Page 819 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2018
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balance when appointing members. The Minister for Sport and Recreation has also set the requirement on peak sporting organisations funded by the ACT government to reach at least 40 per cent women’s representation over the next three years.
Despite this focus and the significant improvements to the status of women, gender inequality still persists. That is why the ACT government is being bold for change, with its ambitious 10-year plan to support women and girls in our community through the ACT women’s plan 2016-26. I touched on some of the initiatives under the women’s plan in my main speech, but there is still so much that we are doing. We know experiences and opportunities for women vary greatly. This is often impacted by factors such as socio-economic status, cultural background and disability. The women’s plan highlights the importance of acknowledging the diverse experiences and needs of women and developing appropriate policies, programs and services.
In order to better support the health needs of women from a range of cultural backgrounds, under this plan ACT Health has completed 12 community cultural profiles. These profiles will assist healthcare workers to better understand and appreciate possible cultural impacts on health in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We have also been working on, and will continue to strive to improve, opportunities for women and girls to participate in sport and active lifestyles, the importance of which we spoke about yesterday in the MPI.
The ACT government recognises and values our diverse community. It is important that this diversity is reflected in appointments to boards and committees and in leadership roles to ensure that the voices of women and people with diverse experiences are heard. That is why the ACT government is working to develop an ACT diversity register. The register will connect people interested in being on boards and committees with opportunities that arise in the ACT. It will be open to all people but with a focus on women, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer.
The register will supersede the ACT women’s register and is anticipated to be finished in late April 2018. We have also committed to holding biannual forums between government and the community to support collaboration and improved engagement. The first forum, “The case for change”, was held on 30 October 2017 and was co-hosted by YWCA Canberra. It brought together 52 leaders from government, the women’s sector and business to identify barriers and opportunities.
For us to achieve true gender equality we all need to change and question all aspects of our lives and the community we are creating. If left unchecked, gender inequality can breed in the social and economic structures we build, the language we use and the assumptions we make in our private, public and professional lives. The ACT government is taking decisive action to support women and girls. I constantly see the strength of women and girls in the Canberra community, as I know you do too, Madam Speaker, and I know they will take these opportunities and make change happen in their homes, workplaces and social circles. It is with great confidence that I look forward to a future Canberra where equality is the status quo.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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