❓ Hon Rick Mazza asks about the appointment process for biosecurity funding scheme committee members. The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Hon Alannah MacTiernan, explains her decision to reject the initial recommendations due to a lack of gender diversity and outlines steps taken to address this.
AnsweredQoN 755Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
INDUSTRY FUNDING SCHEME —
INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES
755. Hon RICK MAZZA to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to the Department of Primary
Industries and Regional Development's advertisements on 8 March 2018
for expressions of interest for biosecurity funding scheme committee members.
(1) How many EOIs were received
following the March 2018 advertisement?
(2) How many applicants met the
criteria of the March 2018 advertisement?
(3) Did the
department make any recommendations to the minister about the appointment of
applicants as a result of the March 2018 advertisement?
(4) If yes to (3), did the minister
accept the recommendations of the department; and, if not, why not?
INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES
755. Hon RICK MAZZA to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to the Department of Primary
Industries and Regional Development's advertisements on 8 March 2018
for expressions of interest for biosecurity funding scheme committee members.
(1) How many EOIs were received
following the March 2018 advertisement?
(2) How many applicants met the
criteria of the March 2018 advertisement?
(3) Did the
department make any recommendations to the minister about the appointment of
applicants as a result of the March 2018 advertisement?
(4) If yes to (3), did the minister
accept the recommendations of the department; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for the question because I think this is an important issue.
(1)–(4) I
certainly received six recommendations to appoint six people to the three
committees. However, I was deeply concerned that all the recommendations were
male. I asked to look at the general composition of the committees and I found
that of the 21 members, 19 were male. I know that might look normal from the
other side of the house, but out in the real world it is a bit more like this
side of the house.
Several members interjected.
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : It is
an issue, guys; I think that has been generally accepted.
I thought this was particularly
concerning given the very prominent role that so many women are playing in the
agricultural sector—real leadership that is being shown right across
the sector by women. When I meet with grower groups, there is very strong
representation by women who are actively engaged in the business of farming and
who are active agricultural scientists and engaged in agronomy. It seemed to me
that there was a problem with all six recommendations being men, so I started
doing a bit of a drill down and found that the appointments committee was all
men. I thought that it was probably time to do a little bit of modernisation
with these particular schemes and get a bit of diversity into the biosecurity
scheme. We have restructured and there are now two women on the appointments
committee. They have started a new process and I am anticipating —
Hon Michael Mischin : Where
are they from?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : One
is from the rural women's network.
These are out for expressions of
interest now. I anticipate that we will have new appointments to make in
October. It is really important that we make sure that we take advantage of the
entire gene pool that is available to us when making these appointments.
member for the question because I think this is an important issue.
(1)–(4) I
certainly received six recommendations to appoint six people to the three
committees. However, I was deeply concerned that all the recommendations were
male. I asked to look at the general composition of the committees and I found
that of the 21 members, 19 were male. I know that might look normal from the
other side of the house, but out in the real world it is a bit more like this
side of the house.
Several members interjected.
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : It is
an issue, guys; I think that has been generally accepted.
I thought this was particularly
concerning given the very prominent role that so many women are playing in the
agricultural sector—real leadership that is being shown right across
the sector by women. When I meet with grower groups, there is very strong
representation by women who are actively engaged in the business of farming and
who are active agricultural scientists and engaged in agronomy. It seemed to me
that there was a problem with all six recommendations being men, so I started
doing a bit of a drill down and found that the appointments committee was all
men. I thought that it was probably time to do a little bit of modernisation
with these particular schemes and get a bit of diversity into the biosecurity
scheme. We have restructured and there are now two women on the appointments
committee. They have started a new process and I am anticipating —
Hon Michael Mischin : Where
are they from?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : One
is from the rural women's network.
These are out for expressions of
interest now. I anticipate that we will have new appointments to make in
October. It is really important that we make sure that we take advantage of the
entire gene pool that is available to us when making these appointments.
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