Page 5861 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 7 December 2010
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ACT and surrounding regions and provides support for women during and after their pregnancies—women who find themselves without support, without housing and without friendship during difficult pregnancies. The service provides opportunities for women to seek practical support and the skills needed for parenting and confidence. In the last financial year, it provided accommodation for 52 residents and provided case work and outreach for 307 women.
I understand that the ACT government, through the Office for Children, Youth and Family Support and other agencies, rely quite heavily on Karinya House to provide services to some of their clients who are particularly in need. I encourage the relationship between the minister’s department and Karinya House and encourage the minister to be supportive of the work done by Karinya House.
I understand and respect the importance of supporting and valuing women in the ACT community. I acknowledge the demands and gaps women face in our community and I will continue to support ACT women in my capacity as the shadow minister for women. I recognise the importance of the work of such organisations as the ACT Women’s Legal Centre, Karinya House, CCCares and the national organisation Australian Women’s Forum. I will continue to support their work and take an interest in their achievements.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (3.47): It is undeniable that women play a very important role in our society. The equitable participation of women in the ACT community is a goal that the ACT Greens continue to work towards. Across the world there has been an ongoing movement to make women equal to men in the eyes of the law, and we know that there is still much work to be done to realise full equality.
The ACT Greens believe that women have the right to equal respect, responsibilities and rewards in society. Women have the right to equal access and participation in decision-making processes in all areas of political, social, intellectual and economic endeavour and women have the right to freedom from violence. In the ACT we have also seen the importance of women having the right to equal pay for work of equal value, and to have their unpaid caring responsibilities acknowledged and properly valued throughout their lifetime.
There has been an emerging agenda about achieving work-life balance for men and women in the 21st century. What we know for women is that they are often the primary carers of children or other relatives and working as well. This balancing act is becoming increasingly difficult for women to achieve.
Around five million working Australians have caring responsibilities. Of these, nearly two-thirds are female carers. The Australian Council of Trade Unions reports that more mothers are returning to work with younger children. In 1979, when maternity leave was introduced, very few mothers returned to work before their child was at school. Today 35 per cent of mothers have returned to work by the time their child is 12 months old and about half of mothers are back at work by the time the child is two years old.
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