Reversal of recent changes to the process for nominating people to the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women will resolve barriers to recognising the achievements of many women.
Established under Labor, the Tasmanian Women’s Honour Roll recognises the contribution that women have made to Tasmania and in particular those women whose work often goes unrecognised or rewarded.
Labor raised the concern that the requirement for consent of the nominee had led to many women declining to be nominated through reticence or modesty as they feel that such an honour was unworthy.
This is exactly what the Roll was supposed to resolve.
Reverting to the original process will lead to more nominations of deserving Tasmanian women through the process.
Labor also requested an extension of the nomination period to ensure everyone could take advantage of the change to ensure no one inadvertently missed out on this year’s selection process.
I welcome confirmation from the Minister for Women Jo Palmer that the requirement has now been removed, this is a sensible and welcome step, as is the reopening of nominations for a further two weeks from tomorrow (19 October).
These changes will give people every opportunity to recognise the extraordinary achievements of Tasmanian women and I thank the Minister for listening and acting on these concerns.
Michelle O’Byrne MP
Shadow Minister for Women
