Ministerial Statement

South Australia's Women's Economic Empowerment Blueprint

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:08): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: Today is a special day for all of us who are committed to achieving gender equality. Summed up in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to work and the right to just and favourable conditions of work. Planet 50:50 by 2013: Step It Up For Gender Equality is the inspiring theme for this International Women's Day.

Governments across the world have pledged to take purposeful action toward gender parity, and today the government of South Australia joins them. We affirm that South Australian women are entitled to full enjoyment of their inalienable right to work and to receive equal pay for that work. In order to ensure a better future for South Australian women, we must address the barriers that affect their economic wellbeing. That is why the state government's new blueprint for women's economic empowerment, Investing in Women's Futures, includes a number of initiatives that will:

reduce the gender pay gap;

encourage flexible work arrangements;

improve women's financial literacy; and

encourage women to undertake study and/or employment in STEM.

When men and women do not have equal access to resources, there are direct economic and social consequences for our community. One of these consequences is the prevalence of domestic violence. In Australia one in three women has experienced physical violence, and we know that a lack of independent income increases women's vulnerability. Increasing women's access to paid work with favourable conditions will increase their access to greater financial security and enhance their confidence and social support networks.

The new economic blueprint builds upon the state government's policy, Achieving Women's Equality. I am proud that our government remains committed to increasing and sustaining the economic status, social inclusion, safety and wellbeing of women—a path that our suffragists blazed more than a century ago. Our investment reflects the value that we place on women. Apart from being an issue of equity, the empowerment of South Australian women is one of the most effective ways to achieve higher economic growth.

If we are to have a vibrant state, we must expand the pool of potential employees, particularly in light of a tight labour market characterised by intensive interstate competition. The largest, most untapped labour pool available is women; therefore, increasing women's economic participation is not simply the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. The government stands ready to use the new economic blueprint to look at everything we can do to empower South Australian women.