Page 3344 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Additional funding for front-line services to respond to increased demand for domestic and family violence support has also been provided in 2018-19, with an additional $1.7 million over four years for the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre and Domestic Violence Crisis Service. Additional funding of $6.5 million over four years has been provided for specialist homelessness services to provide additional crisis accommodation and support to prevent women and children from becoming homeless due to domestic and family violence. This includes a children’s program which actively addresses trauma issues in children and promotes healthy relationships.
The ACT government is working for the full and equal participation of women and girls in all aspects of society by providing genuine opportunities for women and girls to reach their full potential. This is critical to the wellbeing of our whole community. The government is leading by example in advancing the status of women at work and in our community through a new investment of $696,000 to continue important work to implement key actions under the ACT women’s plan and to support initiatives that promote greater representation of women and diversity and leadership.
As our city grows, the government is ensuring we continue to focus on building an even more inclusive community that ensures all Canberrans have equal opportunities to participate. This additional funding to be provided to the office for women will support the delivery of a suite of initiatives designed to drive outcomes in gender equality including: community engagement to promote gender equality in the ACT; improving the evidence base related to gender equality; training to reduce and eliminate unconscious bias across government; promoting diversity on boards through the diversity register; and delivering a board traineeship program for women.
The additional investment will assist the broader community, including corporate businesses and community not-for-profit organisations by providing additional tools to better address gender inequality in their own spheres of influence. Training packages, strategies and tools will be developed to provide useful information for the whole community on how unconscious bias can be addressed and how we can create a more respectful environment for everyone.
To ensure that the ACT continues to be a national leader in ensuring diversity on ACT boards and committees, this budget includes additional investment to maintain and promote the ACT diversity register. The diversity register was launched on 1 June 2018 to support the government’s commitment to improve diversity in appointments to boards and committees in leadership roles. This commitment acknowledges the value for both individuals and communities in having a range of experiences represented in these roles.
The funding will also deliver a board traineeship program to promote gender equity. We will particularly focus on industries where female representation is low and on sporting organisations who are required to meet the target of 40 per cent female representation by 2020.
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (5.20): Since the introduction of the NDIS and the ACT government’s decision to take up the challenge to be the first jurisdiction to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video