WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question on women in leadership roles to the Minister for the Status of Women.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: For many months now it has been a frequent observation, certainly in the media, that two women now head our nation as the Governor-General and the Prime Minister. Lately some notice was made of the appointment of a South Australian businesswoman as the CEO of a major bank. What I find surprising is that it is still seen as noteworthy when a woman achieves success in leadership positions in our country. Perhaps that in itself says something about cultural attitudes about women and, until those attitudes change and until it becomes unremarkable to do so, perhaps it is useful to keep making those observations, in which case, will the minister provide the chamber with information on positive changes in relation to women as leaders and key decision-makers in South Australia?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for his question. As he rightly notes, the matter of increasing participation rates for women in key decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors is a priority for this government. I understand that the South Australian government is one of the few jurisdictions in the world to have set a 50 per cent target for women on boards. I am pleased that as of 1 September 2010 women held 46 per cent of positions on government boards and committees and 35 per cent of chair positions on government boards and committees.

This is a long-term strategy that presents some very complex challenges for the government, but we continue to be one of the leading jurisdictions in Australia in this field. Setting formal targets has been an excellent strategy for promoting experienced and capable women and requires that the South Australian government is publicly accountable on the progress being made towards achieving that target. I have written to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) recommending that they consider this strategy in more detail.

As an example of women in leadership positions, I was very pleased to read of the recent appointment of Ms Jane Kittel as the new Managing Director of Bank SA. Ms Kittel was raised in Port Augusta and is the first woman to run Bank SA in its 162-year history. The announcement of her appointment on Tuesday 7 September made it a double red-letter day as another South Australian raised woman became the country's first elected female prime minister on that day. I believe Ms Kittel will make an excellent role model for other women striving to fill their career goals, and I have written to Ms Kittel to congratulate her on returning to South Australia in such illustrious circumstances.

Welcome developments such as Ms Kittel's appointment are a positive sign that steps towards equity in the nation's boardrooms are being made, albeit small ones. Recently I had the pleasure of writing to the Australian Institute of Company Directors to congratulate it on its initiatives to increase the number of women on ASX 200 boards, and I also drew its attention to the success South Australia has had with setting its targets, for which we are publicly accountable.

For the first time, the number of women directors on boards of the top 200 ASX-listed companies has reached almost 10 per cent compared with 8.3 per cent at the beginning of this year. As I said, they are small improvements but they are certainly steps or trends in the right direction. The Australian Institute of Company Directors has also launched a mentoring program for 63 highly talented and qualified women which will enable them to develop connections with influential business leaders and gain knowledge and skills that will assist them in achieving directorial appointments.

I understand that this 12-month program will also increase women's understanding of how listed company boards work and provide advice on the process of selecting and appointing new directors. It will also be of great value to mentors by putting them in contact with highly qualified women with enormous potential as ASX 200 company directors.

The South Australian Office for Women has also partnered with the Australian Institute of Company Directors to hold financial training for women on boards. While there is clearly still much work to be done, the positive effect of these and other initiatives being taken at the national level is being felt in South Australia. Ms Kittel's appointment is one in which we can take some pride, and I wish her all the very best in her challenging career development.