Political and public life
5.1 The Australian Government is committed to developing and supporting women's leadership in every aspect of Australian society. In the past 12 months, Australia has reached a number of significant milestones for women in political and public life. These include the appointment of Australia's first female Deputy Prime Minister and first female Governor-General, and the ordination of the country's first female Anglican bishop.
5.2 The Australian and state and territory governments continue to strengthen the voice of Australian women and to engage with women's representative organisations to ensure women's perspectives and the diversity of women's needs influence policy development and programs in all areas of government, business and the community sector. Wide-ranging and ongoing consultations with women from all walks of life mean that the different levels of government have valuable input from women on issues that affect their lives.
5.3 Such engagement is a key priority of the Australian Government. The Government believes in practising a new way of governing that is more transparent, more accountable and more open to contributions from the whole community, including through an increased engagement with the 'third sector' of non-profit organisations. This is reflected in the Government's continued and increased support for the four National Women's Secretariats, which represent around 70 member organisations and reach more than five million Australian women.
Women in political and public life
5.4 The Australian Government is determined to increase the representation of women in the Parliament of Australia and supports efforts to boost the number of women at senior levels in both the public and private sectors. Similar support for women's involvement in politics and on boards is also demonstrated across state and territory governments.
5.5 Women and men have the equal right to vote in national, and state and territory public elections and referenda in Australia. For more information about voting in Australia, see paragraph 25 in Australia's Common Core Document, June 2006.
Women in parliaments of Australia
5.6 Thirty years ago, in the Parliament of Australia there were only six women in the Senate and none in the House of Representatives. Today, Australia has its first female Deputy Prime Minister and there are seven female Ministers and three female Parliamentary Secretaries. The current, 42nd Parliament, has more women than any previous parliament in Australia's history. Approximately one in three parliamentarians is a woman, up from just over one-quarter in 2003. Of 226 parliamentary members, as at February 2008, there were 67 women in the Parliament of Australia.12
5.7 Similar levels of women's representation exist in state and territory parliaments, ranging from 40 per cent in the Northern Territory to 29 per cent in New South Wales. In Queensland, the state Premier is a woman. There is also representation of women at the local government level across Australia. For example, in Queensland women represent 35.4 per cent of local government councillors and 11 per cent of mayors. In Victoria, women represent 30 per cent of elected councillors and 37 per cent of mayors.
5.8 The Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is an Indigenous woman. Overall, however, Indigenous women are under-represented in Australian parliaments. The Northern Territory has the highest level of representation-of the 40 per cent of women parliamentarians in the Northern Territory, 12 per cent are Indigenous.
Strategies to increase women's representation in parliament
5.9 The New South Wales Government has a strong commitment to increasing women's representation in politics and decision-making bodies. In April 2008, family-friendlier sitting hours were introduced in the New South Wales Parliament, which is also accredited by the Australian Breastfeeding Association as a breastfeeding-friendly workplace. The New South Wales Government used a number of strategies ahead of the 2008 local government elections to highlight the value of women as senior managers and in elected positions in local government, including establishing the Joint Ministerial Advisory Council on Women in Local Government co-chaired by the Minister for Women and the Minister for Local Government. The publication Hands Up for Women in Council is being updated, to support women in local council roles.
5.10 In Victoria in 2003, the Women Get Elected project ran workshops to train volunteer women facilitators to run sessions for local women thinking of standing as candidates for the 2005 local government elections in 18 municipalities.
5.11 The Western Australian Department for Local Government and Regional Development manages an advisory committee on women in local government, which encourages women to progress local government careers. In line with the Western Australian Sector and Organisational Cultural Change strategy, it promotes competent, equitable selection processes, has guidelines on gender diversity and senior staff selection, and provides education, training and development for women seeking higher level positions in local government. Western Australia also funded the Australian Local Government Women's Association to hold 12 practical information workshops that were designed to encourage women to nominate for and successfully contest the 2007 local government elections. As at 30 December 2007, there were 1,310 elected local government members, of whom 375 (29.1 per cent) were women. This is an increase from 23.1 per cent in 1997, 27.6 per cent in 2001 and is similar to the 29 per cent seen in 2005.
5.12 The South Australian Government, as part of its 2007 update of its 2004 Strategic Plan, set a target to increase the number of women in parliament to 50 per cent by 2014. In 2008, this was 33 per cent, up from 31.9 per cent in 2003. The Women in Local Government Working Group, set up in November 2007, helps the Minister for State/Local Government Relations and the state's Local Government Association President to determine key issues relating to the under-representation of women in local government, both in staff and elected positions.
