Page 932 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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need to bed down gender equality and better outcomes for women. The women’s plan is a really good start, and I think the minister is learning that my focus in this area is on very practical, very specific things we can do to improve the work experience of women. Equality of opportunity, access, security and independence is one of the main suggestions of the women’s plan. It also includes freedom from any form of discrimination; understanding the intersection of gender with other factors, such as race, culture, disability, sexuality, experience of violence and economic status; working with women and men across government with non-government organisations, businesses and communities to achieve gender equality; diversity, where every woman is valued for her uniqueness; and all women and girls having the right to live safely and without fear. I commend the government for these aspirations. They lay a solid foundation for the office for women to advocate for women’s needs.
I note that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, released a report earlier this year titled Connecting people with jobs: key issues for raising labour market participation in Australia. The report notes that the area in the Australian workforce with the greatest untapped potential is that of women, especially women with children. Women in the ACT have a vast array of underutilised skills which we could do with and which will contribute to their own and the whole community’s benefit.
A number of issues have come to light with regard to women in the workforce in recent times. The first one I wish to raise in the Assembly is the lack of portable toilets for firefighters. It is a serious concern that women firefighters on the front line do not currently have the appropriate facilities to use to ensure their privacy and maintain their dignity. In this day and age it is not good enough that we would expect women to relieve themselves or change a tampon in the bushes.
Minister Gentleman said in the annual reports hearings—and I acknowledge and thank him for being here for this debate in the chamber:
We strive to ensure that we are doing the very best for gender balance in our emergency services.
The minister then went on to say:
In fact, this is why we have a strategic target for bringing more women into the service.
It was of particular concern, therefore, to hear from the head of the Emergency Services Agency during that annual report hearing that because the issue of portaloos had not been raised directly with him—which I contest anyway—he had no intention to resolve the issue. The head of the agency said:
You may have received representations from women in relation to seeking additional portaloos on the fire ground. I have not at this stage received any such request from women.
I was shocked that the head of an ACT government agency would approach a sensitive issue in this way. I understood that ACT government directorates have
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