Sarah Courtney,Minister for Women
Elise Archer,Attorney-General and Minister for Building and Construction
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is creating a more inclusive Tasmania that empowers and enables women and girls to fully participate in our economic, social, political and community life.
This is why we are increasing diversity and the representation of women on government boards and committees.
Since the Women on Boards Strategy 2015-2020 was released, significant improvement has been made in tackling gender inequality and enhancing the diversity of boards.
While the increased diversity on Government boards and committees represents important progress for Tasmanian women, the Government recognises that there is more work to be done to ensure this momentum continues to deliver an increase in representation of women across Government boards and committees.
To build on the progress we have made so far, Minister for Women, Sarah Courtney, has today released the Women on Boards Strategy 2020-2025.
“As Minister for Women, I’m very proud that over the last five years, we have increased women’s representation on Government boards and committees from 33.8 per cent in June 2015 to 46.4 per cent as at 30 June 2020.”
“This is a clear sign that our policies are working, and we look forward to ensuring this success is embedded and the learning shared across different sectors.”
“A key focus of the Strategy is to support more women into leadership roles in non-traditional industries, such as construction, primary industries, engineering and fisheries, which will play a vital role in supporting our recovery.”
While the Strategy focuses on increasing women’s representation on Government boards and committees, a range of new actions have been included to support the private and not-for-profit sector to increase the number of women on boards and committees.
“This new approach is supported by our investment of $2.5 million in this year’s Budget for an industry-led approach to enable and empower more women to participate more broadly across our economy.”
“We are also investing a further $400,000 over two years for measures to enhance industry liaison and to develop leadership pipelines for women in these fields,” Minister Courtney said.
Attorney General and Minister for Building and Construction, Elise Archer said, “It’s great to see so many women breaking down barriers and achieving success in the Building and Construction sector.”
Penelope Haley, who we are joined with here today, is a Director of a Building and Architectural company, she is also on the tools herself as a builder of 10 years. This is a leading example of exceptional achievement as a woman in a non-traditional industry,” Minister Archer said.
Stuart Collins, HIA’s Executive Director said “The Housing Industry Association vigorously endorses initiatives that support women’s participation and leadership within the building and construction industry.”
“While building has long been perceived as a male-dominated space, there are women holding many and varied jobs in the industry, and at all levels from apprentices to directors. By increasing visibility of women’s roles and highlighting the important work women do, we can assist in breaking down barriers to increased participation by women in the industry. Many of these women are outstanding role models and mentors and by sharing their experiences and harnessing their knowledge, they can play a vital role in drawing more women to the industry and illustrating pathways for career development.”
“While funding for scholarships and programs that encourage more women to seek leadership and management positions in companies, on boards and committees can only be seen as a sound investment in ensuring a positive future for ours and other industries,” Mr Collins said.
Actions have been included in the Strategy to leverage new ways of working as a result of COVID-19, address barriers that women face in positions of leadership, and foster connections and opportunities for women in industry.
The Women on Boards Strategy 2020-2025 can be viewed at www.communities.tas.gov.au.