Women in the judiciary
5.13 At the Australian Government level of the judiciary, two of the six Justices of the High Court of Australia-the highest court in the country-are female, appointed in 2005 and 2007. The Chief Justice of the High Court is male.13 In the Federal Court, 13 per cent of the judges are women. Women comprise 36 per cent of all judges in the Family Court of Australia and the Chief Justice of the Family Court is a woman. In the Federal Magistrates Court, 30 per cent of the Federal Magistrates are women. Therefore, nationally, 26 per cent of the judicial officers in these four federal courts are women.
5.14 Women are also represented in the state and territory courts. As at March 2008, one in five judges appointed to the Superior Courts in Australia was a woman. For instance, in 2008 in Queensland, eight (32 per cent) of the Supreme Court's 25 judges are female, seven (17.9 per cent) of the 39 District Court judges are female, and the present Chief Judge of the District Court is a woman. Twenty-seven of Queensland's 85 magistrates are women. In Victoria in 2008, women comprised 36 per cent of magistrates (up from 27 per cent in 2004), 42 per cent of County Court judges (up from 17 per cent in 2004), and 19 per cent of Supreme Court judges (up from 7 per cent in 2004). In New South Wales, from 2003 to 2007, women accounted for approximately 26 per cent of new judicial and magistracy appointments.14
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Women in public service
5.15 In 2006-07, women made up more than half (57 per cent) of the Australian Public Service workforce. They now hold 36 per cent of Senior Executive positions, an increase of 6 per cent since 2003. In 2006-07 Indigenous women represented 2.5 per cent of the Australian Public Service, compared to 1.8 per cent for Indigenous men. Women with disabilities made up 2.8 per cent and men with disabilities 3.9 per cent. Women born overseas whose first language is not English comprise 5.8 per cent, while their male counterparts comprise 5.6 per cent of the Australian Public Service. In Senior Executive positions of the Australian Public Service, Indigenous women represent 2.5 per cent, women with disabilities 2.8 per cent, and women born overseas whose first language is not English comprise 5.8 per cent.15
5.16 Women are also represented in the upper levels of state- and territory-based public services. In New South Wales in 2007, for example, women held 31 per cent of Chief and Senior Executive Officer positions in the public sector, up from 16 per cent in 1995.16 The New South Wales Government aims to raise the proportion of women at senior levels to 35 per cent by 2012, from 28 per cent in 2007.17 In South Australia in 2006, women made up 35.3 per cent of executive level public service employees, up from 29.4 per cent in 2003. South Australia is publicly committed through its Strategic Plan to have women comprise half of public sector employees in executive levels by 2014.
Women on government boards
5.17 The Australian and state and territory governments have undertaken a variety of initiatives to increase the representation of women on government boards. The Australian Government encourages and supports women to increase their participation on boards through the AppointWomen register. AppointWomen is a free online registration system, which gives women opportunities to be considered for appointment to Australian Government boards and decision-making bodies.
5.18 As at 30 June 2007, the proportion of women appointed to Australian Government boards and decision-making bodies remained steady at 34 per cent. In 2006-07, 36.5 per cent of all new appointees to Australian Government boards and decision-making bodies were women, a 2.9 percentage point increase from 2005-06.
5.19 The Australian Government has also endorsed the National Strategy for Increased Participation of Women on Boards, which aims to increase the representation of women on government and private sector boards. This involves collaborating with the states and territories, promoting awareness of the pool of 'board-ready' women, and working to increase the demand for women on boards.
5.20 In line with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action paragraph 192(c), the criteria for recruitment and appointment to Australian Government advisory bodies on cultural and religious diversity do not discriminate on the basis of gender, religious or ethnic identity. This is to try to ensure that the composition of advisory bodies accurately reflects Australian society, and that leadership roles are balanced between men and women.
5.21 In July 2006 the Queensland Government endorsed the Women on Boards strategy, which aims to increase women's participation in, and representation on, Queensland Government boards to 50 per cent representation. Between October and December 2007, women made up 44 per cent of new appointees to Queensland Government boards, up from 32 per cent in the same period for 2006. As at April 2008, 1,223 women held positions on Queensland Government boards, representing 34.3 per cent of all board positions.
