❓ Question on gender equity in WA, focusing on government plans and barriers to women's participation. The Minister's response highlights achievements and ongoing challenges, sparking heated debate.
AnsweredQoN 956Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GENDER EQUITY
956. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Women's Interests:
I refer to the McGowan government's
commitment to address gender inequality in Western Australia. Can the minister
outline how this government is listening to Western Australian women to develop
a long-term plan of action to improve outcomes for women in all walks of life;
and is the minister aware of any barriers to women's full participation
across the community?
956. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Women's Interests:
I refer to the McGowan government's
commitment to address gender inequality in Western Australia. Can the minister
outline how this government is listening to Western Australian women to develop
a long-term plan of action to improve outcomes for women in all walks of life;
and is the minister aware of any barriers to women's full participation
across the community?
AnswerView source ↗
I am very pleased to answer this
question and I am very pleased with the member for Belmont's interest
in this issue. Members might be aware that we released a three-year report into
the status of women in Western Australia. It contains a range of more than 200
indicators of how women are faring in this state and provides an important
snapshot of how we are going. When I look across the chamber now, it is
interesting to see the level of interest in this issue. The member for
Dawesville has just lifted up his head, but apart from that, not one eye is
looking at me and not one member is listening to this debate. They are all
looking at their phones. I know that not many women are over there but —
Point of Order
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : Point of
order.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Ms S.E. Winton interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, do you have to have a comment on everything? Members, it is a point
of order. I will hear it in silence.
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : The
minister is clearly misleading the house with her statement about members on
this side of the house. She should withdraw those lies that she is making up.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Start
again.
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : I said that
the minister is obviously misleading the house and she should withdraw her
statements.
The SPEAKER : That is not a point
of order. We have people who sometimes say that other members are not in the
house, which is a point of order, but that is not.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : We know that
the Liberal Party's record on women's interests is poor, and
that is indicated by the fact that only three women represent that party on the
other side.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms S.F. McGURK : The member
for Carine would be well placed to listen for once.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The minister is
on her feet. She has something to say. If you want to have something to say,
put a question up.
Ms S.F. McGURK : On a range of
different issues regarding how women are faring in this state, there are some
areas in which we are doing well—for instance, on a couple of health
indicators. The five-year survival rate for women with cancer is more than 91
per cent, which is a fantastic achievement, and since 2002, the number of teenage pregnancies in our state has halved. They
are some fantastic health indicators. However, on many economic indicators, we are not doing well and Western Australia is at risk of being
left behind. Certainly, if it were left to members
on the other side of the house, we would be left behind. We have the highest
gender pay gap in the c ountry, at 22 per cent. South Australia and
Victoria are both at nine per cent. Reducing that gender pay gap is achievable,
but we need a specific plan and we need to work hard and put our shoulders to
the wheel if we want to effect change. Another indicator is the number of women
in Parliament, which has not changed in the last 10 years. It is about 30 per
cent. There is no doubt that this side of the house, the government benches, is
doing the heavy lifting. Forty-one per cent of government members are women, as
distinct from the Liberal Party, which has 17 per cent. It is appalling. We had a plan and we debated that plan within our party
25 years ago, in the early 1990s. We decided that, in alignment with our
values, we wanted more participation of women in representative ranks in our
party. We changed our rules and the results are now very clear. We are calling
on the community and corporate industry to do that as well.
If we look for instance at BHP, we see that it has an
ambitious target of employing 50 per cent women by 2025. It has a specific target and it will be held to that
target, and I applaud it for that. There are some good signs of employers in this state doing some good work. They understand that they need to access
the full human resource that is the women of Western Australia and make sure
that they remove the barriers to doing that, and I thank them for that. We need
to celebrate and acknowledge those changes.
With respect to the women's plan, we decided that it
was worth going out and asking women throughout Western Australia what the
issues are for them, not just in a statistical sense, which we have done
through the ''Women's Report Card'', but also by actually
having conversations, and we did that throughout the state. We had over 2 000
responses either through surveys or from people attending workshops. We have
had some fantastic interest in this issue. I look forward to releasing the
outcome of that plan from this government early next year. There is a lot work
to do but I am very proud to be a part of the McGowan government and the Labor
Party that takes women's participation and gender equity in our state
seriously.
question and I am very pleased with the member for Belmont's interest
in this issue. Members might be aware that we released a three-year report into
the status of women in Western Australia. It contains a range of more than 200
indicators of how women are faring in this state and provides an important
snapshot of how we are going. When I look across the chamber now, it is
interesting to see the level of interest in this issue. The member for
Dawesville has just lifted up his head, but apart from that, not one eye is
looking at me and not one member is listening to this debate. They are all
looking at their phones. I know that not many women are over there but —
Point of Order
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : Point of
order.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Ms S.E. Winton interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, do you have to have a comment on everything? Members, it is a point
of order. I will hear it in silence.
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : The
minister is clearly misleading the house with her statement about members on
this side of the house. She should withdraw those lies that she is making up.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Start
again.
Mr A. KRSTICEVIC : I said that
the minister is obviously misleading the house and she should withdraw her
statements.
The SPEAKER : That is not a point
of order. We have people who sometimes say that other members are not in the
house, which is a point of order, but that is not.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : We know that
the Liberal Party's record on women's interests is poor, and
that is indicated by the fact that only three women represent that party on the
other side.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms S.F. McGURK : The member
for Carine would be well placed to listen for once.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The minister is
on her feet. She has something to say. If you want to have something to say,
put a question up.
Ms S.F. McGURK : On a range of
different issues regarding how women are faring in this state, there are some
areas in which we are doing well—for instance, on a couple of health
indicators. The five-year survival rate for women with cancer is more than 91
per cent, which is a fantastic achievement, and since 2002, the number of teenage pregnancies in our state has halved. They
are some fantastic health indicators. However, on many economic indicators, we are not doing well and Western Australia is at risk of being
left behind. Certainly, if it were left to members
on the other side of the house, we would be left behind. We have the highest
gender pay gap in the c ountry, at 22 per cent. South Australia and
Victoria are both at nine per cent. Reducing that gender pay gap is achievable,
but we need a specific plan and we need to work hard and put our shoulders to
the wheel if we want to effect change. Another indicator is the number of women
in Parliament, which has not changed in the last 10 years. It is about 30 per
cent. There is no doubt that this side of the house, the government benches, is
doing the heavy lifting. Forty-one per cent of government members are women, as
distinct from the Liberal Party, which has 17 per cent. It is appalling. We had a plan and we debated that plan within our party
25 years ago, in the early 1990s. We decided that, in alignment with our
values, we wanted more participation of women in representative ranks in our
party. We changed our rules and the results are now very clear. We are calling
on the community and corporate industry to do that as well.
If we look for instance at BHP, we see that it has an
ambitious target of employing 50 per cent women by 2025. It has a specific target and it will be held to that
target, and I applaud it for that. There are some good signs of employers in this state doing some good work. They understand that they need to access
the full human resource that is the women of Western Australia and make sure
that they remove the barriers to doing that, and I thank them for that. We need
to celebrate and acknowledge those changes.
With respect to the women's plan, we decided that it
was worth going out and asking women throughout Western Australia what the
issues are for them, not just in a statistical sense, which we have done
through the ''Women's Report Card'', but also by actually
having conversations, and we did that throughout the state. We had over 2 000
responses either through surveys or from people attending workshops. We have
had some fantastic interest in this issue. I look forward to releasing the
outcome of that plan from this government early next year. There is a lot work
to do but I am very proud to be a part of the McGowan government and the Labor
Party that takes women's participation and gender equity in our state
seriously.
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