"Big win for WA women as gender equality plan released

4 March 2020

• Emily Hamilton MLA praises McGowan Government’s 10-year plan to address gender inequality
• Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality provides roadmap for industry and communities to drive change
• Specific initiatives to be introduced to drive change

Local MP Emily Hamilton praised the recently released McGowan Government plan to address gender inequality, describing the release as a big step forward for women in Joondalup and across WA.

The 10-year plan, titled Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality, is WA’s first roadmap to address gender inequality, underlining the Government’s commitment to ensuring women and girls have opportunities to reach their full potential.

Statistics consistently show that women in Western Australia are at considerable risk of violence and abuse, bear the majority of domestic work, face the nation’s biggest gender pay gap of 22 per cent and are often overlooked for leadership positions.

Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality is accompanied by specific initiatives to drive change, including:

• a target of 50 per cent women in top-level (Senior Executive Services) public service positions
• public sector to trial voluntary reporting of agency data to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (currently no public sector agencies in any State do so); and
• a commitment to examine opportunities to use the State Government’s purchasing power to incentivise suppliers to support gender equality policy and practice.

Thousands of women and girls from across the State contributed to the plan through the State Government’s Women’s Voices: Building a Stronger WA Together consultations.

In August last year Ms Hamilton hosted a forum in Connolly with forty lively participants, of various ages and backgrounds, who provided input and discussed issues in small groups.

Attendees included representatives from The Spiers Centre Incorporated, Community Vision Australia Limited, Northern Suburbs Stroke Group, Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren WA Incorporated, Share the Dignity, students from—Mater Dei College, North Metropolitan TAFE, and Edith Cowan University, as well as local sporting groups and residents.

Comments by Emily Hamilton:

“This plan represents real action to tackle gender inequality across WA and I’m really proud that our Government has made gender equality a priority.

“Women from all over WA, including here in Joondalup, have been given the chance to contribute their ideas, ensuring the voices of WA women have been represented in the plan.

“Unfortunately, equality for women is still a long way off, but with a plan to focus our attention on finding solutions, we know the Government is taking equality seriously.

“Women are half of our community and there should be gender equity in WA. Let’s get it right now so that our daughters don’t have to fight to reach equality.”

Media Contact: Emily Hamilton 9300 3990

Photograph: Participants at last year’s forum discussed the issues facing women in our community."