5.22 In Western Australia, the Department for Communities is sponsoring 10 women, who already have existing knowledge and experience on community sector boards, to undertake the Company Directors Course through the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The program aims to provide the women with skills that will enable them to be more competitive in obtaining a position on government boards and committees. The Department for Communities also facilitated the Women on Boards strategy workshop in November 2007 and is currently developing a broader strategy for increasing female representation on boards. The Western Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet maintains the Interested Persons Register for serving on government boards and committees.
5.23 The South Australian Government has set multiple gender targets in its Strategic Plan. One target is to increasing the number of women on all state government boards and committees to 50 per cent on average; at 1 September 2008, women filled 45 per cent of these positions. There is also a target to increase the number of women chairing these boards and committees to 50 per cent by 2010. As at 1 June 2008, this was 34 per cent, up from 33 per cent in 2004. The South Australian Government maintains the Premier's Women's Directory-a register of board-ready women and routinely consults it to make board appointments.
5.24 The New South Wales Government is moving towards a target of women occupying 50 per cent of all new appointments to government boards and committees. The Government maintains a register of women who are interested in appointments to these roles. As at 31 March 2008, women held 36 per cent of government board positions, a significant increase from 19 per cent in 1995.
5.25 The Tasmanian Government administers the Tasmanian Women's Register, a secure online database of women interested in participating on government boards and committees. The register assists in identifying suitable women who are skilled, experienced and interested in appointment.
5.26 The Northern Territory Government's Office of Women's Policy continues to explore ways to further enhance representation of women on boards and committees by actively promoting gender balance in these decision-making roles. The Office of Women's Policy in the Department of the Chief Minister manages the Women's Register-a list of board-ready women who can be matched to board vacancies.
5.27 The Australian Capital Territory Office for Women monitors appointments to government boards and committees through the Cabinet process. Government agencies are required to consult with the Territory's Office for Women when making appointments, specify whether women were considered for appointment, and advise on the proportion of male and female members on each board. The Australian Capital Territory Government is also committed to increasing women's representation on government boards, committees and statutory authorities with a target of 50 per cent representation.
Women on private sector boards
5.28 Since Australia's last report on CEDAW in 2003, the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency released the 2003, 2004 and 2006 Australian Censuses of Women in Leadership. This research is used to measure the presence of women on boards and in executive management roles in the top 200 organisations listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It also enables international benchmarking and generates broad community awareness and debate on Australian women's access to leadership positions. When comparing the 200418 and 2006 censuses, overall there have been improvements in the representation of women in leadership positions in the professional sphere.
5.29 For companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange as at 1 February 2006, women comprised 12.0 per cent of executive managers, up from 10.2 per cent in 2004; 8.7 per cent of board directors, up from 8.6 per cent in 2004; 3.0 per cent of chief executive officers, up from 2.3 per cent in 2004; and 2.0 per cent of chairs, up from 1.1 per cent in 2004. However, half of the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange have no female board directors, and the number of companies with no female board directors has increased by 2 per cent over the past five years.
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Trade union membership
5.30 The President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions is a woman. In August 2007, 1.7 million people were trade union members. Of the total workforce, 18 per cent of women were trade union members and 19 per cent were men. This represents a decrease in union membership for both women and men since 2003 of 1 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
Women in non-government organisations and community participation
Engagement with women in the community
5.31 Effective engagement with women is important to all governments in Australia. The Australian Government is engaging more with a diverse range of women to ensure effective representation in government policy and decision-making. A formal stakeholder engagement plan and mechanisms currently under development will guide and improve direct stakeholder engagement.
5.32 The Australian Government continues to provide funding to the National Women's Secretariats, which remain one of the primary ways the Government consults with Australian women. The secretariats represent the views of women by consulting with their members, the women's sector, and with individual women to provide advice to government. The secretariats have around 70 member organisations and reach more than five million Australian women.
5.33 In New South Wales, quarterly meetings, attended by the New South Wales Minister for Women and representatives of key women's organisations, provide a forum for the women's sector to be involved in the development of government policy. Regional forums to coincide with Cabinet meetings in rural areas and regional centres are also organised so the Minister for Women can meet representatives from local women's groups across the state. The New South Wales Premier's Council for Women operates as a high-level advisory body reporting to the Premier on a range of policy issues, which have included those affecting older women, work-life balance, and workplace arrangements for low-paid women.
5.34 The Victorian Office for Women's Policy's community engagement activities reflects the Victorian Government's determination to increase dialogue with women and women's organisations across the state. Including a range of subject-specific forums, roundtable discussions and annual events, the program means the Office for Women's Policy can better incorporate women's views into its policy and programs.
