sector of our community.
As I have mentioned, work is being undertaken at a national level by ministers for women. At this stage we need to work through the national implications of gender pay equity and focus on gaining a greater understanding of the issues before we determine how to proceed. I hope that members support the amendment that I have put forward to Ms Hunter’s motion. I think it captures that we recognise that there is gender inequity and that there is work to do, both at an IR level and internally, on how to
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