AppointWomen is a register that gives women an opportunity to be considered for appointment to a variety of Australian Government boards and other decision making bodies. It is managed by the Australian Government Office for Women, within the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
For Women
The Office for Women maintains AppointWomen and matches qualified and experienced candidates to vacancies on Australian Government decision-making bodies.
The requesting Australian Government department considers the nominees and will contact selected candidates directly to follow up.
AppointWomen is a free and confidential service.
To be considered for vacancies, simply complete the candidate details form and email it with your resume (as a Word or pdf document) to contactus@appointwomen.gov.au . You can send us an updated resume at any time.
By sending your resume to AppointWomen you are consenting to your information being provided to a requesting department without any further consultation.
For Departments
The Australian Government is committed to increasing the participation of women on boards and bodies of influence. There is plenty of evidence to show that boards that embrace diversity are more effective.
AppointWomen provides Australian Government departments with a source of women candidates who are keen and able to make a difference in government decision-making processes.
The skills and experience of the women in the register are numerous and diverse. It includes local, national and international experience across a wide range of sectors; technology, industry, business and law, finance, community, media, arts and many more.
If you are a representative of an Australian Government department seeking nominations for an appointment to a Commonwealth board or other decision making body, then AppointWomen may have the person you need. The information about candidates provided by AppointWomen provides a basis for further assessment and final selection of candidates by Departments.
Please email the request to contactus@appointwomen.gov.au . You will receive confirmation of receipt within 3 working days and a list of candidates within 10 working days.
Why do we still have dedicated appointment registers for women?
Women comprise 51% of the population but are not yet equally represented in senior positions in society. Yet we know that women can and do positively influence important decisions, in government, in the community sector and in business, and should have increased opportunity to do so. AppointWomen and other registers are aimed at raising awareness about the large pool of talented women across Australia who are actively seeking appointment to decision-making bodies.
New research shows female directors lift the performance of corporate boards and are more likely to turn up to meetings.1
It also found participation at board meetings increased when there were women on the board, with more decision-making, tougher monitoring of the chief executive and more alignment with the interests of shareholders.
In addition, companies with women as board members excel in many areas, including exporting of goods and services.
The experiences gained on boards and bodies also offer excellent professional development and networking opportunities for women, which can benefit both career progression and business advancement.
Further opportunities for women to engage with bodies of influence
All state and territory governments offer appointment registers and have strategies in place to promote increased representation of women.
In the private and community sectors there are a range of organisations working to match up qualified women with decision-making positions.
1 "Women in the Boardroom and Their Impact on Governance and Performance," 2008, Renee Adams and Dr Daniel Ferreira, forthcoming, Journal of Financial Economics.