5.35 The annual Victorian Premier's Women's Summit is a major government commitment to Victorian women. Since 2003, five summits have been held, addressing issues of community building, women and work, and ageing and finance. Since late 2003, a range of forums has also been held, including the Women's Health and Wellbeing Strategy Forums, and International Women's Day celebrations. Starting in 2003, Women's Roundtables have been held across Victoria at all Community Cabinet events, which enable the public to provide input directly to the Government.
5.36 The Victorian Government also has a strategy for culturally and linguistically diverse women to identify key government actions and priorities for addressing these women's needs. A final report on the strategy, together with recommendations, was released in late 2006. The report identifies priority needs of this group of women and makes recommendations across eight themes-health, language services, aged care, employment, education, community strengthening, family violence, and parenting.
5.37 The Queensland Department of Communities has three ministerial advisory councils-the Queensland Youth Council (13 young women, seven young men); the Queensland Seniors Council (13 women, two men); and the Ministerial Advisory Council on Domestic and Family Violence (seven women, two men). All three councils include women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women from all walks of life. In particular, the councils enable rural and regional communities to raise their concerns and provide input to government policy development at local and statewide levels.
5.38 In 2007, the Western Australian Minister for Women's Interests appointed the Women's Advisory Network of Western Australia to consult widely with their organisations' membership and clients to identify issues affecting women, and to provide advice to the state government on policy decisions that affect women and on issues of systemic inequality.
5.39 The Northern Territory's Office of Women's Policy conducted women's forums in conjunction with Community Cabinet events across the territory. The forums were open to all women within the community and provided women with an opportunity to meet with the Chief Minister, the Minister for Women's Policy and the Minister for Family and Children's Services to discuss issues relevant to them and their communities.
5.40 The Australian Capital Territory's Minister for Women appoints the Ministerial Advisory Council on Women. The council provides strategic advice to the Territory Government on issues affecting women and opens up links between the Minister and women in the territory. The council's inaugural Women's Summit in August 2006 involved 25 representatives from community organisations and government agencies. The summit outcomes are used to help shape the Government's future policy agenda.
Engagement with Indigenous women
5.41 On 2 January 2008, the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council was established as an independent advisory body of Aboriginal people. The Council's role is to provide advice to the South Australian and Australian governments on programs and policies that affect Aboriginal people. The South Australian Government also appointed the first Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement on 25 January 2008. The Commissioner serves as a 'voice' for the Aboriginal community in dealings with the South Australian Government. The Commissioner also provides independent advice to the South Australian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation on Aboriginal matters. The Commissioner works alongside the Aboriginal Advisory Council and the Commissioner for Social Inclusion to reduce Aboriginal disadvantage.
5.42 Refer to paragraph 2.47 for information on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Gathering, and the Ministerial Conference on the Status of Women.
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Building women's leadership
5.43 In March 2008, the Australian Government released The leadership challenge: Women in management research report.19 The research identifies barriers that reduce women's participation at senior levels in public, private and tertiary sector organisations and the factors that contribute to loss of potential leaders. The research shows that work-life balance issues and the masculine culture of organisations inhibit women reaching senior executive positions. The Australian Government is using the research to guide future policies on women's leadership, occupational segregation and the gender pay gap.
5.44 The Australian Government Women's Leadership and Development program continues to focus on capacity-building for Australian women and wide consultation with women in the community. As part of the program, funding grants go to national women's non-government organisations for projects that contribute to public policy and/or service development, or to help national women's non-government organisations become more effective.
5.45 In June 2008, program grants of $2.1 million were announced, which is a significant increase on previous rounds of Women's Leadership and Development program allocations. These grants are funding a range of projects that aim to improve women's leadership skills in a variety of ways. For example, one project is to develop and trial a leadership and social justice training program for young women to engage them in issues including social justice, human rights and gender equity. Another project will help Indigenous women in a remote Australian community strengthen their leadership and negotiation skills, to help them reinvigorate their community, and to establish more community control in resolving local issues. The United Nations Development Fund for Women Australia also has a grant to conduct gender analysis training workshops in each state and territory. This is consistent with the CEDAW Committee's 2006 Concluding Comments in paragraph 32 recommending Australia increase it's funding to non-government organisations involved in the promotion of women's rights.
5.46 Australia is focused on building women's leadership in rural communities with initiatives like the pilot Young Women Leadership and Mentoring program, which provided mentoring for young women and sponsorship for the Rural Women's Awards. As well, Sports Leadership Grants for rural and remote women to help young women living outside the main cities to prepare for leadership and decision-making roles in Australian sport.
5.47 Australia supports leadership and self-esteem training opportunities for women-including women from ethnic and religious minorities and young women-and encourages them to take decision-making positions. In recent years, the Living in Harmony program and the National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security have worked with women in community groups to develop leadership and capacity building skills. Projects also bring together women from different parts of Australian society to form connections and develop friendships that cross cultural and religious boundaries. This is consistent with the Beijing Platform for Action, paragraph 195(a). For more information about the National Action Plan, see paragraph 7.26.
5.48 Participation of girls in sport is important for their physical and mental health, as well as their social development and full participation in Australian society. Living in Harmony program projects between the Australian Government and people involved in iconic Australian sporting fields-such as cricket, surf life saving and football-are assisting young women and girls from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds to participate fully in sport, further demonstrating the Australian Government's commitment to the Beijing Platform of Action, paragraphs 276(d) and 280(d).
5.49 Victoria's Women's Leadership Forums and Training program for Women with Disabilities identified the leadership needs of women with disabilities. In 2005-06, the Victorian Government established the Victorian Women with Disabilities Network Advocacy Information Service to influence mainstream providers and disability organisations to become more gender aware and responsive, and to support leadership and advocacy skills development among women with disabilities.
5.50 The Women's Community Leadership Grants program was announced in 2001 at the 2nd Annual Victorian Women's Summit: Supporting Women as Community Leaders. The grants program aims to benefit women from all backgrounds who want to develop their own leadership skills or those of their community. The overall focus of the grants is on seeding initiatives that result in meaningful change and the development of leadership potential. From 2002 to 2006, 130 grants were made.
5.51 In 2008, the Victorian Government will deliver a leadership project for women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to raise the profile of this group of women in their local government areas and increase their participation in decision-making.
5.52 The Tasmanian Government intends to hold a Tasmanian Rural Leaders' forum in 2009. Rural women will be encouraged to attend and participate. Apart from helping these women build industry links, the wider aim of the forum is to increase rural women's representation on boards and committees.
Indigenous Leadership program
5.53 The Australian Government's Indigenous Leadership program is an innovative and flexible initiative designed to build the leadership capacities of Indigenous men and women. It offers participants a journey of self-discovery and development that will enhance their leadership abilities for themselves, their families, their communities and their nation.
5.54 The aim of the program is to develop a 'critical mass' of Indigenous leaders who can lead by example in their community. The program delivers leadership development training, and advanced leadership development opportunities across Australia.
5.55 Throughout the program, participants are supported to plan and take action on issues of significance to them and their community.
5.56 The Indigenous Women's program provides grants for activities in local communities that directly respond to the particular needs and circumstances of local Indigenous women. The Indigenous Women's program is a grants program aimed at enhancing Indigenous women's leadership, representation, safety, wellbeing and economic status. It is administered through local Indigenous Coordination Centres in urban, rural and remote areas of Australia.
5.57 In 2006, the New South Wales Office for Women held a special event on Indigenous women in leadership which brought together business and community leaders to celebrate the achievements of Indigenous women and encourage women to nominate for boards and committees.
5.58 The Australian Capital Territory Government provides leadership development opportunities for female Indigenous students through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership/Mentoring program.
Recognition of Australian women
5.59 The Australian Government continues to raise the profile of women in the Australian of the Year Awards and the Australian Honours system, so that more women are recognised for their achievements. However, men continue to dominate in both award systems. In the Australia Day 2008 Order of Australia Honours, 32.3 per cent of those honoured were women. A broad awareness-raising strategy is under way to ensure women's organisations and the community are made more aware of the honours nomination processes.
5.60 In 2005, the New South Wales Premier established the New South Wales Woman of the Year Award to raise the profile and recognition of women's contributions to their communities and public life. So far the program has seen members of parliament and the community nominate more than 380 women. In 2005 a program of grants to New South Wales local councils was established to help councils host and promote International Women's Day activities and events in their communities. In 2008, 122 councils took up grants, an increase from 52 councils in 2005.
5.61 The Victorian Honour Roll of Women-an ongoing Victorian Government initiative-recognises women's significant contributions to their communities and to the lives of other women. In 2003, 22 women were added to the Honour Roll (22 in 2004, 18 in 2005, 24 in 2006, 30 in 2007 and 30 in 2008). The total number of women currently on the Honour Roll in 2008 is 420.